Rapists ng Maguindanao nurse, hinahanting!

Ang larawan ng grupong Suara at Gabriela sa rally ng mga ibat-ibang organisasyon sa Cotabato City bilang pagkondena sa gang rape ng isang nurse sa Maguindanao province.

COTABATO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Sept. 29, 2010) – Patuloy kahapon ang paghahanap ng mga awtoridad sa mga natitirang suspek sa panghahalay sa isang nurse sa Maguindanao province matapos na madakip ang 6 sa kanila sa bayan ng South Upi.

Ayon sa pulisya ay 4 na iba pa ang pinaghahanap kaugnay sa panggagahasa na naganap nuong Setyembre 25 sa isang nurse, 21 taong-gulang na volunteer naman ng pamahalaang lokal.

Nabatid na karamihan sa mga suspek ay mayayaman at pulos Kristiyano, ngunit hindi naman inilabas ng pulisya ang identipikasyon ng mga suspek.

Ang biktima ay natagpuan walang saplot at may sugat sa katawan at hinihinalang iniwan sa akalang patay na ito di-kalayuan sa pagamutan ng South Upi. Gang rape umano ang naganap sa biktima.

Mariing kinondena rin ng grupong Gabriela ang panggagahasa. “Nananawagan kami sa mga awtoridad at lokal na pamahalaan ng South Upi na maglunsad ng isang masinsing imbestigasyon at gawaran ng kaukulang parusa ang mga perpetrators na gumawa nito kay Florence,” ani Jaquelane Billiones, tagapagsalita ng Gabriela sa Cotabato City.

Kamakalawa ay isang malaking indignation rally naman ang isinagawa ng mga ibat-ibang grupo bilang pakikiisa sa pagkondena sa panggagahasa.

Ayon kay Billiones ay nakapagtala ang Gabriela noong 2009 ng 9,585 na kaso ng pang-aabuso laban sa mga kababaihan at kabataan at sa pagtatantya nito ay mayroong nagagahasa na dalawang kababaihan bawat araw sa nakalipas na taon.

Nalulungkot naman ang Gabriela sa sinapit ng biktima dahil wala umanong malinaw na seguridad at proteksyong tinatanggap ang mga health workers lalo na nag mga kababaihan laban sa iba’t-ibang porma ng pang-aabuso lalo na sa mga rural area. (Mindanao Examiner)

Divorce bill filed in Philippine Congress

PAGADIAN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Aug. 12, 2010) - A women's party list group called GABRIELA has re-filed a bill seeking to legalize divorce in the Philippines.

It said the proposal would give married couples in irreparable marriages another legal remedy that they can resort to in addition to the country’s existing laws on legal separation and annulment.

House Bill 1799, also known as “An Act Introducing Divorce in the Philippines,” lists down five grounds for the filing of a petition for divorce.

According to the measure, couples who may apply for divorce include those who have been separated in fact for five years and those already legally separated for two years.

Grounds for legal separation may also apply when these same grounds have already caused the irreparable breakdown of the marriage. In addition, psychological incapacity, causing one's failure to comply with essential marital obligations and irreconcilable differences causing the irreparable breakdown of the marriage are also recognized as grounds for divorce.

Gabriela Representative Luz Ilagan stressed the need for a Divorce Law in the country. “We cannot ignore the fact that existing laws just do not suffice. Getting an annulment can be very expensive while legal separation will not give estranged couples the right to remarry,” she said in a statement.

The Divorce Bill’s explanatory note further elaborates on the need for a measure to address the commission of violence in marital relations. Official figures from the Philippine National Police in 2009 showed that 19 women fall victims to marital violence every day. Among the forms of violence and abuse against women committed in 209, wife battery ranked the highest at 6,783 or 72 percent.

“For women in abusive marital relationships, the need for a Divorce Law is real. It is high time that we give Filipino couples, especially the women, this option.” said another Gabriela Representative Emmi De Jesus.

The group first filed the Divorce Bill in the 13th Congress. The Gabriela solons expressed hope that with more women in the House of Representatives, now totaling 59, the pro-women measure will gain more support and spark interesting debates on the floor. (With a report from Becky de Asis)

GABRIELA: Free political prisoners, jail Arroyo

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / June 28, 2010) - A Filipino women's group called GABRIELA urged President-elect Benigno Simeon Aquino III to free all political prisoners and prosecute outgoing leader Gloria Arroyo for her alleged crimes.

Activists trooped to Aquino's residence in Quezon City where they presented their demands.

“Aquino used as his campaign platform the promise that he will go after Arroyo and her minions, that justice will not be compromised and it will be served to the people. We take him to task on that promise, and like the rest of the country we expect no less from him,” said Joms Salvador, the group's Deputy Secretary-General.

GABRIELA cited that there are 61 women out of the 344 political prisoners under the Arroyo administration. “These women political prisoners suffered from the hands of their captors and many of them were sexually abused. They are also in a most detrimental condition where they are continually made vulnerable to all forms of harassment, be these sexual, physical or emotional,” Salvador said.

