Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Gunmen seize 10 people in Basilan province

A coastal village in Basilan, one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)



ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 30, 2010) – Armed men seized at least 10 people on a coastal village in the troubled southern Filipino province of Basilan, officials said on Tuesday.

Officials said the incident occurred on November 27, but was only reported two days later after families of the hostages sought help from authorities. The vice governor of Basilan, Al Rasheed Sakalahul, said local villagers leaders are helping in the negotiations to free the hostages, mostly fishermen from the town of Ungkaya Pukan.

“This is an offshoot of a long time family feud and we are doing everything to peacefully resolve the problem,” Sakalahul said.

He identified the leader of the abductors as Pawi Hambali, whose family had a grudge with another Muslim clan. “They seized the fishermen to force the other family to settle a long standing feud,” he said, adding most of the hostages are relatives of Hambali’s foes.

The military declined to give any details about the abduction and army officials would not speak to journalists who were following the hostage-drama.

“The incident is being addressed by the crisis management committees of Ungkaya Pukan (town) and (Basilan) province,” Army Colonel Nicanor Dolojan, the local commander of military forces, said in a text message to journalists.

The governor of Basilan, Jum Akbar, could not be immediately contacted to give a statement about the deteriorating peace and order situation and is frequently out of the province.

Family feud or clan war is not uncommon in Basilan or in many parts of Mindanao, especially in Muslim areas where random attacks stemming from the conflicts occur.

Tens of dozens of people had either been killed or wounded in clan wars and the proliferation of illegal weapons and explosives have made it more difficult for authorities to prevent armed clashes among the protagonists.

The feud could sometimes last for decades and would often target innocent clan members. Last year, gunmen who were followers of a powerful clan had brutally murdered 57 people, including at least 32 journalists who were accompanying a political caravan in Maguindanao province in the troubled Muslim autonomous region.

Although most of the clan members had been arrested, their massive wealth and influence are still being feared by many in the region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Monday, November 29, 2010

1,500 OFWs tested HIV positive

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 29, 2010) - Some 1,500 overseas Filipino workers have tested HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) positive, and they now comprise 26 percent of the 5,729 reported cases in the National AIDS Registry as of end October, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said Monday.

"One out of every four Filipinos diagnosed HIV positive is an OFW," said TUCP secretary-general Ernesto Herrera.

HIV is the retrovirus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

"This is very unfortunate, because if we look closely at the median age of HIV positive OFWs, at 36 years old, they are the prime of their lives and productivity," said Herrera, former chairman of the Senate committee on labor, employment and human resources development.

He said 96 percent of the HIV positive OFWs were infected through sexual contact. "This underscores the need for government to aggressively encourage safe sex through the use of male and female condoms," he said.

"OFWs are particularly vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases because they are exposed to foreign cultures that tend to abet high-risk behavior, including casual sex," he added.

Herrera said Filipino sailors are exceptionally susceptible, after spending lengthy periods at sea.

"Sailors are often deluged by commercial sex workers at their foreign ports of call, and they have the money to pay for the services," he pointed out, adding, TUCP's member federations include the Philippine Seafarers' Union.

Of the HIV positive OFWs, Herrera said 75 percent or 1,127 are male.

Herrera urged the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to include AIDS preventive education in the free seminars for departing workers.

He likewise prodded the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to invest in activities that raise AIDS awareness among OFWs and their families here.

In the local labor front, Herrera said Congress should mandate the inclusion of AIDS preventive education in all bargaining contracts between management and union.

TUCP earlier backed President Benigno Aquino III's pro-choice family planning policy, calling it "a courageous demonstration of political leadership," amid strong resistance from Catholic Church officials.

"We are absolutely behind the President's decision (for government) to provide condoms and other modern contraceptives to couples who would prefer to limit their number of children and avoid unplanned pregnancies," Herrera said.

He described the President's policy as "a fair and sensible approach" to human development and population management.

TUCP is also pushing for the inclusion of family planning and reproductive health clinics and services at the workplace in every bargaining contract between union and management.

UN condemns killing of food aid driver in Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 29, 2010) – The United Nations on Monday condemned the killing of a Filipino driver delivering food aid in the southern Philippines.

Gunmen killed the driver contracted by the World Food Programme to deliver rice and mung beans in Lanao del Sur province in the restive region of Mindanao after he resisted attempt to hijack the cargo.

Police and military suggested that Moro rebels were behind the killing, but the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is fighting for self-determination in Mindanao, said it was unaware of the attack and rejected reports that it was responsible for the attack.

“We have no reports about it and MILF members are surely not involved in the attack,” said Von Al-Haq, a spokesman for the rebel group which has been trying to forge a peace deal with Manila.

The World Food Programme had condemned the killing. “The WFP strongly deplores this act of wanton violence that has led to the tragic and senseless loss of life of an individual who was assisting in the delivery of humanitarian assistance,” it said.

The organization has been providing food assistance – as much as 2,000 tons of food a month - to villagers displaced by fighting between security forces and rebels in Mindanao since 2006.

The World Food Programme said it is closely working with all concerned government authorities investigating the attack. “WFP is treating this incident as an isolated case and will do everything possible to ensure that operations in Central Mindanao will not be hampered,” it said.

It was the second attack on UN food aid truck in Mindanao since 2008 where gunmen also killed a local aid worker and stole his cargo.
(Mindanao Examiner)

Police hunt Sibugay grenade attacker

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 29, 2010) – Police have mounted a manhunt for a man tagged as behind a grenade attack that left four people wounded in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga Sibugay.

Police said four people were wounded in the weekend attack in the town of Imelda. The motive of the attack is still unknown, but police said it has already identified the grenade thrower.

