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Tagged again for 'recruiting communists', UP explains what it actually does

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 1:50 p.m.) Amid continued red-tagging and false claims of recruitment of communist insurgents, the University of the Philippines has asserted that it is an education institution that has trained and produced experts and even government officials.

In a statement on Thursday, the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairspointedout that recruiting communists is not its mission as an educational institution.

"The Universitys core mission is knowledge and innovation creation, production, and dissemination, using various approaches of knowledge transfer,"it said.

This comes on the heels of President Rodrigo Duterte's threat to defund UP in relation toAteneo de Manila students holding a strike to hold the government accountable for its disaster response.

In a speech that aired late Tuesday night, Duterte said partly in Filipino: "I will stop the funding. You do not do anything except recruit communists there anyway."

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has said that he has since clarified with the president that the academic strike is by Ateneo students.

Being an activist does not mean one is a communistand the belief in communism is in itself not illegal.

UP stressed that it has played a critical role in training the professionals, high-level specialists, scientists and researchers who are needed by the country to generate new knowledge in support of development needs and goals.

It pointed out that it has mobilized its research in broad disciplines from molecular biology studies to analysis of the pandemics socio-economic impacts to help launch COVID-19 initiatives.

It added that many UP graduates are officials too, including 15 members ofDuterte's Cabinet.

The University of the Philippines values academic freedomthe freedom to think, to speak, to study, to teach, and even the freedom to disagree, UP, which has a history of student activism, also said.

It explained that the university also encourages critical thinking which, at times, may manifest as an attitude of dissidence and anti-authoritarianism.

But UP asserted that it cannot be deemed as anti-government because its mandate as a national university is clear.

"Its community of scholars is dedicated to the nations quest for development. And so, UP will continue to lead as a public service university by providing service to the nation including scholarly and technical assistance to the government, the private sector, and civil society," UP added.

In a separate statement, UP Visayas said that militant activism is part of the universitys institutional history and was borne of the atmosphere of intellectual freedom and vigorous exchange of ideas in its campuses. It is in this atmosphere that UP produced leaders in various sectors of the society, it added.

"UP is a diverse and plural place where all kinds of ideas are welcome. Our faith is in diversity, which we view as essential to creating a progressive society,"UPV said.

"How people eventually live out their political belief is beyond the control of any university. UPV does not, and will never, condone acts of lawless violence,"it also said.

This is not the first time Dutertes officials accused the university as being used as venues for organizing and mobilizing by the New Peoples Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.

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In October 2018, then-Brig. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., Armed Forces of the Philippines assistant deputy chief of staff for operations at the time, accused the Communist Party of the Philippines of inciting students to rebel against the government using film showings on martial law in18 universities, including UP.

The AFP later admitted that some of the schools in the list weresubject of continuing validation.

Parlade is now spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

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Tagged again for 'recruiting communists', UP explains what it actually does - Philstar.com

Red-tagging in the Philippines is the practice of branding people, usually activists and dissenters, as members of the communist rebellion and associating them with the armed wing the New Peoples Army. It is a practice that has become commonplace during Dutertes term as he has refused to negotiate peace with the Communist Party of the Philippines. In April of 2020, Duterte rejected future peace talks with the group saying that there were No more talks to talk about, according to Rappler. With the recent passing of Dutertes terror bill and the deaths of activists around the country, red-tagging has become a serious threat to the safety of those who are branded.

After speaking at an event for left-leaning womens group Gabriela Youth, Filipina actress Liza Soberano was threatened by Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr. of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Southern Luzon. Parlade berated Soberano for her connections with Gabriela, who he claims is tied in with the New Peoples Army. He claims that hiding under Gabriela Womens Party is a mass underground organization called Malayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan (MAKIBAKA). MAKIBAKA is a revolutionary socialist womens organization that was banned and forced underground in 1972 along with Kabataang Makabayan, another revolutionary organization, when former President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law.

Parlades threat came in the form of a warning. Addressing both Soberano and Catriona Gray, who won Miss Universe in 2018, Parlade warned against associating with left-leaning groups. Gray has been speaking out about the crackdown on human rights groups and the latest anti-terrorism law that has effectively acted to stifle dissent.

