The largest broadcaster in the Philippines, one that has been critical of the de facto military junta of Rodrigo Duterte, has been shut down by the Duterte regime which completes Duterte’s long standing threat against the nation’s most popular news broadcast organization.
In 2018, Duterte declared he would block ABS-CBN network’s license. In 2019 he told the Lopez family which owns the operation to sell the company to a new owner presumably one he approved and that way keep the network in business.
Philippines has used a controversial militarized “Shoot them dead”-approach to force Filipinos to remain inside their homes which broadcaster ABS-CBN has criticized, following the murders of citizens, and the caging of children.
COVID-19 Death Rate is high in the Philippines
Data accurate at 6 Oct 2024
Top broadcast news network in the Philippines goes down under Duterte Orders.
Toronto 5 May 2020, by Melissa Hemingway
“Shoot them dead,” says Duterte of violators against his militaristic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Children have been beaten & locked in dog cages & adults shot to death. Official Duterte Palace Photograph. Photo Art/Cropping/Enhancement: Rosa Yamamoto / Feminine-Perspective Magazine
Meanwhile, the publisher, Maria A. Ressa, of Rappler, an online daily in the Philippines has been repeatedly arrested for publishing information that was critical of Duterte’s alleged murders.
Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado de Lima is a Filipino lawyer, human rights activist, politician, and law professor currently serving as a Senator of the Philippines since 2016. She has been imprisoned by Duterte since February 2017 because of her criticizing him for killing thousands of poor people in Manila.
Philippines Senator Leila de Lima, elected in 2016, is still held in prison in Manila for her criticisms of the Philippines’ women-hating, murderous Duterte.
File Photo Source: Office of Senator Leila de Lima—Photo Art/Cropping: Rosa Yamamoto / Feminine-Perspective Magazine
Senator de Lima’s situation has provoked the United States government to blacklist Philippines officials involved in the extrajudicial killings and the detention of De Lima. (“Condemning the Government of the Philippines for its continued detention of Senator Leila De Lima, calling for her immediate release, and for other purposes.”)
A USA resolution condemning the Government of the Philippines for its continued detention of Senator Leila De Lima, calling for her immediate release, and for other purposes.
“Whereas extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the Government of the Philippines as part of a government-directed antidrug campaign present the foremost human rights challenge in the Philippines;
“Whereas the Department of State’s 2017 Human Rights Report notes numerous human rights concerns, including the persecution of human rights defenders and the detention of political prisoners in the Philippines, stating, “The most significant human rights issues included: killings by security forces, vigilantes and others allegedly connected to the government, and by insurgents; torture and abuse of prisoners and detainees by security forces; often harsh and life threatening prison conditions; warrantless arrests by security forces and cases of apparent government disregard for legal rights and due process; political prisoners; killings of and threats against journalists; official corruption and abuse of power; threats of violence against human rights activists; violence against women; and forced labor.”;
“Whereas the Department of State’s 2018 Human Rights report notes numerous human rights concerns in the Philippines, including “unlawful or arbitrary killings by security forces, vigilantes, and others allegedly connected to the government, and by insurgents; forced disappearance; torture; arbitrary detention; harsh and life-threatening prison conditions; political prisoners; arbitrary or unlawful interference with privacy; criminal libel; killings of and threats against journalists; official corruption and abuse of power; and the use of forced and child labor”;
“Whereas, on February 23, 2017, an arrest warrant was issued for Philippine Senator Leila De Lima for allegations related to drug trafficking, and as of April 4, 2019, Senator De Lima had been detained for 770 days;
Read: Senate – 01/08/2020 Resolution agreed to in Senate Document
“Rodrigo Duterte whose infamous war on drugs has allegedly murdered over 37,000 of the poorest Filipinos now runs a governing military junta of which members who cannot steal any more money because there is none, are going broke. There is a big scramble on to sideline human rights defenders and snoopy reporters,” says Filipino nurse Karinna Angeles.
“When Duterte realized that this resolution banned the head of his Death Squads, a former Davao City police Chief and then when Duterte became President with the help of the Marcos family, the head of the Philippines National Police leading the Extra Judicial Killings , Duterte got mad and said the American military had to leave the Philippines,” says nurse Angeles. “But the Americans did not leave,” she added, ” because they are starting a war with CHina and do not want to fight that from America they want to fight that one from the Philippines, po.”
Watch: Numerous complaints about the COVID-19 response of authoritarians like Trump, Duterte and Bolsonaro imply that these men are slaughtering the citizens of their country. That appears to be true on the evidence.
Philippines children who leave their homes beaten and caged in wire dog cages. Photo Art/Cropping/Enhancement: Rosa Yamamoto / Feminine-Perspective Magazine
International Criminal Court (Report on Preliminary Examination Activities December 2018 )
Alleged Crimes
51. The preliminary examination focuses on crimes allegedly committed in the Philippines since at least 1 July 2016, in the context of the so-called “war on drugs” campaign launched by the government to fight the sale and use of illegal drugs. In particular, it focuses on allegations that President Duterte and other senior government officials promoted and encouraged the killing of suspected or purported drug users and/or dealers, and in such context, members of PNP forces and private individuals (such as vigilante groups) have carried out thousands of killings throughout the Philippines and in particular in the Metro Manila area.
52. In particular, it has been alleged that since 1 July 2016, over 12,000 persons have been killed for reasons related to their alleged involvement in drug use or dealing, or otherwise due to mistaken identity or as collateral damage in the course of police anti-drug operations. Reportedly, over 4,800 of these total killings were committed in acknowledged anti-drug police operations. Thousands of killings were also reportedly carried out by unknown assailants. While some of these killings have reportedly occurred in the context of fights 17 between or within gangs, it is alleged that many of the reported killings by unidentified assailants took place in the context of, or in connection to, the government”s anti-drug campaign. In this regard, it has also been alleged that some of these vigilante-style executions committed by private citizens were coordinated or planned by members of the PNP, and/or were actually committed by members of the police (who wore disguises in order to conceal their identity as members of the police).
53. Reportedly, most of the victims have been young men, especially from urban areas and poorer backgrounds, who were suspected of having some involvement in crime- or drug-related activities. In addition, it has been reported that some local public officials were allegedly killed because of their purported links to the trafficking of narcotics.
It is also alleged that over 70 persons aged 18 and under have been killed in the context of the anti-drug operations conducted since 1 July 2016, including five alleged cases where the victims were seven years old or younger.
“Gone but not forgotten are over 70 children killed in the murdering spree of Duterte Death Squad (DDS) killers,” say human rights groups plus a complaint to the International Criminal Court.
Killing journalists.
According to the Committee to protect Journalists, 83 Filipino Journalists have been killed.
On the weekend, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines reported that 12 journalists had been killed in the country since Duterte assumed the presidency in 2016.
Deepening the darkness over the Philippines is the pall of Duterte’s Military Rule
Plunging the country into the dark realm of a completely failed democracy, Duterte’s lawyer Salvador “Sal” San Buenaventura Panelo, said on the weekend that the coronavirus constitutes an invasion that Duterte could invoke as his reason for declaring Martial law across the entire country.
Salvador Panelo, Duterte Palace lawyer during his broadcast on State TV says COVID-19 is an invasion, thus grounds for Duterte declaring martial law. Duterte’s troops have murdered persons who violate COVID-19 lockdown. In other cases, children have been beaten and locked in dog cages.