COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 30, 2010) – A roadside bomb exploded Friday in the town of Ampatuan in the Maguindanao province in the restive Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao ahead of general elections next month.
Police said the explosion occurred minutes after the convoy of Buluan town vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu passed through the village of Kauran. Mangudadatu is running for governor in Maguindanao.
Mangudadatu’s wife and sister and other relatives were killed along with more than 50 people, including at least 32 journalists, and buried in two shallow graves in the town named after a powerful political clan accused as behind the gruesome murders.
“It so happen that (Esmael) Mangudadatu was passing near the area to attend a political rally and apparently there was an explosion about 15 to 20 meters from the main road in Ampatuan (town),” said Senior Superintendent Alex Lineses, the Maguindanao police chief.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the explosion and it was unknown whether Mangudadatu was the target of the bombing.
Filipinos are to elect their new sets of local and national leaders on May 10 in the country’s first ever automated polls. Elections are traditionally violent in Mindanao. (Mark Navales contributed to this report.)
Friday, April 30, 2010
Bomb explodes in Maguindanao province
Convoy ng Toto Mangudadatu, nakaligtas sa pambobomba
COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / April 30, 2010) – Isang roadside bomb ang sumabog kahapon sa bayan ng Ampatuan sa Maguindanao ilang minuto lamang ang nakalipas ng dumaan ang convoy ni provincial gubernatorial candidate Esmael Mangudadatu.
Hindi naman agad mabatid kung sino ang nagtanim ng bomba, ngunit ang nasabing bayan ay kuta ng angkan ng mga Ampatuan na siyang itinuturong nasa likod ng pagpatay sa 57 katao sa Maguindanao nuong nakararang taon.
Kabilang sa mga nasawi ay ang asawa, tiyuhin at kapatid ni Mangudadatu, gayun rin ang 32 journalists na sumama sa convoy ng pulitiko.
Hindi naman agad makunan ng pahayag ang 6th Infantry Division at hindi rin sinasagot ng mga tagapagsalita at opisyal nito ang tawag ng mga journalists upang makakuha ng karagdagang ulat sa pambobomba.
Ngunit Kinumpirma naman ng pulisya ang pagsabog at sinabing naganap ito sa Barangay Kauran at halos 15-20 metro ang layo sa highway na dinaanan ni Mangudadatu.
“It so happen that Toto Mangudadatu was passing near the area to attend a political rally and apparently there was an explosion about 15 to 20 meters from the main road in Ampatuan (town),” ani Senior Supt. Alex Lineses, ang Maguindanao police chief.
Sinabi ni Lineses na iniimbestigahan ng pulisya ang pagsabog. (May karagdagang ulat ni Mark Navales)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
2 soldiers wounded in Sayyaf clash in Basilan province
BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 28, 2010) – Two government soldiers were wounded in a clash with al-Qaeda-linked militants in the restive province of Basilan in the southern Philippines, officials said Wednesday.
Officials said the fighting erupted on a village called Baiwas in Sumisip town after Scout Rangers crossed path with Abu Sayyaf militants wearing army and marines uniform. It was unknown if there were casualties on the side of the Abu Sayyaf.
“Two of our soldiers are wounded in the fighting, slightly injured,” said Army First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a spokeswoman for the Western Mindanao Command.
It was not immediately known whether the gunmen were among the group that was behind a deadly attack in Basilan’s Isabela City that left more than a dozen people dead.
Abu Sayyaf militants disguised as policemen and army troops detonated bombs outside the Santa Isabel Cathedral and the Basilan National High School and opened fire at fleeing civilians on April 13. A third bomb planted at a roadside was detonated by security forces.
The militants escaped after holding several civilians and used them as shield. Some of them were killed, including a policeman who tried to rescue the hostages. (Mindanao Examiner)
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
NPA rebel killed in South RP clash
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 27, 2010) – Government troops killed a communist rebel in a clash in the southern Philippines where security forces are battling the New People’s Army, officials said on Tuesday.
Officials said the fighting occurred in the village of Casoon in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town. The Monday clash erupted after soldiers spotted a group of rebels allegedly campaigning for leftist party list organizations.
“The gun battle erupted when a team from the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Battalion intercepted a group of New People’s Army rebels belonging to Local Terrorist Front-3 who according to residents were campaigning and posting election materials of their favored candidates,” said Captain Emmanuel Garcia, a spokesman for the Army’s 10th Infantry Division.
He said troops recovered an M16 rifle from the slain rebel.
Garcia said the rebels have been actively campaigning for candidates who are supporting the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army.
Filipinos are to elect their new sets of local and national officials in elections next month. The NPA is fighting for decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Monday, April 26, 2010
Kidnappers free Zamboanga trader
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 26, 2010) – Kidnappers have freed a Filipino trader after two weeks in captivity in the southern Philippines.
The victim, Nena Toremocha, was released over the weekend in Lanao del Norte province where her family fetched her.
No group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.
Police confirmed the release, but security officials would not say if ransom was paid to the kidnappers who were believed to be rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for independence in the restive region of Mindanao.
The 62-year old seaweed trader was kidnapped April 12 by gunmen in the town of Olutanga in Zamboanga Sibugay province. (Mindanao Examiner)
Blast hits Sarangani governor's convoy
Sarangani Governor Rene Miguel Dominguez. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)
KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 26, 2010) – An improvised bomb exploded Monday at a convoy carrying a provincial governor in the southern Philippines.
The bomb exploded between the car of Sarangani governor Miguel Rene Dominguez and his aides while traveling to the town of Glan on his way to meet former defense chief Gilberto Teodoro Jr who is now running in next month’s presidential polls.
It was unclear who planted the bomb, but Dominguez said he was not hurt in the explosion. “I am okay,” he said.
The blast occurred hours after security forces arrested four people for carrying illegal weapons in the town, whose mayor Enrique Yap, was the target of an assassination attempt.
The four men - Jimmy Mier, Alfredo Macabayao, Fredie Mendes and Ronald
Elorde – were arrested after they flagged down Yap’s vehicle. The mayor sped off after seeing the armed men and sought police help.
Police and military seized an M16 rifle and a .45-caliber pistol from the men who were in two vans during a chase. It was unknown whether the four suspects are followers of rival candidates or not. (Mindanao Examiner)
State agents accused of defacing campaign posters of leftist lawmakers in Mindanao
Photos released by the Makabayan Cotabato show one of two men it accused of defacing campaign posters of Representatives Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza in Cotabato City in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner) COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 26, 2010) – Two progressive party list groups accused state agents of defacing campaign posters of its two senatorial candidates in the southern Philippines.
