HUSTISYA: A Peek Into The Mindanao Examiner Documentary

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - The breaking news say it all, eight Abu Sayyaf terrorists are killed on February 4, 2008, in a clash with government soldiers on a small fishing village of Ipil in Maimbung town in Sulu province.

It was a big score for the Philippine military in the war on terror. At one time, the military even reported that troops clashed with the groups of Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islamiya, an Indonesian militant organization blamed for the 2002 Bali bombings. The military celebrated the sweet victory.

But the victory is short-lived. It turned out to be a nightmare. Hours after the clash in the village of Ipil, seven civilians and an off-duty Muslim soldier lay dead.

The military said two soldiers were also killed and five others wounded in the clash. There are conflicting and many versions of what really happened in the village.

The military insisted there was a fire fight and that the village is an Abu Sayyaf hideout, but among those killed were children and teenager, including a village official, a seaweed farmer and a pregnant Muslim woman. Soldiers executed three of the victims, witnesses claimed.

The independent Philippines Commission on Human Rights says those killed were innocent civilians and that there were no Abu Sayyaf terrorists in the village as the military claimed. The human rights report detailed how troops attacked and plundered the houses of villagers. It has recommended the filing of criminal charges against the soldiers involved in the raid.

The families of the victims still cry for justice. The governor of Sulu wants justice too for the victims and vowed to file charges against those who are responsible in the killings.
In the village, some of the witnesses have spoken out about the killings.

In a place where poverty is a big problem, the wheel of justice barely moves, especially for victims of violence and extrajudicial killings.

And because of this, justice seems like a dream, but many are still hoping that one day peace may reign once again in the land they call home.

Pobreza en Zamboanga, la ciudad de flores

"Sulu" Premieres In Manila December 6, 2007

"SULU" - 2007 / Documentary

KONTRA-AGOS RESISTANCE FILM FESTIVAL begins on December 5-11, 2007 at Indie Sine, Robinson’s Galleria, Manila

Plot:

Born of a Muslim mother, young writer Arthur Sakaluran Abasalo decides to visit Sulu despite the perceived strife and presence of Muslim rebels and Abu Sayyaf terrorists. In Sulu, he meets a former Muslim rebel-turned policeman who tells him about his life story and how he got separated from his family for more than a decade.

He returns to Sulu to start a new life after being reunited with his family.Arthur returns to Manila after a short stay in Sulu, bringing with him memorable stories and truths about the island feared by many as a dangerous place to go.

This film, along with six other short films from Mindanao, will have its World Premiere on December 6, 7 p.m. at Indie Sine, Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas Center in Pasig City. A Mindanao Examiner Production. Directed by Al Jacinto