📷: Karapatan, in a Tuesday press conference, sounded the alarm on the worsening human rights situation in the Philippines as the nation prepares to mark International Human Rights Day on December 10. | Kodao Productions
Human rights alliance Karapatan has called on Filipinos to return to the streets on December 10, International Human Rights Day, to demand accountability from the Marcos Jr. administration for what it described as systemic corruption and grave civil and political rights violations.
In a statement, Karapatan lauded the tens of thousands who joined the November 30 anti-corruption rally and urged broader participation in the upcoming demonstrations.
The group accused the administration of using “showcase investigations” to deflect public anger, noting that while lower-ranking officials linked to anomalous infrastructure projects have been charged, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his allies remain untouched.
Karapatan further alleged that the regime has intensified repression against protesters, citing the enforcement of the “no permit, no rally” policy during the November 30 mobilization and threats of sedition charges against those calling for Marcos Jr.’s resignation.
The group also pointed to violent dispersals during the September 21 protests, where more than 200 demonstrators and bystanders were arrested and two deaths were reported.
According to Karapatan, these incidents reflect the government’s National Action Plan for Unity, Peace and Development (NAP-UPD), which it described as a blueprint for heightened authoritarianism.
The group warned of more extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and arbitrary arrests of activists and dissenters under the plan.
The alliance also linked Vice President Sara Duterte to corruption scandals, saying the exposés have underscored the public’s frustration with recycled traditional politicians.
Karapatan noted that the movement has gained momentum following the International Criminal Court’s rejection of former president Rodrigo Duterte’s bid for interim release.
“The times are ripe and the people ready to push for meaningful change,” the group declared, vowing that the December 10 protests will resound with calls to hold both Marcos and Duterte accountable. (ZIA LUNA)