Parlade invoked the name of Josephine Ann Lapira, who was a UP Manila student killed in a battle between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and suspected members of the New Peoples Army in 2017, saying that Soberano would suffer the same fate as Lapira if she continued to interact with Gabriela.

Singer Bituin Escalante called Parlade a fascist pig in a tweet. She has been outspoken against past red-tagging Parlade has taken part in. The Lieutenant General claims he wasnt red-tagging Soberano at all. Instead, he says the statement was just a warning. He has stated that he supports womens rights.

Arlene Brosas of Gabriela said in a statement reported by Rappler: How come these macho-fascists have the audacity to mansplain strong women and lecture them on what to do? And why do they seem so afraid of women using their platform to defend other women?

The questions posed by Brosas are a clear demonstration of frustration with the behavior and conduct of male leaders in the Philippines. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has a history of misogyny of which he is very proud. On multiple occasions, he has openly joked about rape to the outrage of women across the country. Notably, he recently joked about the rape of an Australian missionary during a prison riot by saying that he should have been allowed to join.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, as reported by the New York Times, voiced her support for the two women targeted by Parlades attack. Senator Hontiveros assured the two women, We will be monitoring him from now on. He should not use his power as a general and threaten these women.

To Liza and Catriona: It is difficult and painful to be at the front lines fighting beside persons oppressed by a norm that advocates rape, murder and exploitation. Senator Hontiveros said in support.

The network Soberano appears on, ABS-CBN, released their own statement of support: ABS-CBN and Star Magic stand by Liza Soberano as she speaks out against violations of womens rights. They go on to recognize Soberano as an advocate of womens rights who supports initiatives that protect and promote womens interests.

Catriona Gray recently posted a video on Instagram which seems to be in response to the recent red-tagging. In the caption, she says, Please dont ever allow your voice to be silenced. You never know whos life may be impacted by your words. You never know who youll help feel seen, courageous or comforted. When you speak up for yourself, know that in sharing your stories, youre speaking up for others too.

Red-tagging has become a major source of fear for many Filipinos in public view. With red-tagging comes a fear of violence and even death. Just recently, a former congressman of the Bayan Muna party-list filed a petition of writ of Amparo asking a court for protection after being red-tagged by the military. He was accused of being a high-ranking officer of the New Peoples Army by the Philippine Armys Third Infantry Division in June.

Earlier this year, activists Ka Randy Echanis and Zara Alvarez were killed within the same two weeks both of whom had been previously red-tagged by Dutertes terror list. Red-tagging is dangerous, especially when it is at the hand of state and military officials. It can result in not only social targeting but violence up to and including death. Unfortunately for Ka Randy Echanis and Zara Alvarez, the cost of their red-tagging was their lives.

It is important not to let the same happen to more activists or public figures who are outspoken against the problems that exist systemically in the Philippines. Speaking out against sexism, which is clearly an ever-present problem under Dutertes regime, should not cost you your safety. The government of the Philippines is utilizing fearmongering in labeling dissenters as dangerous, evil, and violent by vilifying them through red-tagging. In doing so, they are further encouraging the silencing of dissenting voices. It is important to combat this, to de-vilify those who are dissenting and make space for activism and human rights groups who are working to take care of communities that have been harmed by the government. Liza Soberano and Catriona Gray are not a danger, they are advocates speaking out for womens rights. The red-tagging of them and consequent threat by Lt. Gen. Parlade was inappropriate and out-right dangerous.

Philippine military officials need to refrain from abusing their positions of power to vilify dissenting civilians. The act of red-tagging creates fear and increases the potential for violence. Instead, dissenters, organizers, human rights workers, and activists should be given the space to voice their opinions and serve their communities through their work. If a democratic society is to be successful there can not be a stifling of dissent, especially not through the threat of violence. The targeting and killing of activists and human rights workers will only lead to further violence. When you label someone as violent or dangerous and back them into a corner you are forcing them into potentially violent reactions.

