Even as they were accompanied by representatives from the Commission of Human Rights (CHR), members of the Balao family and officers of the of Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) were denied entry to military camps in Manila last Oct. 27. BY CYE REYES Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (247 kms.…
Tags: enforced disappearances
Colleagues Say Missing Activist Alive
BY CYE REYES Northern Dispatch BAGUIO CITY—The Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) received information from a ‘reliable and credible’ source saying that missing activist James Balao is alive and is being detained by state security forces. According to Beverly Longid, CPA chairperson, the information they received Thursday came from an informant who is among the ranks…
Rights Group Says CA Decision Lame; Mother of Missing UP Student Holds Arroyo, AFP Liable
BY RONALYN OLEA Bulatlat Human rights group Karapatan deemed lame the Court of Appeals (CA) decision on the writ of amparo for two missing students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan and their companion Manuel Merino. In a decision Sept. 17, the 11th Division of the CA ordered respondents to immediately release or cause the release…
Interview with Ma. Luisa (Luing) Posa Dominado
Luing’s life has been an extraordinary one, an exemplar of dedication to the highest ideals of a people struggling for genuine independence and a more humane social order. Luing speaks for herself here in a way that is at once starkly simple and powerfully eloquent. : Here is someone—a woman, and to me this is…
One Year Later: Nandigram and the Struggle against Forced Displacement in India
BY DAVE PUGH ALTERNATIVE READER Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 11, April 20-26, 2008 In January and March 2007, tens of thousands of peasants at Nandigram in West Bengal, India rose up to defend their land. By the time their struggle abated, the peasants had stopped the plans of the Left Front government in…
Reps of Aid Donor Countries, 13 Others Question RP Rights Record in Geneva
BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 10, April 13-19, 2008 Representatives of 17 countries – including four of the country’s main aid donors – raised questions on the Philippine government’s human rights record in Geneva, Switzerland on April 11 as Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who also chairs the Presidential Human…
Missing
(for Jonas “Jay” Burgos) BY MARYJANE ALEJO Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 9, April 6-12, 2008 There are times When a truant boy gets failing marks Because he is always Missing the bus. There are times When lovers quarrel Because the other is Missing the point. There are times When a machine malfunctions Because…
The Search for Burgos, a Test Case for the Writ of Amparo
The implementation of the writ of amparo which takes effect Oct 24 gives hope to families of about 200 victims of enforced disappearances. A test case is that of activist-agriculturist Jonas Burgos who was abducted allegedly by state agents on April 28. By Dabet Castañeda HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 35, October 7-13,…
Bill Criminalizing Enforced Disappearances to be Filed, Gov’t Asked to Ratify International Convention
There is no existing law in the Philippines criminalizing enforced disappearances. While Republic Act No. 7438 guarantees the rights of persons arrested, detained or under custodial investigation, it does not punish perpetrators of enforced disappearances. Victims of enforced disappearances are denied the protection of the law. BY EMILY VITAL HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VII,…
Pictures of Terror in Mindoro
Nineteen families fleeing their homes, a farmer missing, a number of residents picked up and reportedly tortured and human rights activists investigating the reports of violations robbed and harassed. These disturbing pictures came from Occidental Mindoro, showing – human rights volunteers say – an even clearer picture of government forces out to sow terror. By…