Crime investigators were also investing reports that an old feud may have triggered the attack. Family feud or clan war is not uncommon in the restive southern region where random attacks occur.

Tens of dozens of people had either been killed or wounded in clan wars across Mindanao and the proliferation of illegal weapons and explosives have made it more difficult for authorities to prevent armed clashes among the protagonists.

The feud could sometimes last for decades and would often target innocent clan members. Last year, gunmen who were followers of a powerful clan had brutally murdered 57 people, including at least 32 journalists who were accompanying a political caravan in Maguindanao province in the troubled Muslim autonomous region.

Although most of the clan members had been arrested, their massive wealth and influence are still being feared by many in the region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippines Grand Lotto Jackpot Attracts More Bettors

Filipinos flock to a lottery betting station in Kidapawan City in Mindanao hoping to win Monday’s Grand Lotto draw whose jackpot is expected to exceed P700 million. (Mindanao Examiner Photo – Geo Solmerano)

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Davao students protest proposed budget cut on state universities



Students from the University of Southeastern Philippines in Davao City in Mindanao stage a spontaneous walkout against the proposed budget cut on state universities and colleges in the country. They say the cut in budget would greatly affect the education of students and appeal for more government support instead. (Photos by Karlos Manlupig)


DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 28, 2010) - A militant youth organization called the League of Filipino Students in Southern Mindanao region protested the education budget cut proposed by President Benigno Aquino III in favor of putting the highest budgetary priority to debt servicing and the military.

This, as nationwide clamor against the budget cut on state colleges and universities, echoed a similar campaign by students overseas, particularly in the United Kingdom where there is also a clamor against the arbitrary reduction on government education subsidy.

“The budget cut smacks right into the face of Pnoy who falsely claimed that the 2011 national budget is a reform budget. The plan to slash state spending on state universities and colleges is a clear negligence of students' rights,” the group said.

“This is also contrary to the constitutional mandate that the Philippine government should place high premium on education in terms of national budget allocation and other sources,” it added.

The University of the Philippines-Mindanao and the University of Southeastern Philippines are among the state-owned schools in Davao that will suffer from the budget cut.

“At least 120 students joined the forum against budget cut in UP Mindanao, whose budget will be slashed by P1.39 billion-- the highest from among the 112 SUCs. A symbolic protest action followed as students rallied in front of the Oblation,” the LFS said.

“We also hail the militance of the students of the University of Southeastern Philippines Mintal who staged a spontaneous walkout that led to a dialogue and later, a support from with the Dean. As the fourth university out of 112 SUCs that has the biggest budget-cut, the students were outraged with the P44.39 million slash.”

USEP main campus in Obrero registered its firm stand in opposition to the budget-cut through a candle lighting protest supported by all college governors. Students appealed that “if Pnoy is really sincere in addressing the poor, disadvantaged and marginalized sector, he must make education as his top priority.”

“We have already warned Noynoy. For as long as the demands of the people are neglected, particularly on the right of the youth for free and quality education, we will intensify the struggle to resist and crush this rotten system,” the group said.

The youth group along with the Kilos Na Laban sa Budget Cut and Kabataan Partylist will lead thousands of students in a nationwide strike on Tuesday and Wednesday. (Karlos Manlupig)

Maguindanao deputy mayor killed in gun attack

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 28, 2010) – Gunmen shot dead a southern Philippine town mayor and an ally of a political clan accused in the brutal murder of 58 people in Mindanao, authorities said.

It said two young men shot Alexander Tomawis, the vice mayor of Maguindanao’s Barira town, in Davao City where the official attended a gathering. It was unknown whether the shooters were arrested or had escaped after the killing and no individual or group owned up to the assassination.

Police and military gave no details of the attack.

Tomawis was last month accused of illegally taking ballots used in special elections in his town after security forces intercepted his convoy at a checkpoint.

The politician was a political ally of the Ampatuan clan, whose patriarch Andal Sr and sons Zaldy Ampatuan and Andal Jr and other relatives were accused of murdering 57 people, including at least 32 journalists who accompanied a political convoy last year in Maguindanao, once of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

Most of the clan members and other accused in the killings were arrested and are facing multiple murder charges. The clan denied all accusations against them. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen kill UN food aid driver in Mindanao

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 28, 2010) – Philippine gunmen shot dead a local driver who was contracted by the United Nations to deliver food aid to the restive region of Mindanao, police and military said Sunday.

The weekend attack occurred in Lanao province where the World Food Programme was delivering hundreds of bags of rice. No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but initial reports suggested that Moro rebels were behind the shooting after the Filipino driver resisted an attempt to hijack the cargo.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which is fighting for self-determination in Mindanao, said it was unaware of the attack and rejected military reports that its forces were responsible for the attack.

“We have no reports about it and MILF members are surely not involved in the attack,” said Von Al-Haq, a spokesman for the rebel group which has been trying to forge a peace deal with Manila.

It was the second attack on UN food aid truck in Mindanao since 2008 where gunmen also killed a local aid worker and stole his cargo. The UN has been sending food aid to areas devastated by fighting between rebels and security forces in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner)

Communist rebels free captured soldier in Mindanao





Photos released by the New People’s Army to the Mindanao Examiner show Corporal Daiem Amsali Hadjaie, a member of the 25th Infantry Battalion of the 10th Infantry Division, after rebel forces freed him and handed over to Davao City vice mayor Rodrigo Duterte, members of the religious, progressive organizations and the media on Sunday, November 28, 2010. The Merardo Arce Command-Southern Mindanao Regional Operations Command of the New People’s Army ordered the soldier’s release, saying, it was an exercise of the revolutionary movement's own political authority and is based on humanitarian grounds.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 28, 2010) – Communist rebels on Sunday freed a government soldier after 12 days in captivity in the southern Philippines.