To work toward resolving the existing conflict, the Philippine government needs to start by stopping the vilification of the Communist Party of the Philippines as terrorists and the subsequent threats and red-tagging that result from that label. Instead, they should recognize the party as a legitimate political group and work toward negotiations. To continue to paint the Communist Party of the Philippines as harbingers of death, especially when the Philippine government has been the instigator in many of the violent conflicts between the two, is a dangerous form of fearmongering. The refusal of Duterte to work toward meaningful negotiations with the Communist Party of the Philippines and find peaceful resolutions should not be taken out on the people through red-tagging and fearmongering targeted at dissenters and activists. It is in the hands of the Philippine government to put an end to red-tagging and start making moves toward peace negotiations.

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Fear Of Communism Leads To Red-Tagging And Threats In The Philippines - The Organization for World Peace

Thats whats at stake right now: our democracy, Barack Obama said in his speech at the Democratic National Convention in August. Some version of this warningsomehow both apocalyptic and Pollyannaishreverberated among political analysts for the entire presidential campaign, as it has for generations. The Arena, an 1890s magazine of the left, invoked the phrase sarcastically, saying that our democracy was happy to let its citizens become serfs to big business. In 1914, The Atlantic wrote that our democracy must not be weakened by dilutions of poverty and ignorance from abroad. Most enduring, though, are uses of our democracy as the sugar that helps the bitter medicine of American governance go down, as when The Saturday Evening Post rhapsodized in 1933 about American destiny, American ideals, the American way of life, our democracy, our institutions.

You can usually find our democracy in peril, forever being defended from some enemy, at home or abroad. In the Cold War, the danger came from communism, and by the 1990s, with the Red threat mostly subdued, our democracy became something to be strengthened, usually against internal threatsoften abstract ones, like voter apathy or polarization. In the Trump years, liberals were the main purveyors of the phrase. It fits a rhetorical pattern, embraced by the Biden campaign, of emphasizing patriotic moral abstractions over more concrete policy ambitions.

Bidens often soaring rhetoric aspired to go high, rather than to play the demagogue down in the mud (even though the mud is where most of us live). This is what makes the appeal to our democracy so paradoxically dire and cheerful. While accepting the Democratic nomination, Biden framed the campaign against Trump as a campaign to save our democracy from catastrophe. But without grappling with all the ways in which our democracy is already a catastrophe, these words sound as vacuous as that Saturday Evening Post editorial, which was, by the way, a tribute to Herbert Hoover.

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The Airy Abstraction of Our Democracy - The New Republic

Published by news@presspubli... on Fri, 11/20/2020 - 4:00pm

Questioning warTo the editor: Why in the name of the almighty are we still sending our young men and women overseas to be killed and wounded?Ill tell you why Wars keep the big suppliers making untold amounts of profits and the CEOs filling their bank accounts.Think about this. We have killed Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden and were still over there. It seems like 20 years have gone by. How has that improved our lives?The politicians have to learn or get out of the war business. So many senators and members of congress have cushy, high-paying jobs and have been there for many years.Lets clean house. Its our choice and term limits must be put in place.If you noticed I did not use the name of God, which we are not allowed to mention lest we offend someone.We who care had better stand up and be counted before they take all our rights away. Take our guns, kill the unborn, pollute our drinking water, send our kids away to die and eliminate God.We better beware. It sounds like communism to me.Larry ErardWalbridge

Lottery marketingis deceptiveTo the editor: Alcohol, tobacco and gambling habits all produce revenue streams for the State of Ohio. They can also be considered threats to the health and well-being of the public.As a regular player of the Ohio Lottery games I often regret my habit, although it hasn't caused myself financial trauma -yet.But I 'm attempting to avoid that problem by playing more responsibly during these times of economic uncertainty. So it disturbs me to see Gov. Mike DeWine in Ohio Lottery television advertising commercials congratulating his friends at Cash Explosion for their mask protocol efforts. I guess I only see tacit marketing for this monkey on my back.The Ohio Lottery website offers a problem gambling help line: 800-589-9966.Randy KaniaCurtice

