Four years after he graduated from a prestigious university here, Mark Dicaleng landed a job in a medical transcription (MT) company. He has only been with the company for a year but he is earning a five-digit income. By Lyn V. Ramo Northern Dispatch BAGUIO CITY —...
The frustrating quest for justice for Christopher Batan’s death reflects the justice system in the country: It works at a snail’s pace and you don’t even know if it is headed to the right direction. Twelve years since his death, Chris’ family, friends and tribe...
Last of two parts Corporate mining in indigenous lands affects all strands of the peoples collective life as distinct from others, and directly threatens not just their survival economically, but also their continuing collective existence in their territory as the...
First of two parts The assault of massive corporate mining will surely be met with strong resistance by indigenous communities who have continued to nurture and protect their territory. The people will not simply allow the devastation of their land and resources in...
The implications of promoting the market-oriented production of modern plant breeds among Cordillera peasants If former President Marcos had his “Green Revolution” and “miracle rice” program, the Arroyo administration has its agricultural modernization program and...
First of two parts For generations, many farming villages in the Cordillera mountain region, northern Philippines were self-sufficient in food. But Marcos’ “Green Revolution” and, in recent years, trade liberalization have erased all that. Today, the production of...
First of three parts The December 2004 Supreme Court decision declaring as constitutional the Mining Act of 1995 paves the way for the entry of foreign mining companies in the Philippines. The Cordillera region in Northern Luzon where 25 percent of gold and 39...
Second of three parts Recent applications for mining exploration and extraction cover 66 percent of the Cordillera land area. By Windel Bolinget Northern Dispatch BAGUIO CITY – The Macapagal-Arroyo government’s aggressive mining policy to attract new investors in...
But small-scale miners will be displaced Conclusion Of the Macapagal-Arroyo’s 23 “priority development projects,” five are in the Cordillera region. BY WINDEL BOLINGET Northern Dispatch BAGUIO CITY – President Macapagal-Arroyo’s 10-Point Legacy names 23 priority...
The Buaya tribe of Kalinga province affirmed their opposition to the mineral exploration venture by Cordillera Exploration Inc. (CEXI) in their ancestral domain in both Kalinga and Apayao provinces. By Abigail T. Bengwayan Northern Dispatch BALBALAN, Kalinga - The...
At least 50 minors are languishing in different jails in the Cordillera region, Northern Luzon, jail officials revealed last week. Of these, 26 are undergoing trial in Baguio City’s courts for crimes with some cases as heinous as rape. By Lyn V. Ramo Northern...
Wearing tapis (wrap-around skirt) and baag (G-string), Igorots (general term to describe the indigenous peoples from the Cordillera mountain ranges) picketed the Asia Pacific Mining Conference and 2005 Exhibit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati on Oct. 11. By AT...
First of two parts The assault of massive corporate mining will surely be met with strong resistance by indigenous communities who have continued to nurture and protect their territory. The people will not simply allow the devastation of their land and resources in...
The strike at a big mining firm already ended last Sept. 10 with both the union and management promising not to take retaliatory action. Nineteen union officers, however, got dismissed by the company. Worse, a union officer was arrested and detained last Oct. 3....
The Ramadhan is an occasion to reflect and find peace and unity, not only among Muslims but also those who respect Muslim tradition. A Muslim leader clarified, however, that before peace and unity can be achieved, there should be equality first. BY LYN V. RAMO...
Ramadhan is a special month of the year when over a billion Muslims all over the world consecrate their faith in worship or meditation. Politicians can learn a lesson or two from this Muslim practice, especially now that the country is facing a lingering political...
After deliberating on the impeachment complaint, is it possible that the House of Representatives will now discuss an issue as local as the plight of striking workers at the Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (LCMCo)? Progressive lawmakers hope so. BY ABIGAIL...
Do rebels who die in encounters end up with mutilated bodies? This appears to be a normal occurrence for the police who, reports show, do not seem to know the rules of war and engagement, but how does one explain it to the grieving relatives? BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW...
After the impeachment complaint, the members of the House of Representatives are expected to deliberate on the 2006 national budget and to start the so-called great debate on changing the 1987 Constitution. It may interest legislators to know that the urban poor in...
For months now, Lepanto mining company is locked in a protracted labor strike by its employees. But there’s another issue raised by university-based doctors and scientists on the firm’s mining operations. Their findings of water samples take from river systems...
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