Recently, Myrna Abraham, a teacher by profession, was abducted allegedly by state agents and is now incarcerated in a jail in Tuguegarao town in Cagayan Valley in northern Philippines.

Like fellow political prisoner Angie Ipong held by the police in Pagadian City in Zamboanga del Sur in Mindanao, Abraham, including other women held in various jails, face numerous charges the state fabricated against her, GABRIELA said.

“For opposing and actively criticizing Arroyo’s anti-people policies and politics, these dissenters were trumped up with charges fit for common criminals. Political prisoners are Arroyo’s victims,” Salvador said.

“If Aquino would be truthful to his promise of leading the people to ‘daang matuwid’, he should jail the culprit and free the innocents. He should work for Arroyo’s imprisonment and free women and all political prisoners,” Salvador added.

GABRIELA also went on to tell Aquino that if there is one legacy of her mother and the late president Corazon Aquino that he ought to follow, it is the granting of freedom for all political prisoners.

“Martial law robbed the people of their democratic rights and granting freedom to political prisoners was the late president’s gesture of restoring them. Arroyo’s regime is no different with its bloody record of victimizing the people, so it is only imperative that Aquino do the restoration as well,” Salvador said.

Philippine military accused of political partisan

A photo released Friday by the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan to the regional newspaper the Mindanao Examiner shows a Philippine Army soldier lecturing students in Davao City about leftist party list organization.

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / April 9, 2010) – Political activists opposed to President Gloria Arroyo’s rule accused Friday the Philippine military of campaigning against leftists and progressive groups in Mindanao where security forces are battling communist insurgents.

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, a party list group linked by the military to the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army rebels, also accused government soldiers of actively campaigning against progressive party list organizations which fielded candidates for the May 10 nationals elections.

It said government soldiers are conducting vilification campaign in Davao City after political activists on Tuesday chanced upon members of the 69th Infantry Battalion campaigning against progressive party list groups at the Philippine College of Technology.

The military also accused Bagong Alyansang Makabayan 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, a party list group that 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 on Friday 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 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)

Filipino Women March In Davao City, Demand Jobs

Militant women march on major thoroughfares of Davao City in the southern Philippines on Monday, March 9, 2009 as a belated commemoration of the International Women’s Day.

(AKP Images / Keith Bacongco)

Children's Rights Groups To Submit Reports To UN Representative

MANILA, Philippines – The Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concerns launched its campaign Monday to highlight human rights violations against children as part of the build up for the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the upcoming visit of the United Nations Special Representative to the Secretary General (UNSRSG) on the Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, Radhika Coomaraswamy.

“We want the general public to know that the Arroyo government has consistently failed to uphold the survival, protection, development and participation rights of Filipino children through its anti-people economic policies and political maneuvers,” Alphonse Rivera, spokesperson of the Salinlahi, said in a statement.

Salinlahi is an advocacy group for children’s rights and welfare in the Philippines.

The campaign, dubbed Children under Siege: Children-Victims of the US-Arroyo Regime’s War of Terror, will feature activities that will highlight human rights violations against children resulting from the government’s campaign.

Rivera said through this campaign, cases of children who were killed, wounded, tortured, illegally arrested and detained by the Armed Forces of the Philippines will be highlighted. Special attention will also be given to children victims of human rights violations who were falsely branded as child soldiers, according to Rivera.

“Our documentation shows that the Arroyo government, through its military and police, remains the number one violator of children’s human rights. What is worse is that the perpetrators escape accountability by branding their victims as “child soldiers”, thereby further perpetuating the culture of impunity,” said Maria Esmeralda Macaspac, executive director of the Child Rights Center (CRC), a non-government organization facilitating psycho-social help for children-victims of State violence and a member of the Salinlahi Alliance.

The CRC documented 66 cases of children killed, 50 children tortured, 55 illegally arrested and detained and 49 who were victims of frustrated killings, since Pres. Gloria Arroyo assumed presidency in 2001.

It said more than half a million children were victims of forced displacement since 2001, especially in the troubled region of Mindanao. The organization plans to submit a report to the UNSRSG which cites combined data of CRC and allied human rightsorganizations when she meets with child-focused NGOs as part of her itinerary.

The group said it may present children-victims of various types of human rights violations to the UNSRSG, including those who were falsely branded as child soldiers.

“The AFP should be made doubly accountable for their irresponsible practice oflabeling children victims of human rights violations as “child soldiers” andthen parading these children to the media. Despite the passing of the Juvenile Justice Law that aims to protect children from undue violation of their rights, we see this practice of branding and labeling as child soldiers increasingly being resorted to by the AFP. We cannot discount the trauma and stigma placed on these children victims,” Rivera said.

Also joining Salinlahi and CRC in the campaign are the Children for Peace Alliance, the Gabriela Women’s Party and GABRIELA.

Rivera said they are planning many activities beginning Monday up to Coomaraswamy’s departure after Human Rights Day. “We want to maximize every form and every opportunity we can have to give names, faces and voices to children victims of the war of terror that the Arroyo regime is waging against its people,” Rivera said.