The New People’s Army said it released Corporal Daiem Hadjaie, a member of the Philippine Army’s 25th Infantry Battalion, in the province of Compostela Valley.

“The order to release Corporal Hadjaie is an exercise of the revolutionary forces' own political authority and based on humanitarian grounds,” said Rigoberto Sanchez, a spokesman for the New People’s Army in Mindanao.

“His release is giving due consideration to the appeals made by sincere individuals, a Moro organization and allies including local officials of the Aquino government,” he added.

The rebels earlier warned the military of mounting a risky rescue mission to free the soldier, who was captured November 16 a rebel checkpoint in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town.

Another rebel spokesman, Roel Agustin II, said Hadjaie was being investigated by the New People’s Army for possible crimes against civilians and the rebel group.

He said the prisoner’s unit was notorious for human rights violations in Mindanao.

“The unit he is under has been committing serious violations of human rights directed mainly at the peasant populace in the hinterland. This military unit is guilty of falsely accusing and detaining 13 civilians, including two minors, in Monkayo town as NPA members or supporters. They were illegally arrested and put under physical and psychological torture,” he said.

He said the same unit has been protecting big foreign and local mining companies accused by ethnic natives and civilians of plundering mineral resources of the gold-rich Mount Diwata range.

“This military unit has subjected civilians to harassment and intimidation. By serving as Investment Defense Force, the 25th Infantry Battalion of the 10th Infantry Division under the Eastern Mindanao Command has put the lives and livelihood of peasants and small-scale miners in danger. Their crimes against the people and the revolutionary movement have made them targets of the NPA’s tactical offensives,” Agustin said.

The New People’s Army said the soldier’s release should serve as a challenge to President Benigno Aquino III to release all political prisoners in the country.

"The release of Corporal Daiem Hadjaie today is a victory for his family, his relatives, friends and all the people who fervently prayed for his freedom and for the soldiers who relentlessly pursued the abductors to rescue their comrade-in-arms. The Communist Party of the Philippines-the New People's Army
could not stand the pressure of people who condemn its underhanded scheme," said Lieutenant Colonel Medel Aguilar, a spokesman for the Army's 10th Infantry Division.

Communist rebels have previously seized government soldiers in Mindanao and released many of them on humanitarian grounds. (Mindanao Examiner)

NPA warns military against rescuing POW in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 28, 2010) – Philippine communist rebels on Sunday warned the military of mounting a risky rescue mission to spring a government soldier being held as prisoner in Mindanao.

The New People’s Army, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines which is waging a secessionist war, said the rescue operation could only endanger the life of Corporal Daiem Hadjaie, who was captured at a rebel checkpoint in Compostela Valley’s Monkayo town on November 16.

“Experience has shown that none of these so-called rescue missions has ever succeeded in the past and could only endanger the lives of prisoners of war,” said Roel Agustin II, a rebel spokesman.

He said Hadjaie, who belongs to the Philippine Army’s 25th Infantry Battalion, is being investigated by the New People’s Army for possible crimes against civilians and the rebel group.

Agustin said the prisoner’s unit was notorious for human rights violations in Mindanao.

“The unit he is under has been committing serious violations of human rights directed mainly at the peasant populace in the hinterland. This military unit is guilty of falsely accusing and detaining 13 civilians, including two minors, in Monkayo town as NPA members or supporters. They were illegally arrested and put under physical and psychological torture,” he said.
He said the same unit has been protecting big foreign and local mining companies accused by ethnic natives and civilians of plundering mineral resources of the gold-rich Mount Diwata range.

“This military unit has subjected civilians to harassment and intimidation. By serving as Investment Defense Force, the 25th Infantry Battalion of the 10th Infantry Division under the Eastern Mindanao Command has put the lives and livelihood of peasants and small-scale miners in danger. Their crimes against the people and the revolutionary movement have made them targets of the NPA’s tactical offensives,” Agustin said.

He said the prisoner is being treated fairly by rebels and assured his family that Hadjaie, a Muslim, is safe and well.

“The New People’s Army fully respects as well Hadjaie’s religious beliefs. The NPA has provided POW Hadjaie the necessary health, medical care and other basic necessities under the prevailing guerilla conditions of his captivity,” the rebel spokesman said.

The military did not say whether it would continue the rescue operation or not, but it demanded the immediate release of Hadjaie.

“We cannot leave our comrade-in-arms or anyone in the hands of terrorists. They should immediately release Corporal Hadjaei,” said Army Lieutenant Colonel Medel Aguilar, a spokesman for the 10th Infantry Division.

Communist rebels have previously seized government soldiers in Mindanao and released many of them on humanitarian grounds. (Mindanao Examiner)

Radio broadcaster shot in Mindanao


ILIGAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 27, 2010) – Media groups have denounced an attempt to kill a Filipino radio broadcaster who was wounded in a failed assassination in the southern Philippines.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said gunmen attacked Randy Makiputin, a commentator for the Radyo Abante, in Bukidnon’s Valencia City.

The 39-year old journalist was shot in the head late Friday by assailants on motorcycles. No other details were made available by authorities on the attack and the motive remains unclear whether it was related to his job or not.

“Based on police reports, Makiputin sustained a lone gunshot wound on the back of his head. Attending physicians at the Sanitarium Hospital in Valencia City has already declared him out of danger, police said,” a bulletin sent out by the media watch dog.

