Lian Buan

Researcher @hrw | Ex-investigative reporter @rapplerdotcom | LLM Human Rights @BirkbeckLaw | @CheveningFCDO Scholar 2022 | Views my own

[Philippine Supreme Court Public Information Office @SCPh_PIO]

Nagpasya ang #KorteSuprema na ang magkaparehong hangarin ng mag-asawa na wakasan ang kanilang kasal ay hindi sapat para patunayan ang collusion o pakikipagsabwatan sa kasong Petition for Declaration of Nullity of Marriage o pagpapawalang-bisa ng kasal. Hindi katumbas ng pakikipagsabwatan ang kawalan ng pagtutol.

Sa Desisyong isinulat ni Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh, nagpasya ang Ikatlong Dibisyon ng Korte Suprema na walang sabwatan sa pagitan ng mag-asawa sa petisyon na ideklarang walang bisa ang kanilang kasal. Ang pakikipagsabwatan o collusion ay nangangahulugang lihim na nagkasundo ang mag-asawa na magsinungaling o magbigay ng maling paglalarawan ng mga pangyayari para mapawalang-bisa ang kanilang kasal.

Idineklara ng Korte Suprema na walang bisa ang kasal dahil sa psychological incapacity o sikolohikal na kawalan ng kakayahan ng asawang lalake.

Inihain ng asawang babae sa Regional Trial Court (RTC) ang petisyon na nagsasabing hindi nagampanan ng kanyang kabiyak ang mga tungkulin nito sa pag-aasawa dahil sa patuloy na pisikal, sikolohikal, at pinansiyal na pang-aabuso na nagsimula pa bago sila ikasal.

Nang hindi naghain ng sagot ang lalake sa petisyon, inatasan ng RTC ang Provincial Prosecutor na magsagawa ng imbestigasyon para alamin kung may sabwatan sa pagitan ng mag-asawa. Matapos ang imbestigasyon, iniulat ng Assistant Provincial Prosecutor na walang naganap na pakikipagsabwatan.

Sa paglilitis, nagharap ang babae ng ilang saksi, kabilang ang isang clinical psychologist, gayundin ang ama at pinsan ng kanyang asawa na tumestigo tungkol sa mga bisyo at mapang-abusong pag-uugali nito. Samantala, hindi naghain ng anumang saksi ang lalaki at hindi rin niya tinutulan ang petisyon.

Sa kabila nito, isinantabi ng RTC ang kaso at sinabing hindi sapat ang mga ebidensya para patunayan ang psychological incapacity. Iginiit din ng RTC na inamin ng ama ng asawang lalake na napag-usapan nila ng kanyang anak ang magiging testimonya nito at ang pagpayag ng asawa na mapawalang-bisa ang kanilang kasal.

Binaliktad ng Court of Appeals ang desisyon ng RTC, na kinatigan naman ng Korte Suprema.

Paliwanag ng Korte Suprema, isang lihim na kasunduan upang manloko o makakuha ng isang bagay na labag sa batas ang pakikipagsabwatan o collusion. Bagama’t napansin ng RTC ang ilang kahina-hinalang pangyayari, ayon sa Korte, walang malinaw na patunay na nagsabwatan ang mag-asawa para gumawa ng huwad na batayan para mapawalang-bisa ang kanilang kasal.

Binigyang-diin nito na hindi awtomatikong nangangahulugang may pakikipagsabwatan ang magkaparehong hangarin ng mag-asawa na wakasan ang kanilang kasal. Hindi katumbas ng isang lihim na plano para linlangin ang hukuman ang kawalan ng pagtutol sa petisyon ng asawa o ang hindi paghain ng anumang ebidensiya.

Basahin ang press release sa https://t.co/0mk2Ou2laL.

Basahin ang Desisyon sa https://t.co/Zk5zZWi2ZN.

Sumunod sa Credit Attribution Policy ng SC PIO: https://t.co/F48RF1vtzZ.

#SupremeCourtPH
#SCphTranslations

[Claudio Francavilla @ClaFrancavilla]

#Philippines: 10 years since #Duterte launched murderous "war on drugs", killings continue under #Marcos - who never repudiated it.

Justice needed: only 9 police officers convicted since 2016, while #ICC-wanted #DelaRosa still at large.

@hrw: https://t.co/CMPuYhXylZ

[Claudio Francavilla @ClaFrancavilla]

As #EU-#Philippines trade negotiations near conclusion, the EU should insist on concrete safeguards for Filipino civil society, unionists & Indigenous leaders

Without them, they face increased risk of killings, red-tagging and other abuses

@hrw letter ➡️https://t.co/p9iKgbB18t

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

“‘TokHang’ never left. It’s just done in a different way now." With a veneer of professionalism, Marcos' anti-drug campaign is harder to document. "Like it's a secret." Today marks 10 yrs since Duterte waged a bloody drug war. Yet, impunity persists.

https://t.co/KWpOsfvFOD

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

Under the bill, the DICT would have the power to designate large online platforms, and to “coordinate” takedown and moderation requests made by anyone against posts by these platforms.