Women's Party List Group Vows To Fight Persecution In The Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - Women's partylist group Gabriela on Wednesday vowed to defend itself against escalating state-instigated attacks and political persecution on progressive groups and militant organizations nationwide.

Gabriela Women's Party national president and partylist Representative Liza Maza said that in a recently concluded National Council meeting, they have adopted resolutions to combat head on the systematic political persecution against their partylist organization.

"We have documented several cases of illegal arrest, filing of fabricated cases, vilification campaigns and harassment against Gabriela Women's Party and other progressive organizations nationwide, especially in Southern Tagalog and Negros island," she said in a statement.

Maza specifically stated the fabricated cases of arson, conspiracy to commit rebellion, multiple murder and multiple frustrated murder filed against Gabriela Women's Party 5th Nominee and Gabriela Southern Tagalog Secretary General Helen Asdolo, Gabriela Women's Party provincial coordinator for Cavite, Amy Sto. Tomas and 70 others from Southern Tagalog.

They have been accused of participating in a raid conducted by the NPA in March 3, 2006 in Puerto Galera, Mindoro Oriental. In Negros, Gabriela staff and volunteer Mary Grace Delicano, was illegaly arrested for her alleged participation in a raid conducted by the New People's Army in Bgy. Malasibog, Escalante City in 2006.

Similarly, Emilia and Marycris Quirante have been arrested after a .38 caliber pistol was purportedly found in an unspecified area of their home in Bgy. Trinidad in Guihulngan, Negros Oriental.

Yesterday, Maza filed a resolution directing the House Committee on Human Rights to conduct an inquiry into the political persecution and pending arrest of Gabriela Women’s Party leaders in Southern Tagalog and 70 other activists including 18 other women on fabricated charges against them.

Maza further said, "we have also received reports that in meetings and forums conducted by the military in communities, they continue to identify Gabriela Women's Party as a communist front and villify our leaders as terrorists." "We have faced similar attacks since the 2007 elections.

It appears that this early in the electoral game, as Arroyo's camp and her allies prepare their candidacies, they are likewise preparing to keep us out of 2010. They are bound to fail." (Jang Monte)

Malaysia accused of violating rights of Filipino workers in Sabah

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 4, 2008) - The Fact-Finding Committee on Sabah Deportees expressed concern over the serious human rights violations allegedly committed by Malaysian authorities against illegal Filipino workers in the oil-rich state being claimed by the Philippines.

Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan said they uncovered the abuses after the fact-finding committee held an inquiry in August in Sabah, where authorities have been rounding up illegal immigrants and undocumented workers.

She said thousands of Filipinos, including women and children, are still languishing in Malaysian jails and suffering from inhumane conditions and had been deprived of their basic rights.

“Filipino detainees and those who were already deported to the Philippines have experienced severe beatings from Malaysian police while under detention,” she told reporters in a news conference here Saturday.

The Fact Finding Committee is composed of the Association for the Rights of Children in South East Asia, Migrante International, and Gabriela Women’s Party and formed to conduct investigation on the reported human rights abuses against undocumented Filipino workers and immigrants in Sabah.

Last July, the House of Representatives passed a resolution calling the Committees on Overseas Workers’ Affairs and Foreign Affairs to conduct an investigation into the human reports in Sabah.

Zamboanga City serves as the transit point for deportees since Malaysia began its crackdown in 2000. Hundreds of arrested Filipinos are being deported every week from Sabah and many of them had told tales of human rights abuses while in Malaysian jails.

Ilagan said the government should provide the deportees with proper housing and livelihood for them not to be tempted to leave the country again in search of a decent life.

She also urged other legislators in the lower house to take up immediate measures to protect undocumented Filipinos, most especially women and children, who face the risk of being detained and abused in Malaysian jails before they are returned to the Philippines. (Erico Rosco)

Women's Group Slams Appoinment Of Ralph Recto To Top Economic Post

BATANGAS, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / July 24, 2008) - Women's Party group GABRIELA on Thursday criticized the appointment of a former Philippine senator Ralph Recto as chief of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA).

"Hindi na nga siya binoto mismo ng kanyang mga kababayan dito sa Timog Katagalugan, ngayon ipinagkakatiwala pa ni Gng Arroyo ang NEDA sa kanya. Bilang pangunahing isponsor ng batas na VAT, malaki ang kasalanan ni G. Ralph Recto sa mamamayan," said Helen Asdolo, secretary-general of the Gabriela in Southern Tagalog region.

Asdolo aid: "We have rejected him in the senatorial elections. Even the women of Batangas refused to throw their 100% support. He has been unmasked as anti-poor. The proponent of the burdensome 12% Value Added Tax should not be placed at the helm of the Philippine economy."

"That he has been placed in NEDA only shows the Arroyo government’s resolve to pursue its anti-poor policies. It is evidence of the Arroyo government’s refusal to listen to the people’s demands to remove the VAT. Lalong walang maaasahang alwan ang mga maralita sa ilalim ng rehimeng Arroyo lalu pa’t ang mismong may pakana pa ng VAT ang itinatalaga sa NEDA."