Jayvee Apiag, secretariat of Makabayan Cotabato, an alliance of progressive political groups, said volunteers of Bayan Muna and Kabataan party lists, caught two men over the weekend defacing posters of Representatives Liza Maza and Satur Ocampo in Cotabato City.
He said the men also posted signs tagging the two candidates and their organizations as communist groups. Ocampo who belongs to Bayan Muna and Maza, a member of the GABRIELA party list group, are both political activists.
The military previously tagged the two lawmakers as communists and their organizations as front of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines. The two had previously denied military accusations against them and branded them as black propaganda.
“We are once again being maltreated for carrying a political platform that promotes fundamental human and democratic rights, for leading mass struggles against oppression and exploitation and for using the ballot to elect patriotic and pro people candidates.”
“What transpired shows that the Arroyo regime is very frantic in trying to stop progressive candidates from pursuing politics of change; that the government and its allies will never cease its time worn fascist tactics and smear campaign against progressive party lists and candidates so as to triumph on Oplan Zero Scheme,” Apiag said.
“Oplan Zero Scheme” refers to a supposed secret military campaign to deny or prevent leftist personalities from winning in next month’s general elections.
Apiag said they have photographs of one of the two men who were caught defacing the campaign posters of Ocampo and Maza. The second man escaped after volunteers of Bayan Muna and Kabataan party list groups accosted them.
“When being confronted, the civilian avoided questions and rushed on a green multi-cab vehicle with license plate number LFX 739 where his companion is waiting for him and hurried their way to Notre Dame Avenue fly-over. Makabayan has documented the scenario,” he said.
Apiag said the two men were state agents. He said they would file charges against the two men for violating the Omnibus Election Code. “We will file formal complaints against agents of state for violating the election laws and for denying us our right to campaign freely, free from any form of harassments, duress and threats,” he said.
Early this month, the militant group called Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, also accused government soldiers of actively campaigning against progressive party list organizations.
It said government soldiers are conducting vilification campaign in Davao City after political activists chanced upon members of the 69th Infantry Battalion campaigning against progressive party list groups at the Philippine College of Technology.
The military also tagged the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan as a communist front accused it and other leftist party list organizations of misusing its congressional funds to the point that it cannot even provide even a piece of door for a school in Davao City.
“Dirty propaganda will not succeed for as long as this corrupt government fails in uplifting people’s lives from dire poverty," said John Birondo, a spokesman for the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan.
“These dirty verbal attacks against us will fail to gain people’s sympathy; we will not tolerate these lies sowed by the military because it is pure deception,” he said.
Birondo said soldiers urged students not to join or support progressive groups, particularly Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and GABRIELA, which advocates for women’s issues.
GABRIELA is the acronym of General Assembly Binding Women for Reforms, Integrity, Equality, Leadership, and Action.
“The military accused progressive party lists of corrupting ‘pork barrel’ funds in Congress, a move in direct violation of the election code which prohibits the Armed Forces of the Philippines from partisan politics and partisan campaigning,” Birondo said.
Pork barrel refers to the Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF amounting to P200 million pesos for each senator and P70 million for each congressman.
The PDAF makes possible the implementation, in every congressional district, of small-scale but significant projects which can not be part of large-scale projects of national agencies. These projects are generally in the form of infrastructure, health, education and social aid packages.
Ariel Casilao, a regional coordinator of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan in Mindanao, said: “The military is desperate in preventing us from pushing reforms in the government; it being the mouthpiece of this corrupt and bankrupt government."
Casilao described the military as “mad dogs,” and denied accusations that the progressive party lists have misused pork barrel fund. “The military is so frantic because it failed in their counter-insurgency program, the Oplan Bantay Laya and this is the reason why the military establishment is hell-bent in sowing lies and deception against legitimate people’s organizations and progressive party lists,” he said.
The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan strongly denied it was misusing pork barrel funds.
It said President Arroyo stopped approving medical, education and infrastructure projects from progressive party list groups, including Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, after it pursued impeachment cases against the President in the past in connection to corruption scandals in the government.
“Everybody knows that Malacanang has stopped approving referrals from progressive party list for medical, education, and infrastructure projects since Bayan Muna and the other groups filed for Gloria’s impeachment. What is even worthy is that despite this fact, progressive party list organizations have continued to expand and consolidate its ranks and provide ample services to the vast majority through sheer hard work and principled alliance with other political groups over the last five years,” Birondo said.
The Army’s 10th Infantry Division denied it was campaigning against progressive party list groups, including Bagong Alyansang Makabayan and GABRIELA, but admitted embarking on an information drive exposing alleged links of these organizations to the outlawed Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New People’s Army which is actively operating in Davao City and other parts of Mindanao.
“The military is not campaigning against progressive party list organizations or other political groups, but we are just continuing our information drive exposing the links of these militant groups to the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army rebels,” said Army Captain Rosa Maria Cristina Manuel. “It is up to the public to decide who to vote for in the coming national elections. We are non-partisan.”
She also said militant groups are fronts of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army based on documents recovered by security forces from captured rebel camps in Mindanao.
The NPA is fighting the past decades for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. Government peace talks with the rebels collapsed in 2001 after the communist group accused President Arroyo of reneging on several agreements, among them the release of all political prisoners and to put a stop to political killings in the country. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Release of Sulu rehab fund sought from ARMM
SULU, Philippines - Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan on Sunday expressed dismay over the alleged delay in the release of the P10-million fund for the rehabilitation of an ice and cold storage facility in the capital town of Jolo which will benefit marginal fishermen.
Tan said the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao allegedly failed to release to the provincial government the fund for the immediate repair and rehabilitation of the ice and cold storage facility here despite being released already by the national government to the ARMM.
According to Tan, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of the Department of Agriculture released the funding to the ARMM during the time of former Governor Zaldy Ampatuan.
As this developed, Tan urged ARMM acting Governor Ansaruddin Adiong to direct the BFAR to release the funds for the project and not to show his alleged “fear” on the former administrator of ARMM.
“Governor Adiong should exercise his power and prerogative as ARMM governor this time and not to show fear on the official who is keeping custody of funds for the fishery projects in the provinces under the ARMM,” Tan said.
Tan said Adiong is allegedly hesitant to address some failures of a BFAR official in the implementation of some fisheries projects in the region.