It said four gunmen were involved in the attack and that police forces were sent to track down the assailants. No individual or group claimed responsibility for the shooting, but dozens of journalists had been killed in gun attacks in the Philippines which has become one of the world’s most dangerous places for reporters.

The attack came three days after Philippine and international media groups commemorated the first anniversary of the infamous “Maguindanao massacre” in the southern Philippines where 57 people, including at least 32 journalists, had been brutally murdered in the country’s worst political killings blamed to the powerful and influential Muslim clan in the troubled region. (Mindanao Examiner)

Friday, November 26, 2010

Superbrands awards Volume 6 winners

The Manila Times President and Chief Executive Officer Dante “Klink” Ang 2nd (right) receives Superbrands awards for The Times and HealthNews from Superbrands International Inc. Chairman Karl McLean on Wednesday night. (Photo by Jamie Marie Elona)


MANILA, Philippines - SUPERBRANDS is set to reopen its two-year program of identifying the best Filipino brands after it recognized 30 of these, including The Manila Times and HealthNews, as outstanding on Wednesday night.

The winning brands received the honor of carrying the prestigious “Superbrands” logo in their products. They also received a trophy and a copy of Superbrands Volume 6, which features all of this year’s awardees.

Dante “Klink” Ang II, chief executive officer and executive editor of both The Times and HealthNews, accepted the awards for both publications.

Other brands honored during Wednesday’s ceremony, called “Superbrands Philippine Awards Tribute Night 2010,” were: A Bonne’, Anniversary Report, Asahi, Burlington, BusinessWorld, Center for Culinary Arts, C-Lium Fibre, Fern-C, Fern-Slim, Fuji Scales, Gardenia, Globe Tattoo, High Life, Shop TV, Lemon Square, Loyola Plans Consolidated Inc., The Manila Bulletin, Met Tathione, My DSL, Orocan, Philippine Prudential Life Insurance Co. Inc., Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), RedFox, Solignum, Top 1000, Yakult and Zuni.

Superbrands International Inc. President Harry Tambuatco said that many of the Volume 6 brands have pre-qualified for having met the criteria for longevity, market domination and acceptance.

He added that these brands—PLDT, Globe, Gardenia and Yakult, among others—are already well-known to Filipinos.

Tambuatco said, though, that Filipinos should also notice brands that they barely know. “I think the bigger question is: ‘How about [the] brands I don’t know that are in the program?”

He added that the brands applying for Superbrands recognition are assessed through an internal process that involves the participation of the mother company in the United Kingdom.

Every Filipino brand in the market is given a chance, not only those who are invited directly by Supebrands, Tambuatco said.

“There are close to 25,000 to 30,000 [brands] that are introduced in the market now. Most of them don’t make it, some [do],” he added.

“So why do they want to become Superbrands? They want to identify with [the] brand title to give them some type of market acceptance, so they come to us.”

Tambuatco revealed during the ceremony that brands vying for Superbrands Volume 7 need to pass a new requirement: They must register a trademark for their brand.

Ricardo Blancaflor, the director general of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines, explained that having a brand trademarked ensures its protection.

As an example, he cited Mang Inasal, which reached P3 billion worth in equity, prompting Jollibee to buy it for its registered trademark.

Blancaflor believes that the brand name itself is worth more than the whole company.

Superbrands International Inc. Chairman Karl McLeid wished that “Philippine brands [should go] global.” He also believes that Supebrands can help do this because it is recognized in 88 countries. (Euden Valdez)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Moro rebels attack army post in Basilan

A member of the Philippine Navy's Seal in Basilan province in the southern Philippines. (Mindanao Examiner Photo, File)


BASILAN, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 25, 2010) – Suspected Moro rebels attacked Thursday a military post in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, officials said.

Officials said Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels led by Pasil Bajali opened fire on the post in the village of Sukaten in Sumisip town triggering a firefight, but left no casualties on either side.

“About 20 suspected MILF rebels under Pasil Bajali harassed the Sukaten detachment,” said Colonel Nicanor Dolojan, commander of army forces in Basilan, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

But other reports in the province claimed several soldiers and civilians were wounded in the attack which coincided with the Basilan peace and order council meeting and the celebration of the week of peace in Mindanao where advocates held rallies across the restive region to campaign for peace.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front said it received no reports from its commanders about the fighting.

“We have no reports about it, but there are many armed groups in Basilan not only the MILF. It could be other groups not us,” said Von Al-Haq, a spokesman for the Moro Islamic Liberation Front which is fighting for self-determination in the troubled region.

Peace talks between Manila and the rebel group was suspended after President Gloria Arroyo stepped down in June after 9 years in power, but new Filipino leader Benigno Aquino vowed to resume the negotiations in an effort to end decades of bloody fighting in Mindanao.

Rebel leaders have repeatedly warned of more fighting if peace talks, which Arroyo opened in 2001, fail. Rebel forces had attacked civilian communities after a land deal agreement collapsed in 2008. (Mindanao Examiner)

Public rejects new tax hike in Zamboanga


ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 25, 2010) – Various groups in Zamboanga City in Mindanao have rejected a proposed hike in the local real property tax.

Even traders and land owners echoed strong opposition to the proposal which seeks to slap 600 percent increase in taxes. They said even fruits trees planted in private lands are included in the proposal which City Hall insists is needed to fund construction of school buildings in Zamboanga City.

Some of the real property tax goes to the so-called Special Education Fund, which is being used to finance school projects and salaries of some teachers under the local school board, among others.

And the local school division head, Dolores Alcantara, said she is supporting the proposal because if it is approved, the new taxes would benefit the education sector. But her statement drew from those who are opposing the colossal tax hike, saying, Alcantara does not even owned any property in Zamboanga.

