News Roundup 30 November 2023
Nov 30, 2023 • 4 min Read
NUPL, Rise Up to Marcos: Accept ICC ad hoc jurisdiction | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. can accept the ad hoc jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the drug war investigation, a group of human rights advocates and lawyers said on Wednesday.
In a joint statement, National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL) and Rise Up for Life and for Rights (Rise Up) urged President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to consider embracing the ICC’s conditional jurisdiction for the drug war investigation, highlighting that Senate concurrence is not needed for such a decision, despite the Philippines not being an ICC member.
“We appeal to the president to seriously consider engaging again with the court, given recent support from the legislative for cooperation with the ongoing investigation. Five resolutions pending in both Houses of Congress reflect the people’s enduring search for truth and justice,” the groups said.
The statement came days after five resolutions from the legislative department had been filed at the House of Representatives and the Senate urging the administration’s cooperation with the ICC probe.
In 2019, the Philippines exited the Rome Statute following ICC former prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s commencement of a preliminary investigation into alleged human rights abuses during the anti-drug campaign of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Human Rights Watch approximates that this initiative led to estimated 30,000 fatalities. .
Full Story at: NUPL, Rise Up to Marcos: Accept ICC ad hoc jurisdiction | Philstar.com
Bill penalizing harassment, red-tagging of workers’ unions gets House nod | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The red-tagging and harassment of labor unions and workers’ associations will become a punishable offense once a House measure becomes law.
House Bill 9294 or the proposed Strengthening the Freedom of Workers’ Act — which aims to protect workers’ rights to organize without employer or government interference — received 245 affirmative votes and one negative vote on Wednesday.
Union leaders and labor organizers are among the most prominent victims of red-tagging or accusations of links to communist groups. Recent research by the rights group Human Rights Watch has found that security forces and government officials, rather than companies, are often responsible for the vilification of unionists, which leads to workers’ reluctance to organize.
The House bill specifically defines vilification or red-tagging as an act of “accusing, denouncing, attacking or persecuting an individual or organization as a subversive, subversive sympathizer, terrorist, or terrorist sympathizer without legal basis and due process of law, that is, by decision of the competent Court.”
Full Story at: Bill penalizing harassment, red-tagging of workers’ unions gets House nod | Philstar.com
Gov’t urged to cancel China funding for infra projects | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA – Public policy think thank Infrawatch PH urged the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) to cancel Chinese funding for big-ticket infrastructure projects given the ongoing territorial disputes.
Infrawatch PH convener Terry Ridon, in a statement on Wednesday, said the government would need to reevaluate all its China-assisted projects before moving forward. He stressed the need for the country to diversify its funding sources for infrastructure projects.
“Our infrastructure ambitions must not be held hostage to the whims of a single foreign power. Many international funding options are available that respect our sovereignty and offer more favorable terms,” he explained.
The China Eximbank, to recall, was asking for a 3-percent interest on loans, much higher than the 0.1-percent rate charged by Japan.
Full Story at: Gov’t urged to cancel China funding for infra projects | Inquirer Business
Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla confirm breakup: ‘We’ve been drifting apart for awhile now’ | INQUIRER.NET – Closing the chapter to one of the longest relationships in the entertainment industry, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla confirmed that they have split after 11 years together.
In a lengthy statement on her Instagram account on Thursday, Nov. 30, Bernardo expressed her gratitude to Padilla for maintaining a “real” relationship that was “never for show.”
Padilla issued a separate statement about their breakup on his Instagram page.
“What Deej and I had was real. It was never for show. We were together not because of the cameras, not because of the fans, not because of the money that comes with a successful love team. We were genuinely in love. We grew up together, dreamed together, and saw many of those dreams become a reality—still together. That’s almost half of my life that I would never regret and would never trade for anything in the world. These are 11 years that brought me joy, adventure, and the feeling of being home,” said Bernardo, who is one-half of the popular “Kathniel” love team that spanned more than a decade on and off the camera.
However, the actress admitted the past few months have been tough as they tried to “make their relationship work” as they had been drifting apart for a while.
Full Story at: Kathryn Bernardo confirms split with Daniel Padilla (inquirer.net)