Other militant groups also opposed Recto's appointment, calling it, a "political reward" by President Gloria Arroyo to a losing senate candidate.

Recto lost in previous polls, but his wife, Vilma Santos, a movie actress and former governor of Batangas province, won. Both are known allies of Arroyo, herself accused of cheating and fraud in the 2004 presidential elections. (With reports from the Mindanao Examiner)

Disgruntled RP Opposition Lawmakers Walk Out From House Proceedings

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Nov. 12, 2007) – Opposition lawmakers on Monday walked out from a committee proceedings on an impeachment case filed against President Gloria Arroyo.

“Using technicalities and legal hogwash, and manipulating the rules to their sole benefit, there is no denying the real agenda of the Committee on Justice. That is to shield Mrs. Arroyo from all accountability and in the process deny the people of the truth,” said Rep. Liza Maza, of the GABRIELA Women's Party.

Maza said the outcome of deliberations on the complaint initially filed by lawyer Ruel Pulido is without doubt, tainted and without any credibility.

”It is a mockery and we refuse to be part of it,” she said. “The committee has shamelessly and repeatedly refused all attempts to add substance to the Pulido complaint and give this committee the opportunity to deliberate lengthily and thus properly decide on allegations of bribery lodged against Mrs. Arroyo,” Maza said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

”No different from the Pulido impeachment complaint, the impeachmentproceeding is a sham and the House of Representatives a shame,” she said.

Most members of the proceedings were allies of Arroyo.

The case stemmed from corruption allegations of Jose de Venecia III that resulted in the resignation of Elections chief Benjamin Abalos.

Jose de Venecia III, of the Amsterdam Holdings Incorporated, accused Abalos of offering him $10 million to back out from the broadband deal. Abalos has denied all accusations against him.

De Venecia, the son of House Speaker Jose de Venecia, was ZTE’s rival for the national broadband contract. Romulo Neri, former Director General of the National Economic and Development Authority, also accused Abalos of bribing him.

De Venecia said the broadband deal was probably worth only $130 million, but this suddenly ballooned to $329 million.

He said President Arroyo’s husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, also told him to back off from the deal. Arroyo’s lawyers have denied the allegations.

Maza said Abalos’ resignation should not close down investigations on the national broadband scandal and that all those involved in the deal should be made accountable.

She said Abalos' resignation could be a move to preempt further investigations into the anomalous contract that could implicate the President and her husband.

Arroyo suspended indefinitely the national broadband network project because of the controversy. Government spokesmen also denied all accusations against the President and her husband. (Mindanao Examiner)

3 Foreigners Wounded In Philippine Blast

MAKATI CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Oct. 19, 2007) – At least 3 foreigners were among more than 100 people injured in a powerful blast Friday that ripped through a shopping mall in Makati City, the Philippines’ financial district, police said.

Police said the two Koreans and a Chinese national were wounded in the suspected bombing of the Glorieta Mall at around 1.30 p.m.Geary Barias, metropolitan police chief, said 8 people were killed and 129 others injured in the blast.

Political activists were blaming the Arroyo government for the blast, saying, state agents could be behind the explosion to divert public attention away from the President.

President Gloria arroyo was accused of bribing lawmakers and provincial governors during a breakfast meeting this week at the Presidential Palace in Manila.

The militant women’s group called “Gabriela” has condemned the bombing and at the same time expressed fear that Arroyo could use the incident to declare a state of emergency and crackdown on the opposition.

“We at GABRIELA Women's Party express our condemnation for the Glorieta bombing as we likewise send our heartfelt sympathy and condolences for the victims and their families.”

”We also express our alarm and suspicion over the impeccable timing of the incident in the light of snowballing calls for Mrs. Arroyo to resign. We call on the public for utmost vigilance, as there may be no stopping the Arroyo regime from using this unfortunate incident to declare a state of emergency and crackdown on the opposition,” it said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

The group also called for a speedy and impartial investigation of the incident to help ensure that justice is immediately served.But Arroyo, in a televised address, also warned those who would try to destabilize the government.

“I warn those who seek to destabilize our government not to exploit this incident for their selfish political motives. This is the time for all of us to unite. We urge all sectors to remain vigilant as the government steps up security measures to protect our people,” she said.

Arroyo said there is an ongoing investigation into the blast and appealed to citizens to stay vigilant.

“We assure everyone that a full blown investigation is now underway. The Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are on highest alert and are fielding an additional 2,000 personnel to secure our public places and to prevent a possible similar occurrence,” she said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Militant Groups Slam Arroyo For Burma Statement

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo waves to well-wisher during her arrival from New York, United States of America (Sept. 30) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Pasay City. With the president in photo are Immigration Commissioner Marcelino Libanan, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Armed Forces Chief Hermogenes Esperon Jr. (Luisito Iglesias/OPS-NIB)

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner/ Sept. 30) – Two Filipino political groups on Sunday have criticized President Gloria Arroyo for calling on Myanmar to free pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners while political killings still continue in the Philippines.

