RISING TYRANNY: The Philippines today

RISING TYRANNY: The Philippines today

Thursday, November 16, 2017, 7:00-9:00 PM
Doors open and refreshments at 6:30 PM

The Mary Ward Centre, 70 St. Mary Street, Toronto (near Bay & Charles Sts.)

After a year-and-a-half in power, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise of change has been replaced by authoritarian rule.  Even before Duterte was sworn into power, his regime embarked on its bloody war on drugs, which was characterized by killings of suspected drug users, mostly from the urban poor. To date, it is estimated that 12,000 have been killed by police, vigilante groups and death squads.

The Duterte regime carries out its counterinsurgency plan to wipe out the CPP-NPA-NDF. However, under Oplan Kapayapaan (Operation Plan Peace), as in previous regimes, government armed forces make no distinction between members of mass organizations and armed combatants. In the first year of Duterte, there were 68 victims of political-motivated killings, 842 victims of illegal arrest, and 42,894 victims of threats, harassment and intimidation. Hopes for a peaceful resolution to the decades-long armed conflict in the country between the government and the New People’s Army were dashed as the peace talks fell apart and Duterte declared all-out war against the NPA in February.

Finally, in May 23 of this year, in response to attacks by Islamist armed groups in the city of Marawi in southern Philippines, Duterte declared martial law in the entire Mindanao region.  Allowed by the Constitution to last only 60 days, martial law was later extended until the end of 2017 upon Duterte’s request to congress.  Since the declaration of martial law in Mindanao, Duterte has twice stated that he would not hesitate to extend martial law to the rest of the country.

How have these developments impacted the Filipino people? What are its implications for the immediate future of the Filipino people? Join us for a discussion and updates from the ground.

Guest Speaker: Bishop Reuel Norman Marigza, General Secretary of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP), Stop the Killings Network

CO-SPONSORED BY: KAIROS, UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA

For information, contact byncan.to@gmail.com.

(PRESS RELEASE)