Tan had earlier accused Adiong of duplicating the system of Ampatuan in running the government affairs of the ARMM, an accusation Adiong has already vehemently denied. (Nonoy Lacson)
NPA rebels ambush military patrol in Mindanao
DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 25, 2010) – Communist rebels ambushed Sunday a military patrol and killing at least 2 in the southern Philippine province of Davao del Sur.
The fighting in the village of Patulangon in the town of Santa Cruz lasted almost 2 hours, said Simon Santiago, of the New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
Santiago said: “The firefight lasted for almost two hours and resulted to two dead and one wounded on the enemy side. The NPA suffered no casualty and seized one M14 rifle from the enemy.”
“This latest blow against the 39th Infantry Battalion is a slap on the face of the 10th Infantry Division-Eastern Mindanao Command which recently declared Santa Cruz town as "NPA-free" area,” he added.
On Friday, the military said it killed a communist rebel and recovered three automatic rifles in a clash in Palma Gil village in Davao del Norte’s Talaingod town where 19 New People’s Army fighters also surrendered early this year.
Last year, more than 290 rebels allegedly surrendered in southern Mindanao, the military said.
The NPA is fighting for decades now for the establishment of a Maoist state in the country. President Gloria Arroyo opened peace talks with the rebels, but negotiations collapsed in 2004 after the Communist Party of the Philippines accused her of reneging on several agreements, among them the release of all political prisoners and to put a stop on extrajudicial killings of political activists. (Mindanao Examiner)
AFP, PNP magbibigay ng dagdag proteksyon sa PCOS, balota sa Western Midnanao
Dumating na rin sa wakas sa Cotabato City ang mga balota na gagamitin sa automated elections sa susunod na buwan. Ang mga balota ay gagamitin sa Cotabato City at Maguindanao province. Sinigurado naman ng militar at pulisya na may sapat na proteksyon ang mga balota at Precinct Count Optical Scan machines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo - Mark Navales). ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / April 25, 2010) – Magbibigay umano ng sapat na siguridad ang militar at pulisya upang maproteksyunan ang mga balotang gagamitin sa halalan sa susunod na buwan.
Naunang dumating ang mga Precinct Count Optical Scan o PCOS machines sa Zamboanga City kamakalawa at sinundan naman ito kahapon ng mga balotang nakalaan sa Zamboanga Sibugay, Basilan, Sulu at Tawi-Tawi.
Sinigurado ng Western Mindanao Command na may sapat na proteksyon ang mga ito.
“Municipal treasurers will receive and transport their ballots to their respective areas. The Task Force Zamboanga (ng Western Mindanao Command) and the Zamboanga City Police Office will provide the necessary security during the turn-over of the ballots,” ani kahapon ni 1st Lt. Steffani Cacho, ang tagapagsalita ng Western Mindanao Command.
Sinabi pa nitong nakahanda na rin ang Commission on Elections regional office sa Western Mindanao at Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao sa anumang karagdagang abiso ng COMELEC Central Office ukol sa mga susunod na delivery ng mga balota.
Nuong nakaraang linggo ay 14 na PCOS machines ang kulang sa delivery ng COMELEC sa Zamboanga City na 424 lamang. Mabuti na lamang at muling binilang ang mga ito sa isang warehouse sa Zamboanga at doon lamang nabatid na kulang ito.
Nagpalusot ang COMELEC na naiwan lamang sa kanilang warehouse sa Laguna province ang 14 na PCOS. Kung hindi nabisto ay posibleng magamit ang 14 PCOS machine sa anomalya. Tinatayang 76,000 PCPS machines ang kailangan sa kauna-unahang automated elections sa bansa.
Wala pa rin tiwala ang publiko sa COMELEC dahil sa mga sari-saring bintang sa poll body mula ng mabuko itong may sabwatan sa pandaraya nuong 2004 presidential elections na kung saan ay nagwagi sa Pangulong Gloria Arroyo. (Mindanao Examiner)
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Kidapawan journalists hold indignation rally; call for justice for 57 victims of Maguindanao massacre
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Friday, April 23, 2010
Muslim Organizations Denounce Bombings in Basilan
BASILAN, Philippines - The leadership of the Basilan Ulama Supreme Council based in Isabela City in Basilan province strongly denounced the recent bombings that left scores of civilians dead and wounded.
An emergency meeting was called by Dr. Aboulkhair Tarason, chairman of the Basilan Ulama Supreme Council and concurrent vice chairman of the National Ulama Conference of the Philippines after the April 13 attacks.
The NUCP and the BUSC unanimously expressed deep apprehensions and concern over the new spate of political violence. Tarason condemned the bombing and called on the public to stay vigilant.
He reminded citizens to “be calm in the midst of this unpredictable situation because it can easily bring confusion and misunderstanding among the peace-loving people as well as the different political leaders in the Province.”
Tarason reminded that all places of worship, Muslim and non-Muslim alike, are sacred, and hence must be respected and protected from any forms of harassment and destruction.
One bomb exploded outside the Basilan National High School and the second was detonated in front of the Santa isabel Cathedral.
Aleem Abdulmuhmin Mujahid, an officer of the ZAMBASULTA Regional Management committee of NUCP, said: “Basilan, particularly Isabela City, could have been very peaceful and tranquil if it was to exist without the spurs of sabotage coming from some sectors and groups, particularly from those who do not want peace to reign in the entirety of Basilan.“
Tarason, Mujahid and the officers of the Ulama Council, together with the Philippine Council for Islam and Democracy and Magbassa Kita Foundation Inc appealed to authorities and the local government to investigate the incidents and to look into the real motives of the bombing and allay the apprehensions of the public.
The National Ulama Conference of the Philippines is a national network of Islamic organizations and Muslim religious scholars working for peace and development through exercise of moral and spiritual leadership and through encouragement of active participation of the community members in peace-building efforts.
Authorities blamed the attacks to the Abu Sayyaf group.
Zamboanga residents oppose hike in power rates
Workers from the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative fix a line in the village of Tumaga. Residents have strongly opposed proposals by the local electric cooperative to hike power rates to be able to pay at least 20 modular generators it plans to lease to augment electricity demand in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)Representatives from the business sector also opposed the hike and told a public hearing by the Energy Regulatory Commission here that raising power rates could make it more difficult for consumers to pay.
