Photo: Southern Philippines Turtles Mate Off Kiamba Town

A couple of Olive Ridley marine turtles mate at the municipal waters of Kiamba just in front of the Tuka Marine Park which is declared as marine sanctuary in Sarangani province in southern RP. (Photo by Allan C. de Lima/Kiamba News and Information Center)

Hustisya Sa "Sulu Massacre" Wala Pa Rin

SULU (Mindanao / Mar. 16, 2008) – Nanawagann kahapon sa pamunuan ng Armed Forces of the Philippines at Department of National Defense ang mga ulama at ibat-ibang grupo sa lalawigan ng Sulu upang mabigyan ng hustisya ang pagpaslang sa 7 sibilyan at isang off-duty soldier na mga sundalo.

Nuong Pebrero 4 naganap ang pagpatay sa 8 katao at nangangamba ngayon ang amraming grupo sa Sulu, kabilang na ang mga kaanak ng biktima, na pinagtatakpan ng Western Mindanao Command at Philippine Navy ang mga sundalong sabit sa krimen.

Pawang mga miyembro ng Army’s Light Reaction Company at Navy’s Special Wwarfare Group ang diumano’y responsible sa pamamaslang. Napatay umano ang 8 ng lusubin ng mga sundalo ang Barangay Ipil sa bayan ng Maimbung at nakipagsagupaan sa Abu Sayyaf.

Dalawang sundalo rin ang nasawi at limang iba pa ang sugatan sa panig ng LRC at SWAG, ngunit sa imbestigasyong inilabas ni Regional Director Manuel Mamauag ng Commission on Human Rights sa Western Mindanao ay lumalabas na walang Abu Sayyaf sa nasabing Barangay at pinatay ang walong katao ng walang kalaban-laban.

Ayon naman sa mga saksi ay nagkaroon ng “mis-encounter” ang mga LRC at SWAG at sila-sila mismo ang nagbarilan. Napagkamalan umano ng dalawang grupo ng mga sundalo na Abu Sayyaf ang isat-isa.

Nagsagawa ng imbestigasyon ang Western Mindanao Command sa nasabing labanan at inabswelto nito ang mga sundalo at iginiit na Abu Sayyaf ang kanilang napatay. Ngunit nag utos agad si AFP chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon ng sariling imbestigasyon matapos na bansagan ni Sulu Gov. Sakur Tan na isang masaker ang naganap.

Nagpatawag rin ng imbestigasyon si DND Secy. Gilbreto Teorodo upang mabatid ang katotohanan. Kabilang sa mga napatay ay dalawang bata, dalawang teenager, isang Barangay konsehal, isang seaweed farmer at isang babaeng buntis. Ang pagpatay sa kanila ay binansagan ng mga taga-rito an "Sulu Masscare". (Mindanao Examiner)

Zambo, Nagmistulang Ghost Town!

ZAMBOANGA CITY (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 16, 2008) – Nagmistulang “ghost town” ang maraming bahagi ng Zamboanga City kahapon dahil sa laban ni boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao kay Juan Miguel Marquez.

Nagtumpukan ang maraming mga manonood, partikular ang ordinaryong tagahanga ni Pacquaio at tricycle at jeepney driver sa ibat-ibang kainan at mga iba ay nasa sinehan at hotel.

Nakuha ni Pacquiao ang World Boxing Council Super Featherweight mula kay Marquez sa labanang naganap sa Mandalay Hotel sa Las Vegas. Si Pacquiao ang kauna-unahang Asyano na nagkamit ng tatlong ibat-ibang titulo sa larangan ng boxing.

Masaya ang naging laban para sa maraming mga taga-hanga ni Pacquiao sa Zamboanga City ngunit dahil sa kilalang sugarol ang mga Chabacano ay nauwi sa pustahan ang laban nina Pacquiao at Marquez.

Mustulang sabong ang boxing at kaliwa’t-kanan ang sigawan sa pustahan. “Katuwaan lamang itong pustahan,” ani naman ng isang “kristo” na nagpakilalang lamang sa pangalang Jason.

Umabot umano sa 400 ang kumisyon at balato na nakuha ni Jason sa pustahan. Wala rin inulat na krimen sa Zamboanga City sa ilang oras ng labanan kahapon katulad ng inaasahan ng pulisya. (Mindanao Examiner)

1 Killed In Drive-By Shooting In South RP

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 15, 2008) – Unidentified gunmen fired on a crowd of people in what witnesses said was a drive-by shooting in Zamboanga City in southern Philippines.