City hall was quick to issue a press statement praising Alcantara’s statement, saying “the education sector has expressed it's all out support to the proposed increase in the collection of real property taxes citing school children from this generation and the future generations as the primary beneficiaries of all these.”

A public hearing on the proposed tax hike also showed that many of those who attended had rejected sudden increase in real property taxes.
Government media have branded the proposed real property tax hike as “controversial,” saying public opinion was divided on the issue.

“The buzz seems to get louder as divided public opinion muscles with the controversial issue on the proposed 600 percent increase in real property tax,” the Philippine Information Agency reported.

It said a local group called Concerned Citizens of Zamboanga has also opposed the tax hike. The group also released a position paper signed by the Zamboanga City Chamber of Commerce and Industry Foundation; Southern Philippines Deep Sea Fishing Association; the Industrial Group of Zamboanga Inc., and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

“The position paper stipulates of its strong opposition to the proposed increase as the incorporated position paper explicitly states that there is no pressing need for an increase of its fair Markey value; proposed hike in valuation is not justified owing to slower economic growth rate of Zamboanga City; the city has to be more competitive compared to other cities in the region and in Mindanao; business sector will suffer another set back even as it's still reeling from the recent power crisis and Zamboanguenos can't afford to pay more taxes,” the Philippine Information Agency reported.

The City Council is also proposing to tax residents on a new ordinance that would collect revenues on septage services despite a similarly strong opposition from house owners who have their own sewer system.

Under the proposal, private firms would collect household wastes and disposed them and the local water utility cooperative would charge a certain amount for the sewage services. Septage waste is periodically removed, but typically less often than annually. (Mindanao Examiner)

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Violence against women, children condemned in Davao City

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 24, 2010) – A local city councilor strongly condemned violence against women and children and urged her colleagues to seek justice for all victims of these abuses.

Lawyer Leah Librado, head of the Davao City Council’s Committee on Women and Children, called the attention of the public about a 12-year old girl from Toril district in Davao City who was reported to have been raped recently.

She said a 6-year old child was also found dead after being raped by a young neighbor and the controversial rape case filed by a local woman against a prominent businessman in 1998.

“I urge those who were raped to seek appropriate redress and those who feel challenged by this grim situation to gather support for all victims of violence against women and children to eventually recognize their rights and provide appropriate services, whether legal, psychological or otherwise, for their welfare and best interests,” Librado said.

Human rights groups and women’s groups are expected to join Thursday the commemoration of the International Day of Protest on Violence Against Women as part of their massive campaign and opposition to the so-called deadly sins against women which includes rape and incest, sexual harassment, domestic violence, sex trafficking and prostitution, lack of government services for women’s maternal and reproductive health and political repression. (Mindanao Examiner)

Gunmen shoot cop, woman in Zamboanga City

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 24, 2010) – Police captured a gunman who shot a woman and a cop on Wednesday after a robbery in Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines, officials said.

The policeman was shot four times in the body and died in the hospital while the woman is wounded in the attack.

Police said two gunmen held up a branch of the Western Union, a provider of electronic financial transactions, and shot the woman, an employee, before escaping on a motorcycle.

A policeman who tried to accost the men for violating traffic rules several blocks away from Western Union branch was shot as he approached the two suspects near the Ateneo de Zamboanga University.

“One of the suspects was arrested after a pursuit operation and we have recovered a bag they stole from the Western Union branch,” said Senior Superintendent Edwin de Ocampo, the local police chief.

Police recovered a .45-caliber pistol and bullets from the man who was identified as Nuri Malimbat alias Susulan. A photo of him and another man holding an automatic weapon was also found from his wallet.

The second gunman is still being hunted by the police. It was unknown whether the men are guns-for-hire or members of a crime syndicate behind the string of robberies in Zamboanga City. (Mindanao Examiner)

Philippine Muslim rebels join calls for speedy massacre trial

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 24, 2010) – The Philippines’ largest Muslim rebel group Moro Islamic Liberation Front has joined calls for a speedy trial of the country’s worst political killings allegedly perpetrated by a powerful clan in the troubled region of Mindanao.


At least 57 people had been killed last year and among them were 32 journalists and media workers, in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region.

The Ampatuan clan, whose patriarch Andal Ampatuan Sr, the governor of Maguindanao, and his sons Andal Ampatuan Jr, mayor of Ampatuan town; and Zaldy Ampatuan, governor of the autonomous region, and other relatives had been implicated in the brutal murders and are being tried for the crimes.

“We also feel the pain and sympathize with the families of all the victims in the massacre and we join the mounting calls for a speedy trial of the cases so justice could be served without delay,” Von Al-Haq, a spokesman for the MILF, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Families of those murdered and media groups have assailed the slow progress of the multiple murder charges filed against the influential and wealthy Ampatuan family, whose battery of lawyers have been accused of delaying the court trials.

“There must be an early resolution of these cases because money is a powerful tool and as the saying goes justice delayed in justice denied,” Al-Haq said.

On Wednesday, some 3,000 people led by families of those murdered, flocked to a remote village in Ampatuan town, site of the gruesome killings, and offered candles and prayers in commemoration of those who had perished in the attack. One journalist who was among the group is feared dead, but his body had not been found.

The victims were traveling in a political caravan when some 200 gunmen, mostly government militias allegedly led by Ampatuan Jr, intercepted convoy and herded them to a remote part of the town where they were shot and hacked to death in a futile attempt to stop the wife of Buluan town vice mayor Esmael Mangudadatu from filing his election nomination paper and run as governor of the province to which he eventually won.

