Ronalyn V. Olea or Len to her colleagues loves to brew coffee strong enough to keep everyone in the newsroom awake. She’s a vegan and a bike commuter, braving the chaos of the road to get to meetings and errands.
Ronalyn V. Olea or Len to her colleagues loves to brew coffee strong enough to keep everyone in the newsroom awake. She’s a vegan and a bike commuter, braving the chaos of the road to get to meetings and errands.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Noriel Rodriguez, a member of Anakbayan, was tortured for 10 days by people he claimed to be soldiers. The soldiers, he said, threatened to harm his family and mutilate his genitals. He was released only after he was forced to sign papers stating that he was a rebel returnee. 
Related video: Noriel Rodriguez recounts his ordeal
By RONALYN V. OLEA
The human-right film Dukot (Desaparecidos) is now being shown in major cinemas beginning on Dec. 2, a few days before the International Day of Human Rights on Dec. 10.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Human-rights advocate welcome the signing into law of Republic Act 9745, which penalizes acts of torture in the Philippines. The challenge now, they say, is for the Arroyo administration to effectively implement it, given its sordid human-rights record.
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA -- Writer, blogger and legislative staff Maureen Hermitanio did not expect that she would be put under surveillance by state agents. In four separate incidents between Oct. 24 and Nov. 3, two men visited Hermitanio's residence...
By RONALYN OLEA
The United States Congress has withheld the US$2-million military aid to the Philippines in 2010 due to human rights concerns.
“Maybe they are lazy. Tell them they are lazy. They should pay their loans. I will demand their payment or else I will drive them away, no matter who they are,” Vice President Noli de Castro replied when asked why poor Filipinos cannot pay their rent on time.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
The murder earlier this month of a Catholic priest, Father Cecilio Lucero, has enraged leaders of the Catholic Church. “I can not stomach what Malacañang is doing,” said recently retired Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz of the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines. “It seems they do not fear God.”
By RONALYN V. OLEA
At around 6 a.m. today, three men were seen taking photos and asking information regarding Lumbera's house in a subdivision in Quezon City. Village guards approached and apprehended one of them.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
A close ally of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the House of Representatives was accused of grabbing land from supposed beneficiaries of agrarian reform programs of the government.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“This is a grotesque and irresponsible display of insensitivity to the Filipino people who suffered and have been victimized under Martial Law,” Marie Hilao-Enriquez, a martial law victim and secretary general of Selda, said of the tribute by the Cultural Center of the Philippines to the wife of the dictator Marcos.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
While the right of indigenous peoples to their ancestral land is recognized by international agreements and conventions, indigenous peoples in the Philippines are relentlessly being driven away by mining, tourism and other so-called development projects. In Zambales alone, more than 70 mining firms are now operating, with some preventing the Aetas from entering what used to be their land.
MANILA – On Aug. 9 last year, 25 indigenous peoples groups from all over the country gathered together to form the Katribu party list, in time for the commemoration of the International Day of the World's Indigenous People. Nelson Mallari, chairman of Central Luzon...
By RONALYN V. OLEA
The murders of peasant activist Romulo Mendova and Father Cecilio Lucero, both of Eastern Visayas, have been blamed on the military’s Oplan Bantay Laya. In the case of Lucero, he had been publicly denounced by President Arroyo as “that communist priest,” according to the NDF. It is said that he was the first priest to have been murdered in Samar since Catholicism was introduced in the province 400 years ago.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
They are usually the first to respond to cases of extrajudicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances in the Philippines. In a country where impunity prevails, these human-rights defenders have not been spared from the same atrocities that they are trying to stop.
MANILA -- Former Navy officer Lt. Senior Grade Mary Nancy Gadian was recognized as a "Woman of Courage" by Gabriela, the most prestigious women's group in the country, in a simple ceremony this afternoon. Nancy Gadian (left) with Gabriela's Emmi de Jesus (Photo by...
Sherlyn and Karen -- Desaparecidos
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Under the bill, no justification can be offered that would allow torture and other inhuman punishments. Those who torture will be penalized as principals, as well as their superiors in the military, police or law enforcement establishments who ordered it.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
The Court of Appeals has granted the Filipino-American activist's amparo and habeas data petitions, saying that Melissa Roxas’s story was credible. But it also pointed out that Roxas failed to show that the military was behind her abduction and torture, hence President Arroyo and elements of the armed forces cannot be made respondents in the case.
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