18/09/2026
The Association of Women and Theology - UTS and the UTS Center for Women and Children stands in solidarity with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines in calling for the protection of the rights of the 11 Cagayan Valley activists facing charges related to alleged financing of terrorism, among them Anne Marie “Anma” Pascual, Program Officer for Human Rights of the NCCP and member of the Taripnong Secretariat.
We know Anma not simply by her title, but by the work she has done among and with communities—especially Indigenous Peoples. She has been a resource person and facilitator in UTS community discussions, electoral education, and human rights education, helping equip pastors and seminarians to become prophets: people who listen to communities, speak truth to power, and stand with those whose voices are often pushed to the margins.
Her work is not abstract. It is rooted in real communities and real struggles.
In Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, communities have raised concerns over the exploration activities of North Luzon Mineral Resources Corporation (NLMRC), particularly their impacts on ancestral lands, livelihood, and the environment.
As women of faith, we dare to name what we see:
Our land is not merely a resource.
Our mountains are not merely minerals.
Our communities are not obstacles to development.
Our Indigenous Peoples are not disposable.
For when the land is wounded, people are wounded.
When communities are displaced, families are displaced.
And when those who defend life are harassed, intimidated, or criminalized, our faith compels us to ask: Where does justice stand?
Women have long been in the frontlines of the struggle for peace, justice, land, and life. We know what it means for our bodies, our communities, and our lands to become sites of violence. We know fear. We know harassment. We know what it means to be told to remain silent for the sake of safety.
But silence has never guaranteed our safety.
So we speak.
As women of faith, we raise our voices with women human rights defenders, Indigenous women, environmental defenders, and all those who continue to stand with communities defending their land, livelihood, dignity, and rights.
As women prophets of our time, we remember that the prophetic task is not simply to speak about the people—it is to listen to them, stand with them, and tell the truth about what is happening to their communities.
We therefore stand with Anma Pascual and the Cagayan Valley activists.
We call for an end to intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders, and the full protection of their rights.
This September 21, as we commemorate the 54th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law under Ferdinand Marcos Sr., we raise our voices with the people.
We raise our voices for and with all human rights defenders.
For land.
For Indigenous Peoples.
For communities defending their homes, livelihoods, dignity, and future.
We remember not simply to look back, but to recognize the struggles that continue and to refuse the silence that allows injustice to persist.
May we continue to be a church that listens, accompanies, remembers, and speaks.
May we have the courage to stand where life is threatened.
And may our prophetic witness always begin with the people whose lives, lands, and futures are at stake.
Women of faith.
Women prophets.
Women standing with the people.
This September 21. We Remember. We Raise our voices. We Stand with the people.