"The economic and political crisis in Myanmar, which triggered series of protests tackling variety of issues from oil price increases and human rights violations, is similar to what the Filipinos are experiencing under the Arroyo administration," said Jeppie Ramada, a spokesman for the group Bagong Alayansang Makabayan (BAYAN) in southern Philippines.

Ramada said Arroyo's statements in the 62nd United nations General Assembly urging Myanmar "to go back to the path of democracy," are mere rhetoric that contradict the human rights problems in the Philippines.

"With Arroyo's speech in the United Nations General Assembly centered on Myanmar's atrocities, it only manifests that she's trying to evade and divert the issue of political killings in the Philippines."

"Instead of answering allegations of political persecution in her own country, she managed to wipe the dirt into her fellow dictators in Myanmar. She has lost the moral ascendancy to talk about human rights violations since 2001, when hundreds of activists summarily executed," Ramada said.

The militant women's group, GABRIELA, also branded Arroyo's statements as hypocritical and ironic.

"Mrs. Arroyo's statements are attempts to cover up her regime's murderous record on extra judicial killings and disappearances, amid much international criticism over the human rights crisis in the country."

"This duplicitous show of support for Aung San Suu Kyi and the pro-democracy movement in Burma is mortifying. Mrs. Arroyo even had the gall to summon women power for the Burmese leader when in her own country, her repressive policies are the very hindrance to women power," Rep. Liza Maza said.

Maza said that human rights documentation in the country since Arroyo assumed office in 2001 indicate that 96 women have fallen victims to extrajudicial killings and 31 have disappeared.

Under Arroyo, the Philippines have had 22 women political prisoners, many of them in conditions no different from Suu Kyi, she said.

"No different from the military junta in Burma, Mrs. Arroyo has led the violent dispersal of protests with her calibrated pre-emptive response. She has led attempts to silence critics with her Proclamation 1017 and deny Filipinos the truth behind the rampage of corruption in her administration with EO 464. Certainly, her two-faced statements cannot hide her bloody record from the international community," Maza said. (Mindanao Examiner)

SAMAKANA: Pakigbisugan Ang Katungod Sa Kababayen-an Sa Panginabuhian!

Karong adlawa ang ika-24 ka tuig sa pagkatukod sa Samahan ng Maralitang Kababaihang Nagkakaisa o SAMAKANA. Taas na ang kasaysayan sa atong organisasyon isip timaan sa panaghiusa sa mga kababayen-ang kabus sa syudad.

Mabayanihon ang gipakitang kaisog ug kamilitante sa atong organisasyon diha sa pag-asdang alang sa mga katungod sa kababayen-an. Sa mga isyung pang-ekonomiya, maisugon natong gibarugan ang atong katungod sa pabalay.

Hugot kitang nakighiusa sa pakigbisog sa tanang kabus sa syudad ilabina sa panahon sa demolisyon. Usa kita sa mga pwersang nagdemanda og dugang suholan ug benepisyo sa mga trabahante, ingon man ang pagpangayog panginabuhian alang kanatong mga kabus.

Ang SAMAKANA, kauban ang GABRIELA, naila nga tigpanalipod sa mga katungod sa kababayen-an. Nakigbisog kini batuk sa tanang dagway sa pangdaugdaug sa mga kababayen-an ug mga bata. Kusog ang atong tingog sa panawagan nga hatagan og hustisya ang tanang babayeng biktima sa kapintas sama sa reyp, pagpangulata sa bana, pagharas sa mga kababayen-an diha sa trabaho ug sa komunidad.

Hugot usab nga gibarugan sa SAMAKANA ang pagpanalipod sa tawhanong katungod sa tanang kababayen-ang kabus sama sa pagkondena sa Human Security Act o balaod nga kuno kontra-terorismo. Nakighiusa ang SAMAKANA sa pakigbisog sa mga mag-uuma ug lumad batuk sa militarisasyon nga nagdaut sa ilang kinabuhi ug sa panginabuhian diha sa mga kabukiran.

Apan taliwala sa pagsaulog sa ika-24 nga tuig sa pagkatukod sa SAMAKANA, nagpabiling makaluoy ang kahimtang sa mga kabus sa syudad. Misamot ang kawad-on ug mas midaghan ang kabus ubos sa gobyernong Arroyo.

Sa matag 100 ka nanay, adunay 30 nga walay kayang makakuhag limpyong tubig mainom. Sa kada 100 ka nanay, adunay 40 nga walay kuryente sa ilang pinuy-anan.

Sa kada 100 ka nanay, adunay 60 nga walay disenteng puy-anan, 30 kanila ang walay kasilyas ug 40 sa ila ang dili na makapa-iskwela sa ilang mga anak.

Mas daghan ang walay panginabuhian karon ug samot pang nag-ilaid sa kapit-os ang katawhan tungod kay sumala sa National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB), ang usa ka pamilyang dunay 6 ka sakop nanginahanglan og P631 kada adlaw aron mabuhing tawhanon ug makakaon tulo ka beses sa usa ka adlaw. Ang gobyerno ni Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo nagpaka-buta-bungol sa kahimtang sa mga kabus.