The electric cooperative said it plans to lease at least 20 modular generators to augment power supply in Zamboanga City. Those opposed to the proposal to hike power rates said if the lease of the modular generator sets pushes through, consumers will have to pay additional P3 pesos per kilowatt hour in the next 18 months.
The Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative is currently charging its residential consumers P5.94 per kilowatt hour and P5.41 on commercial consumers while industrial consumers are paying P5.50 per kilowatt hour.
Zamboanga is experiencing as much as 6 hours of blackout every day the past months because of low water levels in hydro power plants in Mindanao supplying electricity to many areas in the region.
A local newspaper on Friday also quoted Reynerio Ramos, the manager of the local electric cooperative, as saying that if their proposal to lease modular generators is disapproved by the Energy Regulatory Commission then the power outages will continue until 2016.
But many residents are opposing the proposed hike and would rather wait until power supply returns to normal.
Betty Marquez, a spokeswoman for the Zamboanga City Electric Cooperative, earlier said there is also a plan to put up a coal-fired power plant to augment the increasing power requirement in Zamboanga City.
Marquez said the daily power consumption of Zamboanga City is about 78 megawatts and at present the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines is supplying only half of the total requirements of the local electric cooperative because of the El Nino weather phenomenon which is affecting the whole country.
El Nino is associated with floods, droughts and other weather disturbances in many regions of the world, which vary with each event. The Philippines like any other developing countries dependent upon agriculture and fishing, particularly those bordering the Pacific Ocean, are the most affected.
Marquez said the low water level at Lake Lanao is also aggravating the supply of electricity in Mindanao because it affects the hydropower plant in Iligan City.
Of Zamboanga City’s 98 villages, at least 90 percent have rotational blackout lasting from one hour to as long as six hours every day from the previous two hours.
Marquez said the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines which supplies electricity simply cannot cope up with the power demands in Mindanao. President Gloria Arroyo last month declared a power crisis in Mindanao.
Many commercial establishments, including smaller stores and private offices, in Zamboanga City also resorted in buying its own gasoline or diesel generators whose prices ranged from P5,000 to P500,000.
Some local politicians and residents were also urging the local government to provide funding for the generators.
Zamboanga has more than P2 billion in banks and officials were boasting the huge amount was the result of a good fiscal management, a view strongly opposed by politicians who said the money should have been spent on important projects such as the city’s integrated bus terminal, health centers and electrification and potable water system for far-flung villages. (Mindanao Examiner)
Maguindanao Massacre: Still No Justice For 57 People Brutally Killed In South RP
Today is the 5th month that gunmen brutally killed 57 people, including at least 32 journalists, accompanying a political caravan in Maguindanao province in the Muslim autonomous region. Justice is still elusive for the victims of the massacre.Thursday, April 22, 2010
Angry President wants Misuari’s bail revoked
Misuari’s letter to the Organization of Islamic Conference critical of the government could be considered a violation of his 2008 bail order, Executive Secretary Leandro Mendoza said.
Misuari criticized the Arroyo administration for its alleged failure to fully implement the peace agreement that the MNLF signed with it in 1996, and a source said it made Mrs. Arroyo very angry on Tuesday.
The OIC is hosting a tripartite meeting in Libya, ahead of the June 30 change of administration in the Philippines, to preserve the gains of the peace agreement between Manila and the MNLF.
“The President has instructed the Department of Justice to study the possible revocation of Misuari’s bail,” Mendoza said.
“The recommendation of the National Security Council-Cabinet cluster is to sanction Misuari.”
Mendoza was the chief of the National Police when Malaysia turned over Misuari to Philippine authorities in 2002. He fled to Malaysia in 2001 after allegedly leading an attack on government troops in Sulu, where some 100 people were killed. He was later charged with rebellion.
Misuari’s bail order bars him from engaging in any political activity, or from participating in any action “inimical to the Philippine government” while in a foreign territory.
“He is in Libya now, and he is badmouthing the country,” Mendoza said.
An official described Misuari’s move as “treacherous,” because he handed his letter in Tripoli just as he was about to sign a deal with the Philippine government for the continued implementation of the 1996 peace agreement.
Still, both sides signed the deal and agreed to work on legislative measures to enhance the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, the MNLF’s homeland. (Joyce P. Pañares - Manila Standard Today)
Link: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2010/april/22/news4.isx&d=2010/april/22
Protests mark Earth Day commemoration in Mindanao
KORONADAL CITY,Philippines - Widespread protests marked the commemoration of Earth Day in various parts of Mindanao as different groups called for a stop to operations of mining and fuel power plants in the southern region.
The protests, organized by member organizations of SoCSKSARGEN Climate Action Now (CAN), said the continued operation of mining and coal-fire power plants are threatening people’s lives, livelihood and the environment.
Some 1,700 protesters marched around the town center of Tampakan in South Cotabato to demand the pull-out of XSTRATA-Sagitarius Mines Incorporated in the province.
“We have to protect the lifelines of the communities in Tampakan and other areas otherwise our dignity as human beings will be lost eventually,” said Fr. Gillarme Joy Pelino, Vicar of Tampakan Parish, who joined the rally.
Gillarme added: “The people’s struggle against XSTRATA-SMI’s copper-cold project will continue to groundswell and we see more communities and organizations joining our ranks in the months to come.”
“More than 40,000 hectares of rice fields in South Cotabato and Davao del Sur provinces will be affected the XSTRATA-SMI’s mining project. We, the irrigators, have decided to join the campaign because we fear that we will end up with no food to provide for our children,” Ireneo Felizilda, President of Tampakan Irrigators Association, said.
The irrigators and other grassroots organizations joined the church initiated Save SOCSARGEN Movement, a local alliance that vowed to oppose the mining project and other extractive industries and to campaign for climate justice.
Indigenous peoples groups also joined the protests. Daguil Capion, a B’laan tribe leader residing inside the mine development area, said: “The mining project has already divided our people. They’re not even respecting our right to a genuine consent by withholding important information.”
The protesters also signed a declaration against the Tampakan Copper Gold Project of XSTRATA-SMI and for a new mining law written.
Fr. Romeo Catedral, Social Action Center director of the Diocese of Marbel, lauded the local church initiative saying that “the Diocese of Marbel has always been consistent with its stand against XSTRATA-SMI’s mining project”.
“We say that the government has not been responsive to the issue of global warming and climate change. It continues to allow large-scale mining and other extractive activities which will only lead to the irreversible loss of biodiversity and worse, destroy the future of the communities,” Catedral said,adding that they are pushing instead for the passage of the Alternative Mining Bill to replace the present mining law.
