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By RONALYN V. OLEA
Cause-oriented groups said today the death of former armed forces chief of staff Angelo Reyes should compel authorities to step up their investigation into the alleged massive corruption within the military.
Dr. Alexis Montes was wiping away his tears throughout the program on Feb. 3 organized by church workers who were involved in the campaign for the release of the Morong 43. It was evidently an emotional moment for him, less than two months after he and 32 others were released after 10 months in detention.
From the time of the raid and their subsequent arrest to the nightly interrogations, they were told that they did not have rights. But the "Morong 43" struggled on internally and against their captors, interrogators, and eventually their prison custodians.
A year ago today, the military and police illegally arrested and detained the "Morong 43" health workers. While most of them have been freed and are now trying to pick up the pieces of their lives, many still have nightmares and still feel vulnerable and exposed to danger.
Sidebar: 'Morong 43' Recall the Nightmare and the Struggle | Dr. Alexis Montes: ‘The Journey Is Not Yet Ended’ | Related Stories: Lawyers Push for Immediate Release of One of Three Remaining 'Morong 43' Detainees | What Newsbreak Failed to Report About the ‘Morong 5' | More 'Morong 43' stories, photos and video
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Atty. Julius Garcia Matibag of the National Union of People’s Lawyers and one of the legal counsels of the Morong 43, said they are hopeful that Edwin B. Dematera would soon be released because they have proven that he is not the same person being accused of rape before a Las Piñas court.
Marking the first year since the death of Gregan Cardeño, a Filipino who died inside Camp Ranao in Marawi City while working as an interpreter for the US troops, various groups held a memorial rally on Wednesday to demand justice and to hold those behind the incident accountable. (Photo courtesy of Patriotiko Mindanao / bulatlat.com)
Media workers of an independent audio-visual group decried the harassment by the local police during the violent demolition of an urban-poor community in San Juan, Metro Manila.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
A group of human-rights lawyers has vowed to take what it called a "legal offensive" to curb impunity and advance the cause of human rights in the Philippines.
Sidebar: Photo Contest Highlights Fight Vs. Impunity in Philippines
As part of its campaign against impunity, a group of human-rights lawyers held a photo contest titled “Shoot!” with the theme “Capturing the Struggle for Justice of Human Rights Victims.”
There had been reports of human-rights violations committed by soldiers on residents of some villages in Jones, one of Isabela’s towns. The mission’s objective was to document these violations, distribute relief goods and provide medical services to the residents of Dicamay village.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Way before Tuesday’s demolition of the houses owned by informal settlers in Corazon de Jesus, a poor community in San Juan City, the former mayor and now congressman, JV Ejercito, had declared that the US White House was the inspiration for the new city hall that he would like to build in his city.
By CHERYLL FIEL
To prevent rebels from gaining ground in Toril, the Philippine Army established a military detachment in a village and sent out more soldiers. The soldiers are called “Peace and Development Teams.” But residents find the soldiers’ conduct rather unbecoming of the new tag by which they are now called.
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
and CHERYLL FIEL
In Jones town, Isabela, residents complain that the soldiers would present themselves as New People’s Army guerrillas and try to extract information from them. In Toril, Davao, the military organized "peace and development teams," whose functions apparently include wooing teenage girls in the community.
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
During the first public hearings into the deaths of Leonard Co and company conducted by the Commission on Human Rights, soldiers admitted that fired their weapons at the direction of the three victims but at the same time denied having killed them.
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