In response to the joint letter sent by two United Nations Special Rapporteurs, the Davao City police initiated an investigation on the death threats received by a human rights activist. BY BULATLAT HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Volume VIII, Number 26, August 3 – 9, 2008 DAVAO CITY – A human rights defender appeared August 1 before…
Category: Human Rights
Relatives, Supporters of Detained Peasant Leader Slam ‘Mafia-Style’ Transfer to Manila City Jail
Relatives and supporters of detained Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP or Peasant Movement of the Philippines) deputy secretary-general for external affairs Randall Echanis Aug. 2 denounced the “Mafia-style and highly irregular transfer” of the peasant leader to the Manila City Jail. BY GERRY ALBERT CORPUZ HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Contributed to Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 26,…
No Justice, Impunity Prevails
Relatives of victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances deplore the fact that up to now justice still remains elusive and impunity still prevails even as the Supreme Court promulgated new remedies such as the writ of amparo. Worse, the Court of Appeals has dismissed the cases that they filed thereby providing the conditions for…
Long Live our Sun – Chairman Mao, Long Live Mao Zedong Thought
Author: the World (translated by Pao-yu Ching) http://mzh.China.5000.cn July 14, 2008 I never met you in person, Yet your smile is deeply engraved in my mind. I never heard your voice in person, Only my heart swells with excitement listening to your speech. At the time of your passing I could not understand why my…
Rape, Human Trafficking, Gov’t Neglect – the Travails of Okinawa Rape Victim Hazel
An investigation led by GWP Representative Liza Maza on the plight of Okinawa rape victim Hazel discovered that she was a victim three times over: of rape, human trafficking, and of government neglect. BY RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat Volume VIII, No. 25, July 27-August 2, 2008 It is an all-too-familiar story of an OFW who…
‘Psywar Used vs Gumanoy Siblings’
As the Court of Appeals (CA) denied the petition for writ of habeas corpus for the Gumanoy siblings held by the Philippine Army, human rights groupS and children’s rights advocates decried the use of psywar tactics against the two. They said that threat and exploitation of poverty belied military’s claims of ‘voluntary custody.’ BY RONALYN…
Tagaytay 5 Visitors Refused Entry, Harassed; Reading, Viewing Materials Confiscated
One would never have thought the literary/lifestyle magazine Rogue, which published its first issue sometime last year, would find its way into any police or military list of “propaganda” (read: subversive) materials, but that was just what happened to a copy of it that was brought over by artists visiting the Tagaytay 5 last July…
Prosecutor Junks UNP’s Appeal on Theft Rap vs Campus Scribe
The City Prosecutor’s Office here denied the Motion for Reconsideration filed by Nolito Ragunjan, University of Northern Philippines’ (UNP) coordinator for Student Publication, on its theft case against Tandem Editor-in-Chief Ma. Criselda Diocena, stating there is no “plausible reason to reconsider the questioned resolution.” BY ROD TAJON, JR. Northern Dispatch HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Posted by…
Cops Harass Youth Activists
Policemen, including elements of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) dispersed member of a youth group conducting a signature campaign against the weekly oil price hikes and the economic crisis. BY CYE REYES Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat Volume VIII, No. 28, July 20-26, 2008 BAGUIO CITY (246 kms north of Manila) – Members of…
Court Starts Hearing Tagaytay 5 Bail Petition
After more than two years of being abducted and detained, the Tagaytay 5 finally had their day in court as the latter started hearing their petition for bail. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008 The Tagaytay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 18 has started hearing…
Principe Demands Reinvestigation of Rebellion Case
Elizabeth Principe, currently detained on charges of rebellion, wants a reinvestigation of her case. Her husband, meanwhile, remains missing after being abducted in February 2007. BY JOAN GARCIA HUMAN RIGHTS Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008 Candon City, Ilocos Sur (347 kms from Manila) – The Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 23 is…