For 15 years, the alleged killer of human rights worker Cris Batan has evaded arrest. But it is not because he is nowhere to be found. In fact, the accused killer Mathew B. Fanao is Barangay (village) captain of the village of Betwagan in Sadanga, Mountain Province, and is the vice-president of the Association of…
Tags: Human Rights
O Bakwet* (Rights Victims Flee from Quezon Province)
By dabet castañeda HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 4, February 24-March 1, 2008 The intensifying militarization of Quezon province has forced 69 individuals to leave their homes and livelihood and literally run for their lives during the last quarter of 2007. Tales of fathers and mothers being harassed and taken to military camps…
Bishops’ Call for Peace Rejected by Military
The bishops want peace, but the military seems to want something else. By GERRY ALBERT CORPUZ Posted by Bulatlat ANALYSIS Vol. VIII, No. 2, February 10-16, 2008 The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) last week called on the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) to resume peace talks. It…
GRP-MILF Ceasefire Fails to Stop Human Rights Violations
Despite the ongoing peace negotiation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the ceasefire agreement signed by both parties, peace still remains elusive in Mindanao. BY GERRY ALBERT CORPUZ Posted by Bulatlat HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Vol. VIII, No. 2, February 10-16, 2008 In its…
Baguio-based Army Reservists Maul Sagada Mayor’s Son, 3 Studes
Three Army reservists based at the Athletic Bowl here allegedly mauled four students, including the son of the mayor of Sagada, Mountain Province, on Jan. 26 at the Melvin Jones ground here. BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Vol. VIII, No. 1, February 3-9, 2008 BAGUIO CITY (246 kms…
Initial Analysis on the Philippine Amparo
This paper is an initial study of the writ of amparo, which has yet to become effective. Considering that the Supreme Court has not yet decided on any case involving the writ, it is unclear how certain provisions will be interpreted by the Court. BY NERI JAVIER COLMENARES Spokesperson, Counsels for the Defense of Liberties…
Blood Trail: Tracing the Terror Behind the Torture
The clock struck twelve. The brothers snuck out of a safehouse in Pangasinan where they were allegedly detained by elements from the 24th Infantry Battalion and hurried towards the highway. Unlike their previous attempt to flee, this time they succeeded. Raymond and Reynaldo Manalo, two farmers from Bulacan, are among the few victims of enforced…
Freed Ilocos Peasant Leaders to File Counter-charges
For three Ilocos peasant leaders recently freed after what they described as fabricated charges against them were dismissed, their struggle is far from over. BY ROD TAJON HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 34, September 30-October 6, 2007 VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur (407 kms north of Manila) – For three…
Health Rally Dispersed; Doctor Manhandled, Nabbed
While staging a lightning rally at the foot of the Chino Roces Bridge, also known as the Mendiola Bridge last Sept 26, doctors and other health workers led by Health Action for Human Rights (HAHR) were violently dispersed by police, who also arrested one of the group’s leaders. BY PHILIP PARAAN HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Contributed…
Filipino Church Leaders Bring Issue of Slays before Int’l Bodies
Two of the nine-member Philippine delegation of human rights defenders named the “Ecumenical Voice for Peace and Human Rights in the Philippines” shared the outcome of their lobbying efforts before various international organizations and entities in a press conference last week in Quezon City. BY EMILY VITAL Bulatlat Two of the nine-member Philippine delegation of…
Victims’ Kin See No Hope in Melo Commission
Between January 2001 to September this year, records from the human rights alliance Karapatan-Southern Tagalog showed 142 extra-judicial killings in the region. Cases of human rights violations have reached 2,280 affecting 9,222 individuals or 13,102 families. By Dennis Espada Bulatlat.com CALAMBA CITY, Laguna – Relatives of slain political activists believe the Melo Commission created by…