The attack occurred late Friday near a Muslim enclave and radio reports said several men were believed involved in the firing. But it was unclear whether police has established a motive for the attack or if it was connected to a gang war.

One teenager was reported killed in the shooting and that several others were injured.

No group claimed responsibility for the shooting, but police investigators have interviewed witnesses who claimed to saw the attackers in two vehicles.

Street wars are common occurrence in Zamboanga City, particularly between gang members and in previous attacks had killed and seriously injured young men. (Mindanao Examiner)

Mindanao Peace Caravan Gets Huge Support In Central Philippines

CEBU CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 15, 2008) – Peace advocates have welcomed the Mindanao Peace Caravan as it crossed from the southern to the Visayas en route to Luzon.

The caravan was recently in Cebu where locals have pledged support to the efforts and peace campaign of the caravan, made up of different stake holders in the South whose aim is to foster unity in the land. While in Cebu, the caravan also held a forum participated by different non-government organizations and civil society groups and supporters.

Lito Vasquez, chairman of the Freedom from Debt Coalition, the leading organizer of a series of activities here to welcome the peace caravan, said the forum "has helped a lot in raising the awareness of Cebuanos, especially on the need to resolve the long-drawn conflict in Mindanao.

Cebuano is term referring to the residents of Cebu province in the Visayan region in central Philippines.

After hearing speakers from Mindanao led by Oblate priest Roberto Layson, Vasquez said: "We realized that our local officials were wrong in saying we shouldn't mind the things happening in Mindanao - what is important is the stable peace and order that we have in the Visayas."

“We realized that everything that have happened in Mindanao are really affecting us in the Visayas not only because many Visayans are in Mindanao and some Mindanaoans are in Visayas, but more because of the fact that if the economy slows down in Mindanao, it also has some effects in Visayas' economy," he added.

Layson, also co-chairman of the Mindanao Peace Caravan, urged Filipinos to unite for peace. “The problem in Mindanao is also the problem of the country and peace for Mindanao is also peace for this country,” he said in the forum.

The priest said that he experienced four wars in Mindanao and had seen many children suffered and died at evacuation centers.

"Kung kailangan naming lumuhod para supurtahan kami sa aming peace struggle, gagawin naming. (If we need to kneel and beg for the people to support this cause, then we will beg),” the priest said. “We have traveled so far in places where we have not gone before only to ask you to help us knock on the doors of Malacanang for them to listen to us and the youths."

The caravan started in five major cities in Mindanao on March 13 and is heading to Corregidor island in Luzon. It is joined by peace advocates from the provinces of Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur and del Norte, Basilan, Sulu, North Cotabato, and Davao del Sur. Others came from the cities of Davao, Kidapawan, Cotabato, Zamboanga and Tagum.

Memen Lauzon, of the Initiatives for International Dialogue, co-organizer of the peace caravan, also appealed to Manila to pursue the peace talks with Muslim rebels in Mindanao after negotiations stalled in December last year.

“The impasse in the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front has made many peace-loving Filipinos very weary of the possibility of another war. That is why we are appealing the government to immediately sign an accord with the MILF and also deliver its commitment in the 1996 peace agreement with the Moro National Liberation Front.”

The MNLF has forged a peace agreement with the government in 1996, but it accused Manila of reneging to its commitment. Under the peace agreement, Manila is to provide livelihood and job opportunities to thousands of former rebels.

Anwar Opahm, spokesperson of the United Youth for Peace and Development, said many youths have joined the caravan for the sole quest of peace and unity in Mindanao and the rest of the country.

"Mindanao is not only faced with natural disaster but disasters brought about by the war that killed many people," Opahm said. (Candido Aparece, Jr.)

Cop Killers Hunted In Mindanao

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 15, 2008) – Police have mounted wide manhunt for three men who killed two policemen in the troubled Muslim autonomous region in southern Philippines.

“Police forces are tracking down the men responsible in the killings,” Chief Supt. Joel Goltiao, the regional police chief, told the Mindanao Examiner.

The two policemen – Edgar Espra and Prang Andig - were killed late Friday inside a commuter van in Shariff Kabunsuan’s Sultan Kudarat town by three passengers. One passenger was also hit by a stray bullet, Goltiao said.

The motive of the attack is still unknown, but Goltiao said it could be linked to a family feud.

“Feud could the motive in the killings because one of the victims, PO1 Prang Andig, a son-in-law of Parang town Mayor Talib Abo, was said to have many enemies before he became a policeman. Andig was believed to be the real target here,” Goltiao said without elaborating.

