Published March 11, 2021, 5:57 PM
The inter-faith group “One Voice One Faith. One Nation” has denounced the “Tokhang”-style killing of activists in the country calling them as “barbaric acts” that have no place in a society that is rational and believes in the sanctity of human life.
The group cited the raids that the police conducted in the houses and offices of activists in Calabarzon on March 7 as an example.
One Voice said the March 7 operations killed and arrested leaders and active members of people’s organizations openly asserting their rights to voice the grievances of the people, even amidst the shrinking democratic space under the Duterte administration.
SunStar
+ March 07, 2021 TWO days before the International Women’s Day and a week before the announcement of the lockdown imposed a year ago, the Ecumenical Women’s Forum (EWF), a formation of women from Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, gathered in a blended liturgical commemoration (online and off-line) with the theme “Rise Against Tyranny, Pursue Justice.”
After a year of the implementation of lockdown, the suffering of the poor aggravated. Violence against women and children also intensified.
The Covid-19 pandemic was used by the authorities to repress the rights of the people. Instead of alleviating their suffering, the government passed in haste the Anti-Terror Law that only in effect intensified and legalized rights violations of the people.
As we reflect on a year of tremendous need, we should not let go of the fact that the decade ahead offers incredible possibilities for our region. One of those possibilities, based on demographic projections, is the substantial generational transfer of wealth that will take place in the next 10 years. People in Eastern Washington and North Idaho are expected to leave behind $42 billion over the next decade to beneficiaries upon their deaths, according to a 2019 study commissioned by Innovia Foundation. This expected shift could have enormously positive results for our community. If just 5 percent of that wealth transfer was transformed into local philanthropy, we would invest $2 billion back into our communities to make dramatic improvements in our region’s future.