Alliance calls to defend civil society against state attacks, hold erring high public officials to account
As bids to impeach the Vice President mount in Congress, civil society watchdog Defend Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) Alliance (DNA) gathered to fortify themselves against growing state assaults, strengthen development work, and demand good governance to genuinely uplift the Filipino nation’s dire conditions.
The Council for People’s Development and Governance (CPDG), People’s Network for Food Security Programmes (PNFSP), National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL), and The Reality of Aid (ROA) - Asia Pacific in partnership with the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) and United Nations Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights (UNOCHR) held the gathering titled “Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) Unite to Uphold People’s Rights: Strengthening Partnerships, Leaving No One Behind” Wednesday in Quezon City. Some 140 participants from over 100 non-government institutions and people’s organizations (POs) from across the nation as well as representatives of government agencies, international organizations and the diplomatic community, participated in the whole-day conversation. They took up the important contribution of CSOs in forging development and democracy which is undermined by state attacks.
Citizen’s Disaster Response Center Executive Director Susan Balingit opened the conference. Civil society’s contributions and challenges faced in the assertion of economic, social and cultural rights were tackled by CPDG Vice President Rochelle Porras. Atty. Josalee Deinla, NUPL Secretary General, presented the group’s research on financing terrorism and judicial attacks on non-government organizations including red- and terror-tagging, harassment, filing of fabricated charges, and the freezing of assets invoking weaponized laws.
Signe Poulsen, Senior Human Rights Adviser to the UN Philippine Resident Coordinator, delivered her reaction on the inputs, delving on development challenges in the Philippines and at the global level and the UN’s related programs and projects. After an open forum, Defend NGOs Alliance National Spokesperson Jazmin Jerusalem concluded the morning discussion with an update on the alliance and its expansion in the quest to reclaim civic spaces and asseret the people’s right to development.
The event’s first half was capped with a press conference underscoring the active role of citizens and civil society in upholding people’s welfare - including calling out government officials who misuse their positions and power for narrow-minded or self-serving ends, such as VP Sara Duterte. The Marcos Jr administration was called out for sacrificing NGOs and community development to exit the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) “grey list”. Panelists included Atty. Deinla, PMPI Chairperson Fr. Edwin Garinguez, Defend NGOs Alliance Northern Luzon Spokesperson Leonida Pangket, Ms. Jerusalem, and Center for Empowerment Resource Network, Inc. - 27 (CERNET 27) Spokesperson Estrella Catarata.
The afternoon session was opened by UN Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzales. Zeroing in on SDG17 on partnerships for sustainable development, ROA-Asia Pacific coordinator Sarah Torres gave notes on partnerships and challenges in upholding people’s rights. A panel discussion led by CERNET, Magsasaka at Siyentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), Philippine Misereor Partnership Inc. (PMPI), and Katinnulong Daguiti Umili iti Amianan, Inc. (KADUAMI) elaborated on this theme. Development actors and partners then presented their reactions and responses. Miguel Valdez of the Institute for Nationalist Studies (INS) presented of Defend NGOs’ recommendations for action. Fr. Garinguez closed the conference.
The attacks on NGOs, POs and communities aim to silence critical voices and worsen impunity in the country, the groups said. They stressed that independent civil society and engaged citizens are irreplaceable weapons against abuses of political and economic power.###
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