Privatizing postoffice a bad ideaTo the editor: The guest editorial on reforming the postal service is right but prejudiced. The writer is a member of the Taxpayers Protection Alliance, a right-wing think tank.Instead of working with Postmaster Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by President Trump, Joe Biden should fire DeJoy and replace him with someone who wants the post office to succeed.DeJoy took out mail sorting machines, causing a slowdown in ballots and mail delivery.The guest editorial calls for reductions to the postal service infrastructure, which will make it harder to get to post offices and cause further delays.The post office has also been saddled with having to pre-fund retirement costs 50 years in advance a condition imposed by congress in 2006. No private company in the world does this.Its time this country starts listening to reason and stop listening to people who only want to privatize the world and make a profit on it.Albert KapustarOregon

Continued here:
Letters to the Editor Week of 11/23/2020 | The Press - Press Publications Inc.

By REV. CHRIS SHELTON

The snapshot of the church we have in this passage is one of joy and bliss. Many things in our culture have diminished commitment to the church. Lukes account of the church reminds us of the inestimable value of belonging to Christs church and that the source of Gods blessing is in the church.

The goal of God calling us to faith in Christ is to form the image of Christ in us. God does this through the Holy Spirit working with and through the means of grace in the church. By means of grace, I mean the elements practiced in the church Christ has commanded and promised to bless. We see in verse 42 these elements include the teaching of Gods word, the Lords Supper, prayer, and fellowship.

Neglecting these means will endanger your spiritual growth, and can be an indicative of spurious faith (so dont). The teaching of the word means the Scripture, as interpreted by the apostles. The early church was devoted to the apostolic teaching. The word devoted means they firmly attached themselves to it, and eagerly listened and practiced what they were taught.

The first obligation of the church is fidelity to the doctrine of the inerrancy and sufficiency of Gods word. The most judicious, wise course for any soul is to place oneself under the faithful exposition of Gods word and prayerfully conform to it. The central means of grace from God to you is through his word. So immerse yourself in it, it is the fountain of life.

The breaking of bread in verse 42 points us to the Lords Supper. This is done in remembrance of Christ. The Lords Supper is connected to the word, the truth of Christ. It personalizes his sacrifice for you. In it, you can say He died for me. He is mine, and I am his. He loved me and gave himself for me. May my soul exalt his name, and life be honoring to him. Here we find the joy of Christ.

This passage also emphasized the praying nature of the early church. They prayed in the name of Christ. God delights to hear us pray in the name of Christ. When Saul (Paul) was converted, the Lord Jesus appeared to Ananias and said about Saul, Behold he prays.

Saul, as a devoted Pharisee, had prayed continually all his life. Yet it is now, when he prays from the knowledge of Christ that God acknowledges his prayer. If you want Gods ear and help, you will not receive it apart from knowledge of Christ, approaching God through faith in Him. Also, understand blessing from God is connected to prayer. So you must set aside time for regular, devoted prayer.

Lastly, we see depicted in the early church joyful, loving fellowship, full of praise for the wonder of salvation in Christ. One of the chief characteristics of the work of the Spirit is thanksgiving and generosity. They were selling possessions and helping those who needed it in the church.

Some people have argued that the Bible justifies communism or socialism based on this passage. Communism though, promotes conflict over material needs for its own nefarious ends. It seeks to advance society through force, controlling both the production and distribution of goods.

It is compulsory sharing, enforced violently, and intentionally limits freedom in all areas to stamp out any resistance. Hence, in the institution of communism in China over 60 million people were murdered and at least 20 million in communist Russia. In this system, liberty must be limited, and any teaching of Christ. Hope must be only in government. Utopia promised was a hope never realized.

We all would prefer to live in a free country, to live and worship as we would. It is a great privilege to live in America. But it isnt safe to follow your own ways and reject the word of God. The people converted in our passage had spent their lives hoping for a change in government leadership. Now their hearts were on Christ and his kingdom.

We see the spirit of generosity that shows hope and expectation of a better inheritance than anything in this world. They freely and joyfully gave because of love. You dont see the abolition of private property, but the abolition of proud, selfish, covetous behavior. The word of God gives us sure and firm promises. Not believing God is the root of all our woe.

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GETTING THE MESSAGE/Acts 2:42-47 - kempercountymessenge