Gipalabi niini ang pagbayad sa langyawng utang nga mokabat na sa P1.75 trilyon.

Gikan sa nasudnong badyet, awtomatik nga 25% niini o kapin sa P300 bilyon, ang pangbayad utang. Buot ipasabot, matag usa kanato duna nay ginabayarang utang nga P44,307.00. Gisakripisyo niini ang badyet alang sa serbisyong katilingbanon.

Ang badyet kada adlaw kada tawo nagpabiling P0.45 sentabos para sa panglawas ug P5.00 para sa edukasyon. Busa misamot pagdaghan ang mga kabus sa syudad nga mokabat na karon sa 20 milyones sa tibuok nasud.

Luyo sa mga balaod nga nagtagad sa isyu sa kababayen-an ug mga bata, nagpadayon ang pagsaka sa ihap sa mga kaso sa kapintas batuk sa kababayen-an ug mga bata.

Sa unang kwarter lang sa 2007, misaka na sa 40% ang mga kaso sa reyp, itandi sa unang kwarter sa 2006. Misaka usab og 35% ang insidente sa pagpangulata sa asawa ug anak ug ingon man ang mga insidente sa sexual harassment.

Kining tanan nagpakita lang nga bisan anaa nay balaod, magpadayon ang kapintas batuk sa kababayen-an, ilabina sa mga kabus, tungod kay anaa pa ang pagtan-aw nga ang kababayen-an napailalom sa gahum sa kalalakihan.

Dili lang balaod ang solusyon niini kundili ang pag-usab sa panglantaw nga ang kababayen-an magsunud-sunod lang sa gusto sa kalalakihan.

Busa niining ika-24 tuig sa kasaulogan sa SAMAKANA, huptan nato usab ang kaisog nga makigbisog batuk sa tanang pangdaugdaug ug pagpahimulos. Barugan nato ang atong katungod nga mabuhing tawhanon ug malinawon.

Kini makab-ot lang diha sa pag-organisa ug paglihuk natong mga kababayen-ang kabus. Magtuon kita ug militanteng iasdang ang kalihukan sa kababayen-an batuk sa mga babag sa atong paglambo. Ipadahunog nato ang atong mga tingog sa pagsupak sa mga palisiya ug balaod ni GMA nga walay gihatag nga kaayohan kanatong mga kabus. Ibasura ang Human Security Act! Hunungon ang militarisasyon sa kabukiran!

Ipatuman ang tinuod nga Reporma sa yuta ug hatagan og panginabuhian ang mga kabus sa syudad, ingon man ang dugang nga suholan sa mga mamumuo. Mga kababayen-an, molihuk kita aron supakon ug babagan ang mga planong pribatisasyon sa tubig.

Pakigbisugan nato ang dakung badyet alang sa serbisyo sosyal ug molihuk kita aron tapuson ang tanang porma sa kapitas batuk sa kababayen-an ug katawhan. Kondenahon ang gobyernong Arroyo sa halos usa ka libong biktima sa extrajudicial killing nga gipamatay tungod kay nagasupak sa iyang madaugdaugong gobyerno.

Kun nahatag man ang hustisya sa salang pagpangawkaw ni Erap Estrada, walay rason nganong dili husgahan ang salang korapsyon, pagpangawkaw ug pagpamatay ni Arroyo sa katawhang Pilipino. Mga kababayen-an, mag-organisa kita, magtuon ug molihuk alang sa atong kaugmaon ug sa atong mga sumusunod nga kaliwatan.

Napamatud-an sa kasaysayan nga kitang mga kababayen-an usa ka dakung pwersa sa kausaban kun kita maghiusa ug dungan nga molihuk.

Kab-oton nato ang usa ka katilingban nga haruhay ug malinawon tungod kay duna nay pagkaon sa atong lamesa ug wala nay hulga sa kababayen-an ug bata nga mabiktima sa kapintas.

Woman Activist Held, Two Others In RP Watch List: Report

MANILA, Philippines - Balikbayan Dr Annalisa Vicente Enrile was on her way back to the United States on August 5 after a month’s stay in the Philippines, however, as she proceeded to the Immigration booth to have her passport exit-stamped, she was told that she could not get on the plane because she was on the watch list.

Enrile is the chairperson of GABRIELA Network USA (GABNet), a U.S.-based women’s group affiliated with the militant women’s group GABRIELA and the progressive party list group Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP). She is also a professor at the University of Southern California.

In a press conference Aug. 11 in Quezon City, Enrile said she believes she is being held because of her involvement with GABRIELA and for being part of a team that went to the country to probe the human rights record of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

“I’m being held hostage,” Enrile told the media. “I cannot go back to my work and my family.”

After being told that she could not proceed to board her flight, Enrile said she was “sent and shuffled from one department to another.”

At the Immigration, she was told to get clearance from the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation (BID).

On August 6 at the BID, Enrile was told to file an Affidavit of Denial.

On August 7, the BID told Enrile to get clearance from the Department of Justice (DoJ). At the DoJ, she was told to get another clearance from the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA). But at the NICA, she was directed to return to the BID.