The protesters also held a caravan in Koronadal City where they held a rally in front of the regional office of the Mines and Geo-sciences Bureau.
In Maasim town in Saranggani province, at least 300 protesters picketed in front of the proposed Alcantara owned 200MW coal plant site in Sitio Tampuan to dramatize their vehement opposition to the project.
Led by Maasim Peoples Coalition on Climate Change, the group marched with their placards from a nearby beach resort towards the plant site before holding a program where leaders took turns in lambasting the project.
“The construction of the Coal Fired Power Plant is an act of the demon and never will it follow the will of God to make the people live in the fullness of His creation” said Pastor Roel Ubatay, a minister of a small B’laan protestant community, during the picket.
Maasim fisher folks also slam the project saying that it threatens the coastal waters of the town that serve as their only source of living.
Fisher folk leader Mariano Panugas said “it can never be true that we will enjoy the same resources from the seas after the construction of the coal fired power plant. Fish will die or will go farther where our small boats can’t go”.
Police release photos of kidnappers of Swiss-Filipino
Suspected kidnappers of Irish missioner Michael Sinnott. Police in Zamboanga City also released a photo of the second man (from left) who is also one of several suspects in the kidnapping April 4, 2010 of Swiss Filipino Charlie Reith.
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 22, 2010) – Gunmen who were tagged as behind the kidnapping last year of an Irish Catholic priest could be holding a Swiss Filipino in the southern Philippines.
Police have released three photographs of alleged captors of Charlie Reith,
but it did not give details or report on the progress of the search for the 72-year old victim who was kidnapped on April 4 from his beach house in Zamboanga City.
One of the three photographs was previously tagged by the police as behind the kidnapping of Irish missioner Michael Sinnott in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur province in October last year.
Sinnott, 80, was freed two months later after private negotiators paid huge ransom to the kidnappers, believed to be Moro rebels who originally demanded two million dollars for the priest’s safe release.
Officials said at least 8 armed men stormed Reith’s beach house in Patalon village and seized him. His friend, German national Karl Reichling, managed to fight off the raiders.
Reith’s father was married to a Filipino woman and he owns a vast track of land in Zamboanga City.
No group or individual claimed responsibility for Reith’s kidnapping and police would not say whether the Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels or Abu Sayyaf militants were behind it.
But the military tagged MILF sub-leader Malista Malanca and Abu Sayyaf commander Khair Mundos as responsible for the kidnapping. Authorities have linked both groups to previous kidnappings and terrorism in Zamboanga.
Kidnappings-for-ransom in Zamboanga City were not uncommon. Many foreigners and wealthy traders had been kidnapped in the past and released after their family paid ransom. Among those kidnapped in Zamboanga City were Taiwanese, Belgian, German and Chinese citizens. (Mindanao Examiner)
MILF, RP sign new agreements, but peace deal is unlikely
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The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group fighting for self-determination, said it signed the agreement in Kuala Lumpur after two days of tough negotiations.
Mohagher Iqbal, the MILF’s chief peace negotiator, said the agreements will provide administrative support to the Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institute, the cease-fire committees; the Ad Hoc Joint Action Group and a mechanism to return the internally displaced persons.
Peace negotiators also agreed on the civilian protection component of the International Monitoring Team and the Philippines campaign to ban landmines.
The MILF, however, said the fate of the interim agreement is still not settled, even if the peace panels agreed on some common areas which are yet to be discussed in their next meeting early next month.
It said peace negotiators met in the Malaysian capital to try to resolve differences in their drafts on the proposed interim agreement on transitional mechanism on governance, which will bridge the present and the incoming administration in the Philippines.
Malaysia is currently facilitating the peace talks which President Gloria Arroyo opened in 2001 in an effort to end bloody fighting in Mindanao.
But Ghazali Jaafar, the MILF’s deputy for political affairs, said a peace deal with Arroyo, who is to step down next month when her term ends, is unlikely.
He said there is not enough time to continue the peace talks, but Jaafar expressed optimism the next president will honor all agreements signed under Arroyo’s rule.
“We have no more time to continue the peace talks and the peace negotiators are trying to reach an interim agreement so we may preserve the gains of the talks. We just hope the next president will continue the peace process. We are for peace,” Jaafar said.
Many of the MILF fighters said they are supporting the peace process and also hope that the next administration would honor all agreements signed since 2001 by the two sides.
The MILF peace panel is headed by Mohagher Iqbal and his government counterpart Rafael Seguis. (Mindanao Examiner)
GMA names manicurist to Pag-IBIG, gardener to Luneta Park
MANILA, Philippines - Malacanang confirmed that President Gloria Arroyo has appointed her manicurist as a trustee of the Pag-IBIG Fund and her gardener as deputy of the Luneta Park Administration.
Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar confirmed reports that Arroyo appointed Anita Capron, her manicurist, as a Pag-IBIG trustee with a fixed two-year term and a monthly allowance of P130,000, among other perks.
The Pag-IBIG Fund, also known as Home Development Mutual Fund, is a nationwide savings fund was established in December 14, 1980, through Presidential Decree No. 1752.
Olivar also confirmed that the President appointed her gardener Armando Macapagal as deputy of the Luneta Park Administration. He said Macapagal is not related to the President.
The appointment of the two household helpers to government offices has raised questions of credentials and capability to handle subordinates and multi-billion peso funds.
Capron, as board of trustee member, will be joining several Cabinet rank officials led by Vice President Noli de Castro who is board chairman, and Finance Undersecretary Roberto Tan, vice chairman.
The other trustees are Budget Undersecretary Mario Relampagos; Jaime Fabiaña, chief executive officer of the Home Development Mutual Fund; Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya; Labor Secretary Marianito Roque; Francisco Duque, chair of the Civil Service Commission; Ruben Arcay of the Office of the Corporate Secretary; and Jose Luis Vera, Rowena de Rosario, Teresita Alegre, and Edgardo Lacson who are representing private employees.
Olivar said Arroyo gave them government positions because she wanted to have "ordinary people represented in government offices and agencies whose activities impinge on the lives of ordinary people."
He said Pag-IBIG Fund, for instance, impacts on the daily lives of many ordinary Filipinos. He said the two are regular members of Malacañang’s staff and have regular appointments.
