Suspension of Writ of Habeas Corpus will Lead to More Abuses, Add to the Growing Climate of Impunity

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to suspend the privilege of the Writ of Habeas Corpus as a response to the country's worsening drug problem and lawlessness would lead to more abuses.

Hontiveros also said that the suspension of the writ would contribute to the growing climate of impunity brought about by the thousands of unresolved extrajudicial killings.

The Senator explained that the privilege of the writ grants a person the right to report or question an unlawful detention or imprisonment before a court. She said that during the Marcos regime, the suspension of the privilege of the writ led to arbitrary arrests of members of the political opposition and citizens.

"Dangerous idea"

"The president's suggestion to suspend the privilege of the writ, despite the explanation of his spokespersons that it was merely an 'idea', is dangerous in itself. It is the seed of undemocratic rule similar to the Marcos dictatorship," Hontiveros said.

Hontiveros also said that the President, under the 1987 constitution, can only suspend the privilege of the writ in cases of invasion or rebellion and when public safety requires it.

"The government kept on saying that the country is safer now. However, the President's plan to suspend the privilege of the writ negates this narrative. It only adds to the fear and anxiety of the public," Hontiveros said.



"Learn to trust democracy"

The senator urged President Duterte to maximize the government's democratic institutions in promoting his public order and safety agenda.

"The President must learn to trust our democratic processes. Proper law enforcement and standing behind the protection of human rights and observance of the rule of law are the best methods to ensure public safety," Hontiveros concluded.

NBA Store Philippines Marks NBA Cares 10th Anniversary with Donation to Knowledge Channel Foundation

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and NBA Store Philippines, managed by International Athletic Trading Company, Inc. (IATC), donated Php 235,000 to Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI) for the benefit of students of Yapak, Talaga, and Roman Tantiangco Elementary Schools, mountain communities in Morong, Rizal. 

NBA Store Philippines staged a retail promotion that donates a portion of NBA Name and Number T-shirt sales proceeds from Aug. 10 to Sept. 13 to KCFI to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of NBA Cares. The donation will fund multimedia learning resources and teacher workshops for the three public schools. 

Last Nov. 11, NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson and IATC Vice President of Marketing Bea Lim presented the cheque donation to KCFI Head of Access Doris Nuval at the NBA Store in Glorietta 3.

Senate Misses the Opportunity to Side with Real Heroes

Wazzup Pilipinas!

“It was a missed opportunity.”

This was how Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros described the Senate’s failure to pass a resolution expressing the sense of the institution that the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos is not a hero and not entitled to be buried in the Libingan ng mga Bayani (LNMB). 

“I am sad that the Senate missed the opportunity to defend the truth and our history from the Marcoses’ historical revisionism and negationism. It missed the chance to be on the side of real heroes,” Hontiveros said.

"I, however, commend my fellow colleagues who bravely responded to the test of history and defended the truth and the country’s struggle for collective memory," Hontiveros added.

In a vote of 8-6-6, the Senate failed to get a majority vote to pass Senate Resolution No. 86, authored by Hontiveros, which states that the crimes of Marcos to the country, and the human rights violations committed under his regime, render him unfit to be given a hero’s burial.

Senators Hontiveros, Franklin Drilon, Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III, Grace Poe, Bam Aquino, Francisco "Kiko" Pimentel, Joel Villanueva and Leila De Lima voted in favor of the resolution. Those who voted against were Senators Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao, Vicente Sotto, Ping Lacson, Gringo Honasan, Cynthia Villar and Dick Gordon. Meanwhile, those who abstained were Senators Ralph Recto, Sherwin Gatchalian, Sonny Angara, Miguel Zubiri, Francis "Chiz" Escudero and Nancy Binay.

"Ball in Duterte's court"

Hontiveros said the ball is now in the court of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“From the start, this issue, while imbued with valid legal and constitutional questions, is ultimately a political and moral question addressed entirely to President Duterte. The President ultimately has the power to defend the country’s history or be a tool of the Marcos family’s attempt to rehabilitate its image and whitewash its crimes against the people."

"What law?"

Hontiveros also refuted Duterte’s excuse that he was merely following the law on the said issue.

"There is no law compelling President Duterte to give Marcos a hero’s burial. Even the Supreme Court’s decision does not command the Executive branch to do anything. Lest we forget, this all started with President Duterte. What he started, he can end,” Hontiveros said. 

Hontiveros said that if President Duterte proceeds to bury the remains of the late dictator in our heroes’ cemetery, he will satisfy no law, public clamor and interest. "It will not be in the pursuance of national healing and reconciliation. The President will only satiate the whims and madness of the Marcoses. He will be remembered as the President who exonerated a dictator’s brutal legacy at the expense of our history and the dignity of the Filipino people,” she concluded.