"Much like an expectant mother, Elizabeth Calubad has a bag of fresh clothes and personal items ready for when the time comes. But her expectation is tinged with fear: She does not know if the ones she is waiting for—her husband, National Democratic Front consultant Rogelio Calubad, and their son, 29-year-old Gabriel—are alive or dead." Read more from the PDI.
Democracy, according to the late Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, is "a question of human dignity, [a]nd human dignity is political freedom, the right to freely express opinion and the right to be allowed to criticise and form opinions."
But exercising political freedom in the Philippines, which purports itself to be a democracy, can lead to death. Since Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo assumed the presidency of the country in 2001, more than 800 Filipinos murdered in politically-motivated, extra-judicial, targeted killings. Since the 4th quarter of July 2005, one person has been killed every two days. The victims of these brazen acts of violence were all unarmed citizens: lawyers, judges, journalists, medical practitioners, members of cause-oriented groups, priests, church-workers, human rights advocates, laborers and farmers.
It is widely believed—and the United Nations support this belief—that state security forces are complicit in these crimes.
Learn more by checking out these links.
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