Diaspora protests against Duterte on Human Rights Day

Rain did not stop protesters in Manila. (ABS/CN photo)

Filipino diaspora celebrates International Human Rights Day with protests

By Ted Alcuitas

Filipinos across the diaspora commemorated the 70th International Human Rights Day by holding rallies and discussions on the current situation in the Philippines.

Rallies were held on December 10 in San Francisco, LA, Paris, Sidney, Toronto and Manila.

In Vancouver, Global Pinoy Diaspora Canada -Human Rights Group attended a morning mass at the historic Sacred Heart Church. Pastor Fr. Garry Laboucane, OMI, read part of the message about the extra-judicial killings in the Philippines.

Fr.  Fr. Garry Laboucane of Sacred Heart pose with the gop after the mass. (Provided)

After the mass the goup gathered at organizer Treenee Lopez’s house for a surprise birthday for Ted Alcuitas. (Provided)

In Toronto, two dozen people gathered in front of Old City Hall to mark International Human Rights Day and bring attention to the expanding scope of extrajudicial killings being carried out in the Philippines by the Duterte administration. Protesters carried pictures of victims of alleged extrajudicial killings.

Relatives of slain priest Fr. Tito Paez came from Sacramento and San Jose. The assassinated priest’s nieces remembered him as a loving uncle who told them to “work for the poor and oppressed.” One of them remembered Fr. Paez saying, “Jesus Christ was scared as well, but he did what he had to do.”

Fr. Tito Paez was remembered in San Francisco with some reatives attending. (Facebook)

The second film was the mind boggling “Tigbao” about the killing fields in Zamboanga peninsula in Mindanao. Mike Bonifacio, the director answered the questions about the film. It mirrors the reality today under the Duterte government.

Protesters showed up at the Manila Garden in Hayward  attended mostly by Filipino youth members