Hontiveros: Filipinos will not cower to China
MANILA, Philippines—Senator Risa Hontiveros will set up an online protest against China and the much-maligned anti-terror bill on the 122nd anniversary of the Philippine Independence Day on Friday.
The opposition legislator said that China has continued on with its incursion into Philippine reef ecosystems in the West Philippine Sea while the COVID-19 pandemic rages on.
“Filipinos will not cower before China,” said Hontiveros in a statement Wednesday.
“Habang busy tayo sa pagsugpo sa COVID-19, hindi pwedeng busy din ang China sa pananakop ng ating mga isla’t teritoryo. Ang panawagan natin sa Araw ng Kalayaan: China lumisan,”
(While we’re busy fighting COVID-19, we can’t just allow China to continue conquering our islands and territories. Our call on Independence Day: China get out.)
Dubbed “IPAGLABAN ANG PILIPINAS,” the online protest will be livestreamed through Hontiveros’ official Facebook page (facebook.com/hontiverosrisa) at 10 am on Friday June 12.
Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, Enchong Dee, and Chai Fonacier will join Hontiveros in the online protest while Ebe Dancel, Noel Cabangon, Bayang Barrios, and Cookie Chua will perform in the livestream.
Former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert Del Rosario said China should pay the Philippines P200 billion for “near-permanent and devastating destruction of the marine wealth belonging to Filipinos in the West Philippine Sea.”
Hontiveros echoes Del Rosario saying: “China should respect Philippine sovereignty.”
“It should leave our shores, and pay the Filipinos at least P200 billion as reparation of their adventurism in the West Philippine Sea,” said Hontiveros. “Sa manlulupig ‘di tayo pasisiil. (To conquerors, we shall not yield.)
Hontiveros’s Independence Day protest will also signify dissent to the controversial Anti-Terror Bill and the government’s mass arrest of critics and activists.
The past week saw the arrest of seven students from University of the Philippines-Cebu along with one senior citizen for holding a demonstration inside the campus despite the Soto-Enrile Accord of 1989 that prohibits the police from entering UP premises without proper coordination.
“Imbes na mass testing, bakit naging mass arrests ang nangyari? COVID-19 ang kalaban natin, pero itong anti-terrorism bill ang isinalang ng gobyerno”, said Hontiveros.
(Instead of mass testing, why are mass arrests being done? COVID-19 is the enemy here, but it’s the anti-terror bill that the government has been pushing.)
Malacañang on Tuesday confirmed having received the transmitted copy of the bill from Congress for President Rodrigo Duterte’s signature.
The anti-terror bill has been criticized for its vague definition of terror acts with the government given the power to loosely tag anyone as a terrorist.
“We need to oppose this bill. It is a danger to civil liberties and Filipinos’ fundamental freedoms,” said Hontiveros. “Ngayon ang panahong mas dapat ipaglaban angPilipinas. Ngayon ang panahong mas dapat magpaka-Pilipino.”
(This is the time we should fight for the Philippines. This is the time to show our being as a Filipino.)
/MUF
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