While many attended the commemoration of the one-year anniversary of the massacre, Ampatuan’s political ally and now acting governor of the Muslim autonomous region, Ansaruddin Adiong, did not show up nor issue any statement.

Adiong was Ampatuan’s deputy regional governor who took over his rule after the clan members were arrested in Maguindanao last year in connection to the massacre. Adiong, who also belongs to an equally powerful political clan, has remained silent over the now infamous “Maguindanao massacre.” (Mindanao Examiner)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Maguindanao Massacre remembered



MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 23, 2010) – Some 3,000 people trooped on a southern Philippines hillside to commemorate Tuesday the one-year anniversary of the country’s worst political killings.

Many of those who came – mostly journalists and human rights groups - offered prayers and candles together with families and relatives of those brutally murdered in the town of Ampatuan in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region last year.

“We have deployed more than a thousand soldiers to secure the site and its periphery and those who attended the anniversary,” said Captain Razaleigh Bansawan, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division.

He said they deployed bomb-sniffing dogs and put up a medical facility and five checkpoints along a three-kilometer stretch leading to the site in Ampatuan town where 57 people had been massacred, including at least 32 journalists, by armed followers of the powerful Ampatuan clan in a futile attempt to stop his candidacy.

Among those killed were the wife and sister and relatives of Buluan town deputy mayor Esmael Mangudadatu who were on their way to file his nomination papers for gubernatorial elections.

Andal Ampatuan Sr then was the governor of Maguindanao and his sons – Andal Ampatuan Jr, the mayor of Ampatuan town; and Zaldy Ampatuan, governor of the Muslim autonomous region. They were among 196 people, many of them pro-government militias, implicated by authorities in the gruesome murders.

The patriarch and his sons and other relatives are currently in jail in Manila and facing multiple criminal charges over the killings. Several witnesses who testified against the Ampatuan were also murdered, one by one, in Maguindanao.

Mangudadatu, who was this year elected governor of Maguindanao, said his wife was shot in the mouth, at the back, and her private parts blasted; and so were his sister and relatives. The journalists, mostly from small newspapers in the provinces, were similarly attacked.

Human rights groups have assailed the slow progress of the cases against the Ampatuans, who are known warlords in Mindanao and political allies of former President Gloria Arroyo. Even in jail, the clan is still being feared by many in Mindanao because of their wealth and influence.

“The impotent action of our government is a form of betrayal of our democracy. It is not enough that we just remember the most gruesome attack in media history. We need to act and rage because there is a continued culture of impunity in our country,” said Paul Randy Gumanao, vice president for Mindanao of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines.

He said massacre case is not isolated from the piles of human rights violations cases that the government must address urgently. More than 2,000 people had died from extrajudicial killings in the country the past years.

“Student journalists are always standing by the people. We believe that the people’s outrage, rather than the Ampatuans’ might, must be feared and attended by the government. What happened in Maguindanao was not solely an attack against the journalists or the lawyers. It was an arrogant attack against the Filipino people,” Gumanao said.

Local media also offered prayers to commemorate those killed in the attack. The Radio Mindanao Network broadcast a special tribute and so was the regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner which continues to run since last year a video tribute on its cable channels in Zamboanga City and Basilan province. The video can also be accessed on their website on http://www.mindanaoexaminer.com/news.php?news_id=20101122190321.

The international media organization, Reporters Without Borders, the tragedy’s shocking nature did not reside solely in the record number of journalists killed, but also in the criminal desire of the perpetrators to eliminate all the witnesses, down to the very last man and woman.

It said the international community was stunned as the details of the massacre emerged. At first it was shocked by the scale of the death toll. Then it was appalled by the revelations about the criminal nature of the Ampatuan family.

“Now our common goal must be to press the authorities to allocate sufficient material and human resources to the trial of the main defendants, so that it can be completed within a reasonable time and conclude with the conviction of those responsible, both the perpetrators and the instigators.”

“By commemorating the victims, every press freedom organization can help to promote the deep-seated changes that the Philippines needs. Together, let’s say: “Never again,” it said.

The group also appealed for a broad movement of support for the families of the massacre victims. (Mindanao Examiner)

Justice For Maguindanao Massacre Victims; 12 Months Had Passed!







Tribute to victims, one year after Maguindanao massacre: Reporters without Borders

Exactly one year ago, on 23 November 2009, 32 media professionals were massacred in Maguindanao province, on the southern island of Mindanao, by a private militia controlled by the local governor’s family.

The tragedy’s shocking nature did not reside solely in the record number of journalists killed but also in the criminal desire of the perpetrators to eliminate all the witnesses, down to the very last man and woman.

The international community was stunned as the details of the massacre emerged. At first it was shocked by the scale of the death toll. Then it was appalled by the revelations about the criminal nature of the Ampatuan family.

Now our common goal must be to press the authorities to allocate sufficient material and human resources to the trial of the main defendants, so that it can be completed within a reasonable time and conclude with the conviction of those responsible, both the perpetrators and the instigators.

By commemorating the victims, every press freedom organization can help to promote the deep-seated changes that the Philippines needs. Together, let’s say: “Never again.”

To pay tribute to the victims, Reporters Without Borders is publishing the accounts of some of the families of the journalists killed a year ago. It also appeals for a broad movement of support for the families.


Hommage aux victimes, un an après le massacre de Maguindanao

Il y a un an, 32 professionnels des médias étaient massacrés par les membres de la milice privée du clan d'un gouverneur d'une province de l'île de Mindanao (Sud). La portée de cette tragédie du massacre de Maguindanao s'étend bien au-delà du chiffre historique des journalistes tués le 23 novembre 2009. Il s'agit de la volonté criminelle des assaillants d'éliminer tous les témoins, jusqu'au dernier.