On August 8 at the BID, Enrile was redirected to the DoJ. Enrile then sought the assistance of the Chief of American Citizens Service (CACS) at the U.S. Embassy who committed to help her.

The CACS gave the same message to American human rights activist and GABNet International Relations Officer Judith Mirkinson who went with Enrile at the embassy.

Enrile, Mirkinson and renowned international journalist Ninotchka Rosca are said to have been in the government’s watch list.

Rosca said the watchlist is an “intimidation tactic” by the Philippine government against “all overseas Filipinos who continue to love and fight for this country.”

“I am exceedingly irritated with the watchlist which has infringed into my private time with my family,” Rosca said. Rosca said she is here to attend the Women’s International Solidarity Affair in the Philippines which was held from July 30 to August 5 to launch her latest book and to visit her 98-year old mother.

Meanwhile, GWP Rep. Liza Maza said the hold order against the three women activists is a serious matter which can be a precedent to gauge the effectiveness of the Human Security Act of 2007 (HSA 2007), the newly passed anti-terror law.

“Before the HSA,nobody cannot be held without charges,” Maza explained. But with the HSA, Maza said anybody can be held on mere suspicion. “This makes this incident dangerous,” she added.

“This is pure political harassment undermining GABRIELA’s international work,” the party list representative said.

GWP, which was able to land two seats in the House of Representatives, topped the party list votes of absentee voter’s in the 2007 mid-term elections.

Rosca and Mirkinson are scheduled to leave the country on August 14.

“We hope not to be held at the airport and we’ll make sure Dr. Enrile is coming with us,” Rosca said. (Dabet Castaneda/Human Rights Watch/Bulatlat)

Group Condemns Killing Of Party List Woman In South RP

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 01 May) - The Gabriela Women’s party list condemned Sunday the killing of Alagad party list regional coordinator Josephine Buca in Davao City in southern Philippines.

Buca was shot dead at dawn Sunday by three motorcycle gunmen in the village of Pampanga.

“As May 14 elections is fast approaching, electoral violence is creeping side by side political killings,” Prof. Luz Ilagan, the group’s national president, said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Ilagan said their group is wary that the coming elections will once again display traditional politicians’ resort to violence and fraud to perpetrate into power.

“Josephine Buca is but one of the many victims of electoral violence that would portray how corrupt and rotten the current political system is in the country.“

“This may not be surprising to many of us, but we cannot allow such to continue to prevail as a political alternative for some to achieve power. Thus, our strongest condemnation to this brutal act,” Ilagan said.

Ilagan said that a deeper societal understanding of the root causes of electoral violence could lead to initiatives to prevent and cure this problem in the future.

“For now, the least that we can do is to remain vigilant, raise people’s consciousness about peaceful and clean elections,” she said.

Buca was with her husband, Felix, in their mini-van when the gunmen attacked. Police said the husband tried to fight off the attackers, but was whipped with a pistol on the head.

The trio escaped after the shooting. The motive of the attack is still unknown, except that the woman was a coordinator for the Alagad party list.

The party list was founded in November 1997. Its current representative to Philippine Congress is Rep. Rodante Marcoleta. (Mindanao Examiner)

Protest Mount Over Killing Of Innocent Girl In South RP

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner /19 Apr) – Political activists on Thursday urged the Commission on Human Rights to expedite the investigation on the murder of a nine-year old school girl shot dead by government soldiers in the southern Philippines.

Grecil Buya was killed on March 31 during a military offensive against New People’s Army rebels in Compostela Valley’s New Bataan town. The military initially reported that the girl was fighting alongside with rebels.

The Gabriela Women’s Party List group also picketed Thursday in front of the CHR regional office in Davao City.

“As mothers, we are very dismayed over the escalating number of child-victims by these atrocious killings of the military and the nonchalance of the Arroyo government that coddles these perpetrators,” Prof. Luz Ilagan, of the Gabriela Women’s Party List said.

“We urge the CHR to fast track its investigation regarding this case as it highlights the prevalence of a policy within the organization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines against the basic rights of the children, especially those in highly militarized areas,” Ilagan said.

Buya is the latest victim of children casualties in the hands of the military while in the course of counter-insurgency campaign. She is the 59th children killed by the military the past years, Gabriela said. (Mindanao Examiner)

Women's Group Ends Int'l Celeb With Medical Missions In South RP

DAVAO CITY – The Gabriela Women’s Party ended Saturday the International Women’s Month celebration with two simultaneous medical missions in Davao City and Davao del Sur province in southern Philippines.

The humanitarian missions were held in poor communities in Matina Crossing in Davao City and in Sta. Cruz town in Davao del Sur.

The group organized the medical missions to culminate the International Women’s Month in order to highlight the health issues of women, it said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

The Gabriela party list said women health, among others, is oftentimes sacrificed by Filipino mothers to give way to other needs of their families.

Some 100 women participants attended the two missions.

Party List Group Volunteer In Hiding, Accuses Troops Of Grave Threats

DAVAO CITY (Mindanao Examiner / 24 Mar) – A woman, accused by government soldiers as supporter of the New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in the southern Philippines, went into hiding after security forces allegedly threatened her with harm.