The appointment was supposed to be within the March 10 deadline for appointments to executive positions. (Regina Bengco)
Arroyo under fire over Maguindanao massacre case
MANILA, Philippines - Outraged relatives of the 57 people killed in the Philippines' worst political massacre said Wednesday they feared the government was protecting a powerful Muslim clan accused of the murders.
The relatives and their lawyers hit out at President Gloria Arroyo's team after it dropped murder charges against two clan members and allowed the main suspect to protest his innocence in a rare jailhouse press conference.
"We went back into our depression and all the families were enraged," Myrna Reblando, widow of one of the victims, said when asked about the decision to drop the charges against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan.
Justice Secretary Alberto Agra said on the weekend he had decided to drop the charges against the pair -- barely two months after charging them -- but Reblando and others said they were convinced the decision came from higher up.
"Something like this couldn't happen without her (Arroyo) knowing about it," Reblando told reporters outside a Manila court that was hearing initial proceedings against 15 policemen also charged over the slaughter.
The Ampatuans are a powerful clan that ruled the southern province of Maguindanao for a decade thanks in part to a close alliance with Arroyo and her ruling coalition, which allowed them to run their own private army.
However she was forced to publicly end the alliance after top clan members were accused of orchestrating the massacre of 57 people on November 23 last year in Maguindanao to allegedly eliminate the challenge of a political rival.
Andal Ampatuan Jnr, then a local mayor, is alleged to have led 100 gunmen in abducting a convoy of the rivals' relatives, plus accompanying journalists and lawyers.
His father, then the governor of Maguindanao and a member of Arroyo's coalition party, is among 194 other people also charged with murder.
Lawyer Harry Roque, representing some of the victims' families, told reporters Wednesday he had applied for court proceedings to be postponed until July, when Arroyo will have stepped down a new justice secretary appointed.
"Does this mean we don't believe we can get justice under Arroyo? The answer is yes," Roque said.
Roque and government prosecutors also questioned why Ampatuan Jnr was allowed to hold a press conference on Tuesday in a Manila prison where he was being detained.
"I'm surprised, why in a high-security facility, one of the accused was able to conduct a full-blown press conference," Roque said.
Government prosecutor Richard Fadullon said he had also filed an application to the court asking that the jail warden be made to explain why the press conference was allowed.
Arroyo's spokesman, Gary Olivar, insisted Wednesday that the president was not giving the Ampatuans any favours.
"It should be clear to everyone of good faith that the president shares the desire of the victims for quick and comprehensive justice in this matter," Olivar told AFP.
He also denied that Arroyo was involved in the decision to allow Ampatuan Jnr to hold a press conference.
"Jailhouse interviews with suspects... I don't think that rises to the level of president," he said. (Agence France-Presse)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Progressive groups accuse military of hate campaign, black propaganda in Mindanao
COTABATO CITY, Philippines - A coalition of progressive lawmakers and party-list groups in Mindanao accused the Philippine military of harassing them.
The Makabayan Coalition cited the latest “black-propaganda” attacks on their campaign materials, labelling their group with the text “NPA” or New People’s Army.
Jayvee Apiag, secretariat of Makabayan Cotabato, said suspected soldiers put markings “NPA” on their posters including that of Reps. Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, Bayan Muna, Gabriela Women’s Party and Kabataan party list and said it is a violation of the rights of political candidates and parties against from any form of coercion, threats and intimidation, directly or indirectly during the campaign period.
Apiag said there is no truth about the labeling and tagging to their groups stressing that it was merely harassment and political assault
“Most of our campaign posters are painted with the label “NPA” by “John Does” which violates our rights and the Omnibus Election Code based on Article XXII that tackles election offenses. We condemn it on the highest term this kind of harassment to our groups. This kind of black-propaganda against us will not hamper us to further advance politics of change in our government” Apiag said in a statement.
Makabayan Cotabato noted the nationwide trending of black-propaganda against the coalition which is said to be part of the Arroyo administration campaign to cease the growing support of the people to partylist groups under the Makabayan and its senatorial candidates Ocampo and Maza.
According to the latest Pulse Asia survey on party list groups conducted last month, five organizations - Gabriela, Bayan Muna, Anak Pawis, Kabataan and ACT Teachers - under Makabayan Coalition may have won if election was held during the survey.
Also, in the local poll survey conducted by Notre Dame Research Center, among the Top 15 Senatoriables only Ocampo and Maza landed on top 13 and 15 respectively.
“With the growing support of our people, we can win our campaign to bring our genuine representatives in the government. We condemn rampant political and human rights violations against our progressive groups, leaders and members. Let us fail political ambitions of Arroyos to stay in power and its campaign, Oplan Bantay Laya or OBL,” Apiag concluded.
The group believed that paintings of “NPA” on their posters were just another form of political assault and is part of Oplan Bantay Laya which suppressed political rights of their group throughout the nine-year administration of Arroyo. The groups have also a record of long-list human rights violation under the government's anti-insurgency campaign.
Captured Sayyaf militant dies in military custody in Mindanao
ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 21, 2010) – One of two captured Abu Sayyaf militants tagged as among those behind twin bombings in Basilan province in Mindanao had died from his wounds at a local military hospital, officials said Wednesday.
Officials said Umbar, who was wounded in a firefight with troops last week, died late Tuesday in hospital at the military’s Western Mindanao Command headquarters.
“An Abu Sayyaf member captured by government troops after the attack in Isabela City in Basilan died of cardio respiratory arrest secondary to sepsis due to his infected wounds,” said First Lieutenant Steffani Cacho, a regional military spokeswoman.
She said the body of the militant was handed over to an imam and buried in a coastal village called Caragasan, west of Zamboanga City.
Cacho said another militant, Ajib Hainal, who was also wounded in the fighting and captured by the military in Basilan province, would soon be handed over to the police.
“Hainal is ready for release to the police,” she said.
Police have filed criminal charges against more than a dozen militants blamed for the deadly attacks April 13 in Isabela City where the Abu Sayyaf detonated bombs and opened fire on fleeing civilians. It said 14 people were killed in the violence.
Relatives of civilians killed in the attacks blamed police and military for their failure to prevent terrorism and public outrage is steadily growing.
Family members of those killed in the Abu Sayyaf attacks wore black shirts with markings “No Order” during the burial of four victims over the weekend – referring to the unstable peace and order condition in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region, wrecked by clan war and terrorism and kidnappings for ransom.
Others carried streamers: “Game of the Generals,” “Give justice to the victims” and Justice of Tubigan massacre.” Tubigan is a village in Isabela City where militants opened fire on innocent civilians as they flee from pursuing government troops.