Le 23 novembre de l'année dernière et les jours qui ont suivi,la communauté internationale a assisté avec stupeur à ce massacre. Le décompte macabre a fait place aux révélations sur la nature criminelle du clan Ampatuan.

Aujourd'hui, notre combat commun doit être d'exiger des autorités la mise en œuvre de moyens matériels et humains suffisants pour que le procès des principaux accusés puisse se dérouler dans des délais raisonnables et aboutir à une condamnation des coupables, des commanditaires et des exécutants.

En faisant vivre la mémoire des victimes, chacune des organisations de défense de la liberté de la presse peut contribuer à impulser des changements profonds aux Philippines. Ensemble, disons : "Plus jamais cela!"

Afin de rendre hommage aux victimes de la tuerie, Reporters sans frontières publie des témoignages de certaines familles des journalistes tués il y a un an. L'organisation appelle à un large mouvement de soutien en leur faveur.


More information about the massacre and the trial:

http://en.rsf.org/philippines-damning-testimony-for-ampatuan-08-09-2010,38316.html

http://en.rsf.org/philippines-number-of-journalists-killed-in-26-11-2009,35090.html


The Lords Still Rule: NUJP statement on the first year anniversary of Ampatuan Massacre

It has been a year, 365 days, since 58 hapless souls, including 32 of our colleagues, were mercilessly mowed down in a hail of bullets on a hilltop in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao on November 23, 2009.

It has been a year, 365 days, in search of a justice that remains as elusive as the remains of journalist Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay has been for his family.

Let there be no mistake. Although the Ampatuan massacre was the worst incident of electoral violence in our benighted country’s history and the worst single attack on the press ever recorded, it was worse than these.

It was the inevitable and logical consequence of a system of governance that has for so long relied on political expediency, governance that woos the support of political clans by allowing them to amass such wealth and strength as to literally wield the power of life and death over their subjects.

Governance that breeds impunity, the impunity that has made a mockery of our claims to democracy through the murder of 141 journalists since 1986, of more than a thousand activists and the disappearance of 200 more over the last nine years, of more than 40 lawyers and judges over that same period.

Governance that President Benigno Aquino III vowed to turn into daang matuwid.

Yet five months into his presidency, we have him refusing to dismantle the private armies, legitimized as government militias, that the warlord clans have long used with impunity to enforce and protect their rule in their fiefdoms, and to do away with those who would dare challenge them, as happened in Sitio Masalay, Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao.

Five months into his presidency, and we can barely keep track of the times he has flip-flopped on human rights and taken media to task for painting a less than rosy image of the country and his administration, ignoring the fact that we merely report, do not create, bad news.

It is an all too familiar pattern with dire consequences. Already, human rights groups count 22 extrajudicial killings, a journalist has been murdered, there has been a spike in recorded threats against media persons, and the warlords still rule with their private armies intact.

Mr. President, again we say, your promise of good governance, of daang matuwid, can never happen without justice. Let there be an accounting. Let it be now. For you, too, shall be taken to account. (National Union of Journalists of the Philippines)

Monday, November 22, 2010

NPA rebels attack army patrol base in Mindanao

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 22, 2010) – Communist insurgents opened fire on a military patrol base in the southern Philippines and wounding a pro-government militia, officials said Monday.


Officials said the weekend attack occurred near a civilian community in Compostela Valley’s Nabunturan town and had put at risk the lives of villagers in the area.

“The New People’s Army fired from a position that will endanger the lives of the civilians which is a violation of the international human rights law,” said Lieutenant Colonel Medel Aguilar, a spokesman for the Army’s 10th Infantry Division.

It was unknown why the military put up a patrol base near a civilian area, but Aguilar said troops deployed in the town were also engaged in peace and development projects.

He said the attack sparked a five-minute gun battle between the two groups.

“As expected, the New People’s Army would launch violent actions to provoke our troops and divert our attention away from our community works. Our troops are prepared to counter their hostile actions to protect the civilian populace.”

“Their actions also bring untold suffering and discomfort to the people in the community which they will blame later to the presence of the military personnel conducting peace and development outreach program. These shrewd tactics will not succeed because our people know the NPA members are the ones creating trouble in the area,” Aguilar said.

The NPA, armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, is fighting for decades for the establishment of a separate Maoist state in the largely Catholic country. (Mindanao Examiner)

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Motorcycle bomb explodes in Maguindanao

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 21, 2010) – Two people were wounded in a bomb explosion Sunday in the hometown of a powerful Muslim clan accused in the Philippines’ worst political killings.

The bomb was placed inside the baggage compartment of a motorcycle parked outside a school in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region whose governor Zaldy Ampatuan and his father and brothers and relatives were accused as behind the gruesome killings last year of 58 people, at least 32 of them journalists.

“The wounded civilians were outside their house opposite to the road where the explosion occurred. The motorcycle was just parked near the school,” said Army Captain Razaleigh Bansawan, a spokesman for the 6th Infantry Division.

He said the explosive was fashioned out from an 81mm mortar bomb.

It was unknown if the motorcycle bomb was accidently detonated. The explosion came ahead of the planned commemoration by relatives and families of those brutally killed on November 23.

Among those murdered were the wife and sister and relatives and supporters of now Maguindanao Governor Esmael Mangudadatu who was opposed to Ampatuan’s rule.

Mangudadatu is expected to attend the commemoration on Tuesday on a village where the killings took place. The Ampatuans are currently in jail and had denied their involvement in the mass murders.

