Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez is quite right. To be of any use, any discussion or debate on terrorism and terrorists — specifically to determine if an incident in which dozens of people are killed is an act of terrorism or not — can only be meaningful if the discussants are talking about the same thing. That…
Tags: terrorism
Rights Defenders Slam SC Ruling on Terror Law; It Will Worsen Abuses, They Say

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“Why wait for an actual injury when you have the singular opportunity to slay the dragon at first sight?” said Edre U. Olalia, legal counsel of the petitioners against the Human Security Act of 2007 in an interview with Bulatlat.
Sidebar: Recent SC Decisions Detrimental to Human Rights -– Rights Lawyer
Amirah Ali Lidasan | How to Do Away with Abu Sayyaf
By AMIRAH ALI LIDASAN Davaotoday.com DAVAO CITY — For the nth time, the Philippine government has declared an all-out war against the kidnap-for-ransom group Abu Sayaff. This came about after International Committee on the Red Cross volunteer Eugenio Vagni was released by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu after 60 days in captivity. Department of Defense…
Italian Red Cross Worker Abducted by Abu Sayyaf Has Been Freed
MANILA– Eugenio Vagni, the last of the three International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff members abducted in the southern Philippines on Jan. 15, has been freed, the ICRC said Sunday. Vagni, an Italian, regained his freedom in the early hours of July 12. He is tired after 179 days in captivity but, given…
Bayan Condemns Spate of Bombings in Mindanao
The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today condemned the four explosions that rocked Mindanao, particularly Jolo in Sulu, the city of Iligan and Lanao del Norte. “The explosions that resulted in civilian deaths are condemnable and cannot be justified. We condemn in the strongest terms the spate of bombings that have hit Mindanao over the…
Independent Probe Urge on Mindanao Bombings
Initiatives for Peace in Mindanao PRESS STATEMENT July 7, 2009 InPeace calls for independent probe on bombings InPeace Mindanao calls for an independent probe on the bombings in Mindanao that will also look into a military plot intended to stage emergency rule. We urge the authorities to look beyond the ‘Muslim terrorist’ propaganda fanned by…
HSA an Unnecessary Law
Is the HSA really necessary in curbing what it defines as “terrorism”? A lawyer who represented petitioners against the said law before the High Tribunal views the HSA as not only unnecessary but also dangerous. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 27, August 12-18, 2007 Is the Human Security Act…