“I am from Isabela City and I really cannot understand why it took the military and the police so long to react on the attacks. The attackers were just walking in the village as they opened fire on hapless and innocent civilians.”
“They even shot and killed one policeman, took his weapon and chopped off his hand and this happened 30 minutes after the bombing and they continued their killing spree,” one woman said.
Many residents also blamed the failure of government officials who allegedly spend more time in vacation in Manila rather in the province and attend to the needs of their constituents and some only reports to sign important documents or collect their salaries.
Isabela, one of two largely Christian cities in Basilan, is host to a military camp and a police base, but the province is also a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf group and Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels, which were blamed in previous attacks and kidnappings.
Basilan had been attacked many times in the past by the Abu Sayyaf and Moro rebels and security problems still remain the same and military and police authorities also failed to improve the peace and order situation. (Mindanao Examiner)
Group flags nations where journalists' killings are unsolved
The Committee to Protect Journalists has placed 12 countries on its Impunity Index, a list of countries where journalists have been killed and their killers have not been found, CNN reported.
The organization's third annual compilation, released Tuesday, cites Iraq, Somalia, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Colombia, Afghanistan, Nepal, Russia, Mexico, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
The index, which covers 2000 through 2009, describes the countries as places "where journalists are murdered on a recurring basis and governments are unable or unwilling to prosecute the killers."
Leading the field for the third consecutive year was Iraq, where all 88 journalist killings remain unsolved, the committee said. All but seven cases involve local journalists, "the vast majority of whom" were targeted by insurgents, it said on its website.
But last year marked the first since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 that no killing directly related to a journalist's work was documented there by the organization. Still, four journalists were killed in crossfire in 2009, it said.
Iraq's Impunity Index Rating was 2.794 unsolved journalist killings per million inhabitants, nearly triple the rate of any other country.
Somalia ranked second, "reflecting insurgents' routine use of violence to control the news media," CPJ said.
The incidence of fatal, unpunished violence against journalists has increased in the Philippines, Somalia, Russia and Mexico, it said.
But Brazil and Colombia, long among the world's deadliest nations for the news media, each showed improvements, with Brazil moving off the list, the committee reported.
"We've heard repeated pledges from governments that the killers of journalists will face justice, but until these promises are fulfilled, media will continue to be targeted by those who believe they are above the law and immune from consequences," said Joel Simon, CPJ's executive director.
The group noted that many of the countries on the index present themselves as democracies with functioning law enforcement -- nations such as India, Russia, the Philippines, and Mexico.
The index includes only those nations with five or more unsolved cases.
In the Philippines, 30 journalists and two media support workers were killed in Maguindanao province, it said, boosting the country from sixth to third on the index. "The massacre overshadowed gains that Philippine authorities had made, winning convictions in two journalist murders," the committee said.
In Russia, which ranked eighth, three journalists were killed last year, bringing the country's 10-year total of unsolved killings to 18, it said.
Mexico moved from 11th to ninth, reflecting continuing violence against crime reporters there, it said. In Mexico, self-censorship is widespread, it said. Many nations on the list have seen a reduction in the flow of information.
In fourth-ranked Sri Lanka, with 10 unsolved killings, "many of the country's most senior journalists have fled into exile," the CPJ said.
"Our goal in compiling this index is to spur leaders in these nations to action," said Simon. "Many of these cases are solvable. The perpetrators have been identified but authorities lack the political will to prosecute."
CPJ released the index to coincide with a summit on impunity being held Tuesday and Wednesday in New York.
The index calculates the number of unsolved journalist killings as a percentage of the country's population. Only nations with five or more unsolved cases were included.
CPJ includes only those killings that are considered to have been deliberate attacks against specific journalists in relation to their work.
It does not tally cases of journalists killed in combat or while carrying out other dangerous assignments.
"The only thing you can say about it is that the murder of journalists gets worse and worse, and the problem is that governments around the world are not interested in finding the perpetrators," said Stuart H. Loory, editor of the magazine Global Journalist and the Lee Hills Chair in Free-Press Studies at the Missouri School of Journalism. "Too often they blame journalists for acting out of line."
Link: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/04/20/journalists.killed/
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
26 parak sa Davao City, sinuspinde!
DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / April 20, 2010) – Nanawagan kahapon ang mga human rights advocates sa Davao City na imbestigahan maiigi ang 26 na pulis na sinuspinde ng Ombudsman dahil umano sa kapabayaan sa kanilangn tungkulin na malutas ang Talamak na patayan doon.
Sinuspinde ang 26 matapos na mapatunyang pumalya ang mga ito na imbestigahan ng husto ang mga extrajudicial killings na ibinibintang sa Davao Death Squad na ang kalimitang biktima ay mga mandurokot at mga diumano’y sangkot sa mga krimen.
Daan-daan na ang pinatay sa mga nakalipas na taon at halos walang nahuhuling mga miyembro ng Davao Death Squad. Unang ibinintang ng mga kaanak ng mga napatay sa pulisya ang extrajudicial killings sa Davao.
At ngayon ay nais ng mga human rights advocates na imbestigahan ng National Police Commission at ng iba pang mga ahensya ng pamahalaan kung sangkot ang 26 na pulis sa extrajudicial killings.
Nanawagan rin ang mga ito sa Commission on Human Rights na muling buksan ang imbestigasyon ukol sa extrajudicial killings sa Davao City.
Nabatid na nuong pang Enero 11 ipinag-utos ng Ombdusman ang suspension ng 6 buwan ang mga pulis, subalit kamakalawa lamang ito ipinatupad ng Philippine National Police sa hindi pa mabatid na kadahilanan. Lalo umanong nagbigay ito ng hinala na pinagtatakpan ng pulisya ang mga sinuspindeng pulis. (Mindanao Examiner)
Philippines presidential candidates must agree to protect journalists: IFJ
MANILA, Philippines - The International Federation of Journalists has called on all the candidates running for the presidency in the Philippines to make a public commitment to overturn the country's culture of impunity for the killing of journalists.
The call comes as the Philippines government announced it would drop charges of multiple murder against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan, both of whom were arrested after the massacre of 57 people, including 32 members of the media, last November.
The IFJ, in company with other press watchdogs and many Filipino journalists, believes the decision - made by the Philippines' acting justice secretary, Alberto Agra - suggests political interference in the judicial process.
