San Diego: Condemn Duterte and the Anti-Terror Law. Co-sponsor the Philippine Human Rights Act
Rep. Juan Vargas
Philippine rule under President Duterte continues to be infamously known for its violation of civil and human rights for the citizens of the Philippines.
A prime example of this is the newly proposed Anti-Terror Bill, which was created to enforce the country’s criminal justice response by reportedly, ‘strengthening’ the government's response against ‘terrorist groups’ in the Philippines. However, the bill allows for a vague interpretation for what a terrorist is. A terrorist can be identified as someone meeting up with their friends, donating or volunteering at relief drives or organizations that aren’t government affiliated, participating in rallies or movements that can pose a “serious risk to public safety,” or even posting, writing, or sharing posts and memes that relate to “terrorist activities.” This bill also allows the government to imprison any individual suspected of being a terrorist for up to 12 days to 24 days without a warrant and even wiretap personal information of their citizens for up to 3 months.
The Duterte regime claims that only “terrorist groups” have to worry about the establishment of this bill, but this is a broken promise that is not new to citizens of the Philippines; similar to the Extra Judicial Killings from the war on drugs, Duterte stated that “only drug dealers, addicts, and pushers need to fear,” yet the EJK accumulated 14 to 30,000 deaths and ruined the lives of many innocent individuals in the Philippines.
According to the human rights organization, Karapatan, an average of one to two human rights defenders are killed every week. Press freedom and freedom of speech has been repeatedly violated by killing and exterminating activists in the Philippines for fighting against the Duterte regime. If the Anti Terror Bill passes, the government will have the power to constitute who qualifies as a terrorist, therefore giving those in power the state sanctioned right to legally kill and punish anyone who opposes or speaks out against the government.
This past July 3rd, Philippine Dictator Rodrigo Duterte signed the Anti-Terror Bill and made it into law. It took effect on July 18. This ask is all the more urgent now more than ever. We are asking for your support by signing this petition to demand that Representative Juan Vargas to not only publicly condemn the Anti-Terror Bill but also co-sponsor the Philippine Human Rights Act. This legislation aims "to suspend United States security assistance to the Philippines until such time as human rights violations by Philippine security forces cease and the responsible state forces are held accountable.”
Congressman Juan Vargas represents the 51st district of California, a population home to many Filipino Americans and immigrants. Rep. Vargas is also a member of the Foreign Affairs committee. The Extra Judicial Killings in the Philippines has taken the lives of more than 30,000 Filipinos, roughly the same number of Filipino-Americans living in The 51st district of California. We urge you to share this petition, to emphasize the urgency, and to stand for human rights in the Philippines. Thank you for standing in solidarity and for your support.
For more information about the human rights situation in the Philippines:
Philippines: UN report details widespread human rights violations and persistent impunity
2019 Karapatan Year-End Report on the Human Rights Situation in the Philippines
Congress Should Introduce and Pass the Philippines Human Rights Act
https://humanrightsph.org/Philippine Human Rights Act
Petition by
To:
Rep. Juan Vargas
From:
[Your Name]
Dear Congressman Juan Vargas,
Philippine rule under President Duterte continues to be infamously known for its violation of civil and human rights for the citizens of the Philippines.
A prime example of this is the newly proposed Anti-Terror Law of 2020 which was signed this past July 3rd. It was created to ‘strengthen’ the government's response against ‘terrorist groups’ in the Philippines. However, the bill allows for a vague interpretation for what a terrorist is. A terrorist can be identified as someone meeting up with their friends, donating or volunteering at relief drives or organizations that aren’t government affiliated, participating in rallies or movements that can pose a “serious risk to public safety,” or even posting, writing, or sharing posts and memes that relate to “terrorist activities.” This bill also allows the government to imprison any individual suspected of being a terrorist for up to 12 days to 24 days without a warrant and even wiretap personal information of their citizens for up to 3 hours.
According to the human rights organization, Karapatan, an average of one to two human rights defenders are killed every week. Press freedom and freedom of speech has been repeatedly violated by killing and exterminating activists in the Philippines for fighting against the Duterte regime. If the Anti Terror Bill passes, the government will have the power to constitute who qualifies as a terrorist, therefore giving those in power the state sanctioned right to legally kill and punish anyone who opposes or speaks out against the government.
We ask that you publicly speak up against the atrocities of the Duterte regime in the Philippines. Specifically the extra judicial killings of poor people, human rights defenders and activists as well as the terrifying Anti-Terror Act of 2020.
We also ask that you co-sponsor the Philippine Human Rights Act. A legislation that aims "to suspend United States security assistance to the Philippines until such time as human rights violations by Philippine security forces cease and the responsible state forces are held accountable.”