MANILA, Philippines — Kinundena ng mga progresibong magsasaka at mangingisda ang kasong Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 na isinampa kay Servillano "Jun" Luna Jr. of Anakpawis Partylist, bagay na ibinase raw sa mga "gawa-gawang" reklamo.
Si Luna ang kasalukuyang campaign director ng Anakpawis at dating national secretary general ng party-list noong 2015 hanggang 2021.
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"We aim to expose and denounce the discernible campaign of vilification, harassment and threats against Filipino activists," wika ni Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairperson emeritus at Anakpawis chair Rafael Mariano ngayong Biyernes.
"The purpose of the persecution of Luna and other activists is to intimidate them and derail their work and activities for their respective organizations. These escalating attacks against activists are alarming and warrants broad condemnation."
Ayon sa KMP, kasama si Luna sa tumulong sa pakikilahok ng Anakpawis noong mga nakaraang eleksyon kaugnay ng kampanya sa lupa, sahod, trabaho at karapatan bago masampahan ng reklamo.
Kabilang sa mga co-accused ni Luna sina Nathanael Santiago ng Bayan Muna at Koalisyong Makabayan, development worker na si Brenda Gonzales ng non-government organization (NGO) na Assert Socio-Economic Initiatives Network (ASCENT) at Ananusa San Gabriel ng Bulacan Ecumenical Forum.
"The trumped-up charges of terrorism against Luna Jr. and other activists prove the dangers of the Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL), that whoever the government wants to silence can be easily labeled and charged with terrorism," ani Anakpawis natgional president Ariel Casilao sa hiwalay na pahayag.
"President Marcos Jr. clearly carries the same brand of fascism of his predecessor Duterte by taking up the latter’s repressive measures such as the ATL and the publicly despised National Task Force to End the Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC)."
Sino si Jun Luna?
Isa si Luna sa pinaakaunang volunteer ng PAMALAKAYA Pilipinas, isang pederasyon ng mga maliliit na mangingisda sa bansa na siyang binuo noong 1987. Tumayo rin si Luna bilang deputy secretary general ng grupo mula 2002 hanggang 2014.
Tumulong aniya ang nabanggit sa pag-oorganisa ng fisherfolk communities, nagsagawa ng research work at nagkampanya para itaguyod at socio-economic at political aspirations ng mga mangingisda, na isa sa pinakamahihirap.
"Luna Jr. was present in international assemblies of fisherfolk organizations, including the General Assembly of the World Forum of Fisher People (WFFP)," ani Hicap.
"He was part of the working group that engaged in a bottom-up participatory development process for the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries that was adopted by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO) in 2014."
Kinukundena rin nina Hicap ang pagpapatuloy diumano ng political persecution nito sa mga aktibista gaya ni Luna Jr. Aniya, mas mainam kung targetin na lamang ng gobyerno ang mga pulitikong nagkokompromiso sa pambansang teritoryo at soberanya.
Idiniin ng PAMALAKAYA at Anakpawis ang pagbabasura sa Anti-Terrorism Law, na matagal nang kinakastigo ng mga progresibo sa pagpapatahimik diumano ng mga kritiko at pagpapaliit sa demokratikong espasyo.