For nine months now, Lorena Santos had been searching for her disappeared father, National Democratic Front consultant Leo Velasco who was abducted by suspected military men in Cagayan de Oro City. On Nov. 28, her mother was also abducted in a commercial area in Quezon City. It was a good thing Lorena did not have…
Month: December 2007
UN, WCC Blame Gov’t Counterinsurgency Program for Human Rights Abuses
Both the United Nations (UN) and the World Council of Churches (WCC) point to the government’s counterinsurgency campaign as the cause of the extrajudicial killings of activists as well as the impunity that also resulted in the killings of journalists. BY EMILY VITAL HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 43, December 2-8, 2007 Both…
Local Government’s Disaster-Readiness Still an Issue in Cordi
Local government’s preparedness during disasters remains a lingering issue in the Cordillera. BY ACE ALEGRE Contributed to Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 43, December 2-8, 2007 BAGUIO CITY (246 kms north of Manila) – Local government’s preparedness during disasters remains a lingering issue in the Cordillera. This after the Intensity 6 earthquake at noon on Nov.…
Duterte Stays Loyal to Arroyo but Says Trillanes’ Move was ‘Understandable’
At the height of the stand-off at the Manila Peninsula Hotel, Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said President Arroyo called him. “She asked me how we are doing here and if she still has my support,” Duterte said. “I said, ‘Yes, ma’am.’” BY CHERYLL D. FIEL Davao Today Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 43, December 2-8,…
Poor and Landless after 19 Years of CARP
Jolito Divinagracia and Ranel Enoc are among the farmers in Tamugan, Calinan district, whose parents are beneficiaries of the government’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). But almost 20 years into the program, both their families are still having a hard time acquiring the land supposedly awarded to them. BY GRACE S. UDDIN Davao Today Vol.…
MTRCB Hit Anew for Censorship
“The MTRCB will never allow the propagation of films which carries dissenting views to the current administration,” said an independent filmmaker whose work is scheduled to be shown at Indie Sine in Robinson’s Galeria December 5-11 but was rated “X” by the board. BY EMILY VITAL Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 43, December 2-8, 2007 The…
National Artist Condemns Censorship, ‘State Fascism’
“This government will surely do anything and everything just to stop the people’s dissent,” said National Artist for Literature Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera. BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA Contributed to Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 43, December 2-8, 2007 State fascism. This is how National Artist for Literature Dr. Bienvenido Lumbera sees the “X” rating given by the…
7 Bills to Amend UP Charter Filed in Senate
Efforts to amend the obsolete University of the Philippines (UP) Charter has spanned for 15 years, four UP Presidents, and almost three Congresses. With the commemoration of its centennial next year, the country’s premier state university intends to be free of a charter that dates back to American colonial rule. BY REYNA MAE TABBADA Bulatlat…
MILF Panel Chief Sees Peace Talks as ‘Best Way’ to Resolve Mindanao Strife, but Admits Issues are ‘Difficult’
For Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Negotiating Panel chairman Mohagher Iqbal, the peace negotiations between his group and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) are the “most practical and most civilized way to resolve the conflict in Mindanao.” He admits, however, that the peace negotiations are a difficult road to tread considering…
Militant Solons Ready ‘Genuine Land Reform Bill’
Frustrated by the “gross failures” of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law of 1988 (CARL), solons of militant party-list organizations Anakpawis, Bayan Muna, and GWP are set to file what they call a bill for a “Genuine Land Reform Law.” BY KARL G. OMBION Bulatllat Vol. VII, No. 43, December 2-8, 2007 Frustrated by the “gross…
Prospects for Change Rest on People’s Action, Activist Leaders Say
Support from the international community and the guidance of a moral revolution are important aspects in the struggle for a better society. Yet every effort would need the widespread, active support of the people to be successful. BY REYNA MAE TABBADA AND ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 43, December 2-8, 2007 The celebration…