By Abner Bolos Oct. 16, 2005 TARLAC CITY- The secretary general of Bayan Muna party-list in Tarlac province was shot dead by still unidentified men yesterday morning, Oct. 15, in his home in Barangay (village) Tuec, Camiling, Tarlac. The victim, Florante Collantes,...
A cloud of anxiety now stalks the ranks of farm-worker beneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita, the 6,453-ha. sugar estate owned and operated by the powerful Cojuangco clan of Tarlac (120 kms north of Manila). After seeking justice for 37 years, they are made to wait a...
Negros farmers groups demand similar SDO cancellation First of two parts After Tarlac City, Negros sugarlandia is bracing for peasant rumblings as demand has been raised for the cancellation of the stock distribution scheme (SDO) in several plantations. Negros has...
Conclusion To evade land reform, Negros plantation owners together with local executives and land reform officials have devised various schemes. All these enflamed cane farm workers even more. By Karl G. Ombion and Ranie Azue BACOLOD CITY - The history of landlord...
First of four-part series Roy (not his real name), 15, had been covering up his arm the whole afternoon when visitors went to their cell. When the jail warden made the juvenile law offenders squat and line up to greet the visitors, he went to the farthest spot to...
Second of four parts by Mylene Buensuceso, Ronald Caraig, Likha Cuevas, and Jenielle Marie Enojo According to the latest Save the Children-UK Philippines (SCUK-Phils) study, poverty is the root of juvenile crimes. It involves committing a violation while in the...
Third of four parts by Mylene Buensuceso, Ronald Caraig, Likha Cuevas, and Jenielle Marie Enojo Life was just starting for the eight minors when they were incarcerated inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinglupa City, 28 kms south of Manila. A DSWD Head...
Last of four parts by Mylene Buensuceso, Ronald Caraig, Likha Cuevas, and Jenielle Marie Enojo Alvin (not his real name) was incarcerated for 6 months for his alleged crime of shoplifting a 200-ml shampoo worth P89 ($1.59, based on an exchange rate of P55.83 per US...
When photojournalists transcend their occupation of using the lens just to observe or break the news and dare step into the workers’ front lines, their images can rouse the viewer out of detached contemplation. By Lisa C. Ito The power of photojournalism lies in...
A peasant congressman from Central Luzon said that the heightened militarization in the region – which is taking place while Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan was designated commander of the 7th Infantry Division last September – has a hidden agenda: To neutralize the...
The widow of the late Dutch finance minister and chairman of the EU Central Bank is accosted and detained by Israeli immigration authorities on suspicion of being a “terrorist.” By D. L. MONDELO Political Correspondent for Europe “If you are not with us, you are...
Muslim detainees appeal for humane treatment In a privilege speech Oct. 4, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Liza Maza called Camp Bagong Diwa Detention Center as the Philippines’ version of Auswichtz. Auswichtz was the infamous German concentration camp that housed Jews...
This brief incident on historic Mendiola Bridge clearly exposes the Arroyo government’s policy towards peaceful assemblies of citizens as nothing short of fascist. It has no place in a so-called democratic society and is clearly a harbinger of de facto martial...
Two teenagers stare nonchalantly at a life-size wax statue of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos in his mausoleum in Batac, Ilocos Norte (471 kms. north of Manila). They are Bab-bab and Bugan, great-grandchildren of the famed Ibaloi warrior Kustacio Carantes, who...
Using the Calibrated Preemptive Response and Executive Order 464, the government crackdown on groups and individuals challenging the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo presidency is in full gear. A people’s lawyer said martial rule will be in full circle once another fascist...
Last June, the unions in Hacienda Luisita declared they will encourage and undertake systematic cultivation of portions of idle land in the plantation to produce food crops and stave off hunger during the rainy season. The “bungkalan” (cultivation) immediately became a big hit among hacienda workers’ families, enabling them to buy food and simple household needs.
8 political killings reported since September Eight politically-motivated killings have been reported in Central Luzon in just over a month. The cases have been reported in the aftermath of the assignment of Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan as commander of the 7th...
Prominent officials, lawyers, union leaders were in 'hit list' Before Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan drew controversy for his alleged campaign of terror in Mindoro Island and later Eastern Visayas, he was first stationed in Central Luzon where his counter-revolutionary...
Arrested and detained by soldiers last Sept. 30, seven peasants were finally freed Oct. 7. The victims decried the physical and psychological torture they suffered while in detention, as cause-oriented groups stressed that what they went through is a sign that the...
The future of the Arroyo administration is at best uncertain, and at worst exceedingly bleak. CenPEG is a public policy center set up shortly before the May 2004 elections to help promote people empowerment in governance and democratic representation of the...
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