The Ampatuan family is known for its support of the government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and for involvement in voting irregularities that benefited Arroyo in previous elections.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement: "It is not for us to proclaim the innocence or guilt of either Ampatuan... But neither is it for Agra to do so. Not after the charges have been formally filed in court. Not after the judge has issued a commitment order against them."
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sulu offers free college education in agriculture and fisheries
SULU, Philippines – Sulu Governor Sakur Tan said he is planning to make college education free for local students who want to pursue careers in Agriculture and Fishery, the state-owned Philippine Information Agency reported.
"Agriculture and fishery is the lifeblood of the province, the Sulu Sea is one of the richest if not the richest fishing grounds in the entire world and the enormous potential of this resource has benefited other provinces and it is now time that we produce local experts in this field, so that the people of Sulu can utilize the richness of its resource in an efficient and sustainable manner," Tan said during a recent ground breaking ceremony for a housing program of the Provincial Government in partnership with Gawad Kalinga and the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the town of Maimbung.
Tan said the construction of an extension school building in Maimbung that will specialize for this purpose is now underway. He said the positive developments in agriculture and fishery through the cooperative program undoubtedly needs to sustain to ensure productivity in these sectors. The need for local professionals in these fields is vital in the enhancement of agriculture and fishery in Sulu.
"Focusing on the strengths and potentials of Sulu is a more prudent and pragmatic way of attaining economic independence in the province, more so if our local constituents have the capability to ensure the effective and sustainable handling of these potentials which happens to be in the field of agri-fishery, this is true people empowerment," Tan said.
Filipino journalists, Spanish priest hold rally, protest order clearing 2 in Maguindanao massacre
Members of the Zamboanga Press Club and National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and Peace Advocates Zamboanga headed by Spanish priest Angel Calvo hold a rally in Zamboanga City in Mindanao Island on Monday, April 19, 2010 protesting the decision of Justice Secretary Alberto Agra dropping all murder charges against jailed governor Zaldy Ampatuan, of the five-province Muslim autonomous region; and his uncle Akmad Ampatuan, the deputy governor of Maguindanao province, in connection to the brutal slayings of 57 people on November 23, 2009. The two are among over a hundred people, including the clan’s patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr, accused in the massacre in Maguindanao. The Ampatuans are strong political allies of President Gloria Arroyo, who was also accused of poll fraud and cheating in the 2007 elections. (Mindanao Examiner Photo Service)Members of the Zamboanga Press and National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and Peace Advocates Zamboanga headed by Spanish priest Angel Calvo lighted black candles and read a statement condemning the decision of Justice Secretary Alberto Agra in dropping all murder charges against jailed governor Zaldy Ampatuan, of the five-province Muslim autonomous region; and his uncle Akmad Ampatuan, the deputy governor of Maguindanao province, in connection to the brutal slayings of 57 people on November 23, 2009.
The suspended governor said he was in Manila with President Gloria Arroyo when the massacre occurred. The two are among over a hundred people, including the clan’s patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr, accused in the massacre in Maguindanao. The Ampatuans are strong political allies of Arroyo, who was also accused of poll fraud and cheating in the 2007 elections.
Agra served as Arroyo’s lawyer during impeachment proceedings at the House of Representatives in 2006. He was one of Arroyo’s lawyers who represented the President in election-related issues in 2004. Arroyo also appointed Agra in 2007 as chief of the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel and this year as Justice Secretary.
In his decision, Agra said there was no evidence to link the two Ampatuan to the murder charges.
The Department of Justice earlier junked rebellion charges in connection with the Maguindanao massacre against the Ampatuans, who were on Friday had been flown to Manila and transferred to a tightly guarded prison in Taguig City where Andal Jr is locked up.
The young Ampatuan is accused of leading the killings of 57 people, including at least 32 journalists, who accompanied a political caravan of a rival clan, the Mangudadatus.
The caravan was traveling when it was stopped by gunmen in Shariff Aguak town and killed and buried its passengers in two mass graves in nearby town of Ampatuan. Among those killed were the wife and sister of Esmael Mangudadatu who is running for governor in next month’s polls.
Andal Jr denied all the charges against them and blamed Moro rebels for the massacre, an allegation strongly rejected by authorities.
“We, officers and members of the Zamboanga-Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-Tawi Chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, strongly condemn and oppose this inane and unjust decision and order of the Justice Department. By readily swallowing the stinking alibis of the Ampatuans, the Department of Justice has made itself virtually a co-conspirator too of the Maguindanao Massacre, which is the worst human rights crime in the history of the nation and the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” the NUJP said in a statement.
”A clear pattern to whitewash, as have feared from the start, the charges against the Ampatuans has emerged with the earlier dropping of rebellion charges against the suspects, and now this latest decision. As the whole world and nation know, the Ampatuans are the friends and lackeys of President Arroyo, who herself has been criticized frequently for having no respect for the rule of law. Hence, under this Government and its Administration officials, there is no justice for the Filipinos, particularly for the 57 victims of the Maguindanao Massacre and their families,” it added.
Journalists, who wore black shirts during the rally, also called on Agra to resign.
”We ask the Filipino people to rouse themselves from this oppressive condition and join the NUJP in nonetheless demanding justice for the Maguindanao victims, lest we will be the next victims too – as many have been without redress yet - of this system and culture of impunity and terrorism against innocent citizens or perceived enemies. We ask Acting Secretary Agra to rescind his scandalous order that brazenly co-opts the court and prematurely acquits the two Ampatuans. Save the good, but already badly tattered, name of the Department of Justice, or damn the rule of law and democracy in this land,” the media watchdog said.
Mangudadatu on Sunday said he would pursue the cases against the Ampatuan clan and said he has a witness who linked the jailed regional governor to the murders. “We have a witness that linked Zaldy Ampatuan to the killings. The witness was a former follower of the Ampatuan,” he said.
He said they would appeal Agra’s decision in court. “I cannot say what would come out from this until Agra is there. Agra is the lawyer of the Ampatuans in their election cases so we cannot give any direct statement or tell what would be the outcome of the cases,” Mangudadatu said.
Lawyer Harry Roque who represents the victims of the massacre said they would oppose Agra’s order clearing the two Ampatuans of all criminal charges against them. (Mindanao Examiner)
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Philippine journalists protest order clearing 2 in Maguindanao massacre
Justice Secretary Alberto Agra. A media poster showing a forensic expert digging the body of one of 57 people murdered in Maguindanao province in November 23, 2009.