The woman, mother of four children, sought the help of a Gabriela, after she escaped from their village in Davao City. She said soldiers were accusing her and that she feared for her life and family.

She said the soldiers are members of the Army’s 39th Infantry Battalion.

Gabriela said troops picked up the woman at least 3 times in different occasions and was forcing her to admit that she has been working clandestinely with the rebels, a charge the she has strongly denied.

Other soldiers also accused her as the successor of a slain peasant leader, Ester Patiga, who was killed by two motorcycle gunmen in December 2005.

Gabriela admitted the woman is a volunteer of the group and is a member of the Department of Social Welfare and Development livelihood program and Nagkahiusang Mag-uuma sa Lunayan-Bandera.

Gabriela said the military accused the woman of promoting mass-based programs of the NPA in her village and a courier of supplies of rebels and their families.

Hundreds of members of the progressive groups and political activists had been killed in the Philippines since 2001 and independent investigations by the United Nations and other fact-finding groups have linked most of the murders to the military.

The military denied all allegations. (Mindanao Examiner)

AFP May Bagong Ebidensya Na Naman Sa Mga Kaliwang Party List Groups!

MANILA (Mindanao Examiner / 23 Mar) - Muli na namang nakadiskubre ang militar ng mga sinasabing panibagong ebidensya na magpapatunay ng malinaw na ugnayan ng New People's Army (NPA) sa ilang party list groups sa bansa.

Sa nakuhang bag mula sa rebeldeng si Allan Villare na napatay sa engkuwentro sa bayan ng Juban sa Sorsogon noong Marso 20 ay nakapaloob diumano ang mga dokumento ng campaign plan para sa partylist groups na Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Kabataan, Anakpawis at Suara Bangsamoro.

"We have strong evidence that the NPA and these party list groups are connected," diin ni Lieutenant Colonel Benigno Antonio, pinuno ng Army's 2nd Infantry Battalion.

Magugunitang natisod naman ng militar sa Davao del Sur noong nakaraang buwan anng mga campaign posters at calendars ng Bayan Muna matapos ang sagupaan.

Ayon sa buod ng dokumento, ang campaign plan ay binubuo ng tatlong bahagi: una, isinakatuparan ng Pebrero 13 hanggang Marso 13 ang house to house campaign, paglalagay ng mga campaign posters, pagbuo ng alyansa sa mga lokal na opisyal ng gobyerno, pagtukoy ng mga poll watcher, at pagtatayo ng municipal headquarters.

Kasama rito ang pagtukoy ng mga kandidato at tagasuporta ng party list groups na kaalyado ng Malakanyang tulad ng Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD), Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas (PDSP), Akbayan, Sanlakas, Partido ng Manggagawa (PM), Akap, at Aksa.

Ikalawa, mula Marso 14 hanggang Abril 14, ang deployment ng propaganda teams sa mga dyip at tricycles, paglulunsad ng party congress municipalities at pagpapadala ng mga delegado para sa provincial conventions ng Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Kabataan, Anakpawis at Suara Bangsamoro.

Ikatlo, mula Abril 14 hanggang May 14, magpapadala ang rebeldeng grupo ng mga delegado para sa miting de avance na sasabayan rin ng mga protesta.

Ang mobile propaganda teams ng NPA ay bubuo ng caravan na maglilibot sa Sorsogon sa isang araw at sa mismong halalan ay agad na iuulat ang resulta ng eleksyon.

TInatayang 15,000 boto buhat sa Bulan, 7,000 sa Gubat at 3,000 sa Prieto Diaz ang minimum votes na makukuha ng mga partylist. Hindi naman agad makunan ng pahayag o reaksyon ang mga nabanggit na party lists. (Juley Reyes)

Equal Rights For Working Women Urged

DAVAO CITY — The Gabriela Women’s party list group on Thursday urged all institutions and offices to implement full protection for women in their workplaces after the Supreme Court recently decided in favor of a woman who was terminated due to her pregnancy in 1995.

The group, however, said Labor Code provisions regarding this matter are easily being skirted off by most companies by hiring single women.

This, the group claims, is a common policy opted by companies in order to avoid shelling out additional benefits for maternal heath care and other privileges given to pregnant employees.

Prof. Luz Ilagan, GWP national chair and second nominee, said that they have recorded several cases of employees in private establishments fired from jobs because of discovered pregnancy.

“Even in the government offices, married women have less work opportunities,” Ilagan said in a statement sent to the Mindanao Examiner.

Ilagan said that pregnant women employed in government offices who are not married cannot avail of their reproductive health rights like maternity leave and prenatal check-ups.

Filipino women, Ilagan said, suffer more under the growing economic crisis for they have been increasingly marginalized and discriminated against especially in terms of employment.

“Our party has deeply understood why women have been victimized in human trafficking and other desperate forms of livelihood. However, this is an alarming condition that government must take concrete action to rectify,” Ilagan said.

“Women have the right to employment and sustainable income like all other citizens. Their being women must not negate their role in the national production and development,” Ilagan said.