village in Tapaz municipality, Capiz province. recommended that perjury charges be filed She had been a witness in a case relating to against senior executives of a company that a police raid in December 2020 in which had been awarded PPE procurement community leaders from the Tumandok contracts, Pharmally Pharmaceutical Indigenous people were arrested and others Corporation, and several former government killed. On 3 March, masked assailants aides. stabbed and seriously injured Angelo Karlo FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND Guillen, the lawyer for the Tumandok ASSOCIATION community leaders, in Iloilo City. In February, security forces raided a school In October, journalist Maria Ressa was in Cebu City in which students from awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with Indigenous communities displaced by armed Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov, in conflict were living. Seven people, including recognition of her fight for press freedom in students, teachers and a community elder, the Philippines. In June and August, two were arrested without warrants and charged charges of cyber libel against her were with kidnapping and human trafficking. They dismissed, but she continued to face other were detained for three months before the charges for which she could face up to 60 9 charges were dismissed. years in prison if found guilty. ARBITRARY DETENTION AND UNFAIR In April, authorities “red-tagged” individuals TRIALS and groups involved in running “community pantries” that provided food to those in need In March, the House of Representatives because of unemployment during the passed a bill amending the Dangerous Drugs pandemic. Act of 2002. The bill contained provisions that could encourage arbitrary arrests and WORKERS’ RIGHTS would violate the right to fair trial, including In August, a report documented abuses of the presumption of innocence of people workers’ rights in the nickel mining sector on 7 accused of using or selling drugs. The bill Dinagat Island, including employment remained before the Senate at year end. without contracts, delayed payment of wages 10 RIGHT TO HEALTH and non-payment of compulsory benefits. In April, a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases DEATH PENALTY and deaths was recorded, leading to On 2 March, the House of Representatives accusations of government mishandling of passed House Bill 7814 to amend the 8 the pandemic. The already inadequate Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of healthcare system lacked sufficient hospital 2002, which would reintroduce the death beds and health workers to treat Covid-19 penalty for drugs-related offences. The bill patients. The government began a Covid-19 remained pending before the Senate at year’s vaccination programme in March, but there end. Several other bills to reintroduce the were concerns about slow implementation, death penalty also remained pending before uneven geographical distribution and the House of Representatives and the discriminatory access to vaccines. Senate. In August, a report by the independent statutory body, the Commission on Audit, LGBTI PEOPLE’S RIGHTS revealed deficiencies in the Department of On 18 September, eight LGBTI individuals Health’s handling of funds allocated to the were injured when an improvised explosive Covid-19 response, including irregularities in device went off during a volleyball the transfer of funds between government tournament in Maguindanao province. The departments. The findings prompted a Bangsamoro parliament condemned the Senate Committee investigation, which Amnesty International Report 2021/22 300