On August 29, thousands gathered in Hong Kong to express their sympathies and demand justice to all the victims of the 8/23 hostage crisis.

By MARYA SALAMAT
The newly-formed alliance RILES called on the public to oppose the MRT, LRT fare hikes, asserting that the trains should be for public service and not for generating profits for businesses.

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL and
RONALYN V. OLEA
On the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared, relatives of victims of enforced disappearances marched to Mendiola bridge to demand that their loved ones be surfaced and the perpetrators, including former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo be punished.

Sidebar: Remembering a Desaparecido From Hacienda Luisita

On August 30, Carina Judilyn Oliveros and her baby, escorted by at least 10 BJMP officers, were finally transferred to the Philippine General Hospital in Manila, where they would detained for three months.

By RONALYN V. OLEA
Casiano Abing is the sixth activist killed since President Benigno S. Aquino III assumed power. Human rights lawyer Katrina Castillo deems the killing a result of the extension of counterinsurgency program Oplan Bantay Laya.

By RONALYN V. OLEA
After initially denying the petition for temporary release of Morong 43 mother Carina Judilyn Oliveros, the court, in deciding on the appeal filed by Oliveros’s counsel, ordered her and her son’s transfer to a hospital where she would be detained for a period of three months.

Sidebar: Three Months Not Enough for Nursing Mom, Newborn

By RONALYN V. OLEA
The book Oplan Bantay Laya: The US-Arroyo Campaign of Terror and Counterinsurgency in the Philippines not only explains why Oplan Bantay Laya is the most vicious counterinsurgency campaign but also puts in proper context the role of the US government in the state’s brutal campaign against the Filipino people. 

By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Migrante International chairperson Garry Martinez told Bulatlat that he is not surprised if there are negative reactions coming from Hongkong nationals and its possible repercussions to OFWs. “We express our sincerest condolences to the families and friends of the victims,” Martinez said, “We know how difficult it is to fetch a loved one who is dead.”