It would grant authorities sweeping powers to regulate online speech
https://t.co/ObLD3SycFL

[Rappler @rapplerdotcom]

Former International Criminal Court judge Raul Pangalangan has been named the chairperson of the Philippine truth commission on drug war killings. | via Jairo Bolledo/Rappler

For more updates, visit the Justice and Crime chat room in the Rappler app.

https://t.co/kpoTq8c2df

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

This is all we need to know and absorb. Filipino victims of Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs had no choice but look outside of the country for justice.

From J. Caguioa's separate concurring opinion denying Senator Dela Rosa a TRO

[JFJustice @JFJustice]

The trial against Philippines ex-president Rodrigo Roa Duterte is set to begin on November 30, 2026 before @IntlCrimCourt Trial Chamber III.

The date follows a Status Conference on trial preparations, evidence disclosure and submissions from all parties.

Trial Chamber III is composed of Presiding Judge Joanna Korner, Judge Keebong Paek and Judge Nicolas Guillou.

#ICC #Duterte @lianbuan
📸ICC

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

Nine years since the Marawi siege, thousands still live in transitory shelters. @iyagozum and @MartinSanDiego report for @rapplerdotcom https://t.co/iKoFvvpFsx

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

Radio broadcaster Nestor Micator shot dead outside of the barangay hall in Fort Pikit, Cotabato. He is 11th journalist killed under Marcos Jr term. @nujp notes 2 cases have been initially declared by police as not work-related, and 4 suspects in 2 cases have been arrested.

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

Similar to how the SC also denied the requested TRO for ex-Pres Rodrigo Duterte before his plane flew to The Hague.

I wrote about that tarmac chaos last year: https://t.co/8OqwYP0q3U

[Rappler @rapplerdotcom]

The Supreme Court denies on Wednesday, May 20, Senator Bato dela Rosa‘s request for a temporary restraining order on the International Criminal Court warrant for his arrest.

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

A Cebu court had just dropped anti-terrorism financing charges against CERNET, one of several NGOs and individuals charged under this law in a seeming attempt by the PH to exit the grey list, at the cost of human rights.

First dispatch for @hrw:

https://t.co/8xeKu2W0nB

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

Filipino platform drivers (riders as we call them) go through the same. In 2023, Grab riders rallied for better income-sharing. In 2025, FoodPanda riders won their case vs reduced base fare.

The fuel crisis is their most recent woe, even as the govt gave a one-time $81 subsidy.

[Human Rights Watch @hrw]

It's estimated that “gig” or “platform” work grew by 90 percent between 2016 and 2020. Yet labor protections for those workers have not kept up.

In a new report, HRW documents the experiences of platform workers across nine countries, and urges governments to adopt strong standards to protect workers ⤵️

[Carlos Conde 🇵🇭 @carloshconde]

In the OSG's brief to the SC, the government says RA 9851, the law on crimes against humanity, is enough. But that only works if the government is actually willing to use it, I argue in my latest piece for @rightsreportPH.

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

Ito na ang pinaka straightforward na posisyon ng Marcos administration. Hindi na gagamit ng Interpol layer, iiwanan na ang dating posisyon na walang jurisdiction sa Pilipinas, at wala nang second option na extradition. Gayunman, wala na ulit ang suspek.

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

The key takeaway from the OSG’s comment are these positions the Marcos govt is taking only unequivocally now, after the suspect has ran again: that PH can “legally enforce ICC’s warrant” based on RA 9851, & that Marcos has decided “to accede to the ICC’s request for cooperation.”

[Philippine Supreme Court Public Information Office @SCPh_PIO]

Newly uploaded pleadings in current cases involving public interest:

G.R. No. 278747 (Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Senator Ronald Dela Rosa v. Hon. Lucas Bersamin, et al.)

- Motion to Admit: https://t.co/6MUN5Z1BZr

- Comment: https://t.co/RA9NmDin2w

Copies of recent pleadings and orders in cases involving public interest are regularly uploaded to the Current Cases page of the #SupremeCourtPH website. SCAN the QR Code for the latest uploads.

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

Thanks for the warm welcome to the human rights community @carloshconde !

Fyi, career change:

[Carlos Conde 🇵🇭 @carloshconde]

From Rappler to Human Rights Watch: Lian Buan Steps Into a Critical Role

@lianbuan of Rappler, is joining @hrw as its new Philippines researcher. She will be only the second Filipino in HRW’s history to hold the position, after myself.

https://t.co/T0tTpJbEas

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

BREAKING NEWS:
https://t.co/ozLKeBFh5M

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

New investigation: We obtained photos, documents, and interviewed an insider source, to reveal intimate details about how DPWH projects are subcontracted. The subcontract amount is lesser than the DPWH budget, and that's how structures end up substandard. https://t.co/d4lszoUdCw

[Lian Buan @lianbuan]

Going by the standards Supreme Court set in De Leon vs Duterte, a video of Marcos doing jumping jacks may be enough for the Court not to trigger Section 12, Article VII of the Constitution.

But hey we did not make the rules.

[ABS-CBN News @ABSCBNNews]

PH PRESIDENT DOES JUMPING JACKS, CHALLENGES ALLEGATIONS VS DETERIORATING HEALTH Pres

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appears before the Malacañang Press Corps to belie allegations he is gravely ill. | via @_katrinadomingo