The journalists were covering the political convoy of Mangudadatu’s wife when close to 200 gunmen flagged them down in Shariff Aguak town and herded to a farming village where the victims had been executed and buried in two pits. (Mindanao Examiner)

Giyera sa Mindanao, posibleng sumiklab


Isang sundalo ng Moro Islamic Liberation ang nagbabantay sa isang barangay sa Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo)


COTABAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 21, 2010) – Posibleng sumiklab na naman ang isang malaking labanan sa magulong rehiyon ng Mindanao kung tuluyang gumuho ang peace talks sa pagitan ng pamahalaang Aquino at rebeldeng Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Nabigla ang MILF sa pangigiit ng pamahalaan na palitan si Malaysia peace facilitator Datuk Othman bin Abdl Razak dahil sa umano’y hinalang pumapanig ito sa mga rebelde.

Ngunit sinabi ng MILF na ang tanging papel ni Othman sa peace talks ay ang magsilbing mediator lamang at lahat ng mga kasunduan ay sa pagitan ng mga peace panels.

Nagmamatigas umano si government chief peace negotiator Marvic Leonen na palitan ng Malaysia si Othman, ngunit hindi naman sangayon dito ang MILF dahil tiyak na mangangapa sa dilim ang sinumang papalit kay Othman at lalong magtatagal ang peace talks.

Sinabi ng MILF na kung tuluyang mabubuwag ang peace talks ay tiyak na sisiklab na naman ang kaguluhan sa Mindanao.

Hindi naman mabatid kung bakit ngayon lamang nagreklamo si Leonen na ipinalit ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino bilang pinuno ng peace panel. Nais naman ng maraming civic organization sa Mindanao na palitan rin si Leonen, na kilalang anti-MOA AD advocate, ng isang taga-Mindanao.

Ang MOA AD ay ang memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain na nabasura sa kapanahunan ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo dahil na rin sa protesta ng mga pulitikong may interest at malaking ari-arian sa Mindanao.

Ang MILF ay nakikibaka para sa kapakanan ng mga Muslim sa bansa. Ang Mindanao ay dating bahagi ng Sultanate, ngunit nawala ito sa mga Muslim dahil sa pagpasok ng mga taga-Luzon at Visayas sa rehiyon noon kapanahunan ng Kastila. (Mindnao Examiner)

Environmentalists oppose coal-fired power plant in Mindanao

SARANGANI PROVINCE, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 21, 2010) - The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior sailed in Mindanao's Sarangani province in the southern Philippines to join thousands of local folks who are against a proposed coal-fired power plant in Maasim town.

The ship was accompanied by hundreds of small fishing boats to the town's shore. The fishermen formed the words “Clean Energy Now” using at least 75 boats and villagers banded together to form the word "No" in San Felipe Colon Elementary school just a few hundred meters away from the coal plant project site.

“Coal is dirty energy. It has negative effects on health because of its toxic emissions. We want to protect our environment so our air and water can remain clean for our children,” Vicente Jatico, chairman of Maasim People’s Coalition on Climate Change, said in a statement sent to the regional newspaper, the Mindanao Examiner.

"Coal may seem like the most practical fuel because of its abundance, but from mining, through combustion to waste disposal, and in some cases, recultivation, coal has a dire impact on the environment, human health and the social fabric of communities living near mines, plants and waste sites. Aside from massive carbon dioxide emissions when this fuel is burnt, coal severely damages ecosystems and contaminates water supplies. It emits other greenhouse gases like methane, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide, as well as chemicals like arsenic and mercury which can disrupt human mental and physical development," he said.

Greenpeace said Conal Holding Corporation is planning to build a US$ 450-million, 200 megawatts coalfired power plant in Kamanga village.

Conal claimed that their so-called “clean coal” technology and planned 4,100-hectare ‘carbon sequestration’ project will minimize the negative impacts. Greenpeace asserts that these claims are patently untrue.

"No coal-fired power plants are truly clean. Clean coal methods only move pollutants from one waste stream to another which are then still released into the environment. Any time coal is burnt, contaminants are released. They can be released via the ash, the gaseous air emissions, water outflow or the ash left at the bottom after burning. Ultimately they still end up polluting the environment."

"Coal combustion is the largest single source of atmospheric mercury emissions. There are no commercially available technologies to prevent mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants. Mercury is an extremely toxic metal that has no biochemical or nutritional function. Most of the toxic effects of the substance that can result from exposure are on the central nervous system," Greenpeace said.

It said fisher folks are among the worst impacted victims of the coal plant operations. The site of the Conal coal plant overlaps a marine sanctuary in fertile Sarangani Bay. Construction will adversely affect the rich coral beds in the area, and the air pollution from coal combustion will have negative impacts on fishing catch, aside from reducing crop yields, it added.

“Greenpeace is supporting communities in Southeast Asia in their struggle against coal. Coal is a curse to communities. The development of coal-fired power plants are a shameful example of how time and again, people’s livelihoods and health, and our natural biodiversity on which these depend, are sacrificed for short term prosperity that benefits only a very small sector of society. Such dirty and inequitable development victimizes populations and resources essential for economic sustainability,” said Amalie Obusan, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Climate and Energy Campaigner.

The Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior is in Thailand for the first leg of the “Turn the Tide” tour of Southeast Asia. Greenpeace is calling on ASEAN member nations to support green investments and adopt low-carbon growth
pathway for future development.

The Tour marks 10 years of Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigns to protect forests, catalyze an Energy Revolution, promote sustainable agriculture, and stop water pollution in the region.