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'Protesta de Mayo' held against alleged human rights abuses

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Anjo Bagaoisan, ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA - Human rights groups on Saturday held their own version of the traditional Flores de Mayo procession on Sunday, depicting what they said was the state of the country under the Duterte administration.</p><p>Human rights groups Karapatan and Hustisya held the &quot;Protesta de Mayo Laban sa Tiraniya,&quot; at the University of the Philippines&#x27; Diliman campus.</p><p>Five &quot;sagalas&quot; depicting human rights issues held a procession around a portion of the academic oval.</p><p>The Reyna Elena or main sagala was Eleanor de Guzman, daughter of detained peace consultant Rafael Baylosis and wife of trade union organizer Marklen Maojo Maga, who was also imprisoned. </p><p>She portrayed the Reyna de la Justicia or Queen of Justice. Carrying shackles, weighing scales, doves and wearing makeup that made her look like she was crying blood, she called for the release of political detainees and a continuation of peace talks.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eleanor De Guzman, whose father and husband are political prisoners, depicted the ‘La Reina de la Justicia’. Her attire represented the alleged injustice faced by critics of the government, while calling for the resumption of peace talks. <a href="https://t.co/KqO9Q3Bf6u">pic.twitter.com/KqO9Q3Bf6u</a></p>— Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) <a href="https://twitter.com/anjo_bagaoisan/status/1000335392204144643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2018</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>The sister of a teenager who went missing in Laguna and turned up dead in another province in 2017 portrayed the Reyna de los Martires, or queen of the martyrs. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">17 y/o Deborah Escudero, whose brother turned up dead after being lost for 5 days, wore a ‘bloodied’ dress and a police line as a sash depicting ‘La Reina de los Martires’ for the deaths during the anti-drug campaign <a href="https://t.co/nQ9LwkQzv7">pic.twitter.com/nQ9LwkQzv7</a></p>— Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) <a href="https://twitter.com/anjo_bagaoisan/status/1000344450676150272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2018</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>She wore a blood-stained gown and a police line as a sash to symbolize people killed amid the government’s bloody anti-drug campaign. </p><p>Police have said that around 4,000 drug suspects were killed in &#x27;legitimate encounters&#x27; since the government launched the anti-narcotic campaign nearly two years ago.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/01/23/18/drug-war-death-toll-nears-4000-says-pnp">Drug war death toll nears 4,000, says PNP</a></li></ul><p>A Lumad youth, meanwhile, wore traditional indigenous garb in her depiction of Reina de la Paz or Queen of Peace and called for the end to martial law in Mindanao.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lumad youth Gleeza Joy Belandres was ‘La Reina de la Paz’, which called for the lifting of martial law in Mindanao. <a href="https://t.co/a1XTU1VS1W">pic.twitter.com/a1XTU1VS1W</a></p>— Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) <a href="https://twitter.com/anjo_bagaoisan/status/1000337324968886272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2018</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Freedom fighter Gabriela Silang was painted on the skirt of the Reina Esperanza or Queen of Hearts, who called for an end to the tagging of activists as enemies of the state.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hustisya member Maria Teresa Ocampo wore a skirt painted with the image of Gabriela Silang on a horse in her ensemble as ‘La Reina Esperanza’, with the message ‘Activism is not a crime’. <a href="https://t.co/FvR4fsfd5O">pic.twitter.com/FvR4fsfd5O</a></p>— Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) <a href="https://twitter.com/anjo_bagaoisan/status/1000341177718132737?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2018</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>A muzzled volunteer who wore a quilt of newspaper pages meanwhile portrayed Reina de la Verdad or Queen of Truth who activists said symbolized the state of press freedom and freedom of expression in the country today.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" data-lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Karapatan volunteer Miranda Dacillo was muzzled and wore patched newspapers as ‘La Reina de la Verdad’, calling for the defense of press freedom in the country <a href="https://t.co/cVi4U4tST8">pic.twitter.com/cVi4U4tST8</a></p>— Anjo Bagaoisan (@anjo_bagaoisan) <a href="https://twitter.com/anjo_bagaoisan/status/1000342577634164736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2018</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><p>Cristina Palabay of Karapatan said that aside from being a protest, the women are also supporting the #BabaeAko #LalabanAko campaign that arose in reaction to President Rodrigo Duarte&#x27;s statements and reported sentiments toward women.</p><p>Palabay said they are calling out tyranny in all forms included the sexism seen in the Duterte’s statements.</p><p>&quot;More pointed message against tyranny in all forms including the sexism of the president. Undoubtedly the human rights situation in the country has worsened under his administration,&quot; she said.</p><p>The President has defended himself, saying he still trusts the capabilities and competence of women, but that there are certain tasks that are not suitable for them.</p><p>Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte’s statement was just “a mere play of words.”</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/24/18/duterte-i-believe-in-women">Duterte: I believe in women</a></li></ul><p>The groups said they&#x27;ve been doing similar protests since 2008.</p>

<p>Human rights groups on Saturday held their own version of the traditional Flores de Mayo procession on Sunday, depicting what they said was the state of the country under the Duterte administration.</p>

Human rights groups on Saturday held their own version of the traditional Flores de Mayo procession on Sunday, depicting what they said was the state of the country under the Duterte administration.

'Protesta de Mayo' held against alleged human rights abuses

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'Protesta de Mayo' held against alleged human rights abuses

Anjo Bagaoisan,

ABS-CBN News

Published May 27, 2018 06:03 PM PHT

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