There was no immediate statement from the family of Andig.

Clan war, gun attacks and extra-judicial killings are not uncommon in the Muslim autonomous region. Dozens of people had been killed in clan war and gun attacks in recent years in the Muslim region considered as the poorest in the country.

The region was also targeted in the past by terrorist bombings blamed by authorities to the local Abu Sayyaf group and Indonesian militant Jemaah Islamiya. (Mindanao Examiner)

Govt Pursues Infra Projects In South

DAVAO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 13, 2008) – Manila is to pursue the implementation of at least 27 priority infrastructure projects in southern Philippines as part of the so-called Mindanao Super Region program.

The projects would include seven airports, two sea ports, nine roads and bridges, eight power and energy projects and one major irrigation project. Small irrigation projects and farm-to-market roads are also being constructed to serve the agribusiness farmers in Mindanao.

Government officials and representatives from the private sectors and international development partners also met Thursday in Davao City for the 3rd National Government Infrastructure Forum.

The Arroyo government has been rocked by corruption allegations and scandals involving her family and the opposition and civil society groups have demanded the President’s resignation to pave way for the holding of snap elections.

Muslims in Mindanao also want independence. (Mindanao Examiner)

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Photo: Sarangani's Lamlunay Research And Learning Center

A caretaker inspects mango seedlings at the Lamlunay Research and Learning Center (LRLC) in the village of Upo, finalist in the recent Gawad Galing Pook national awards on outstanding local governance programs. LRLC in Maitum town in Sarangani province is a 108-hectare facility that maintains nurseries of fruit trees and other crops and distributes seedlings to different villages. LRLC demo farms use sloping agricultural land technology. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/Sarangani Provincial Information Office)

Philippine Troops Intercept Bomb, Detain 2 Men

COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 12, 2008) – Philippine soldiers intercepted a homemade bomb and detained two men transporting the explosive in the province of Shariff Kabunsuan in Mindanao, officials said.

Officials said the soldiers discovered the bomb after stopping a commuter van at a checkpoint in the villager of Maker in Datu Odin Sinsuat town before dawn Wednesday.

Soldiers also questioned several passengers on suspicion they were part terrorists and handed them over to the local police for further interrogation. “We still don’t know anything about the suspects or their backgrounds. Authorities are investigating the suspects,” Col. Julieto Ando, spokesman for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, told the Manila Times.

He said soldiers recovered two kilos of TNT explosive, a 60mm mortar rocket, electronic blasting caps and wires, galvanized iron nails and a cellular phone used as a detonator to trigger explosion.

Ando said civilian informants provided intelligence that led to the arrest of the suspects, including the van’s driver and one of the passengers. He did not say how many passengers were on board the van or whether other weapons had been recovered from the vehicle.

The military have repeatedly warned that terrorists may launch a series of attacks in retaliation to the killing of a purported Jemaah Islamiya bomber in the country's troubled south.

Southern Philippines military officials had said that soldiers recovered the body of man thought to be Dulmatin on a remote village in Tawi-Tawi province last month.

But DNA test by the Philippine National Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation is yet to confirm whether the body was really that of Dulmatin, one of those who masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, 25 Britons and seven US citizens.

Filipino security officials had also said that Dulmatin was killed in previous government offensives in the southern Philippines.

Indonesian police said Dulmatin, half-Javanese and half-Arabic, was the man who mixed and assembled the 500kg bomb that destroyed the Sari Club during the Bali attack.

Dulmatin's assassination would be the biggest breakthrough in the hunt for the remaining Bali bombers the past years. Another Bali bomber, Umar Patek, is believed hiding in Sulu or Tawi-Tawi province under the protection of the local Abu Sayyaf group.

Philippine authorities last month also claimed to have uncovered a plot by the Jemaah Islamiya, the Abu Sayyaf, the New People's Army and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to assassinate President Gloria Arroyo and other high government officials. (With a report from Mark Navales)

US: Political Killings Still A Problem In RP - ABS-CBN TV

Arbitrary, unlawful arrests and extra-judicial and political killings continued to be a major problem in the Philippines in 2007, the United States government said Wednesday.

In its 2007 report on the human rights conditions in the Philippines (http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100535.htm), Washington noted that many of these killings went unsolved and unpunished despite intensified efforts of the government to investigate and prosecute these cases.

“Concerns about impunity persisted. Members of the security services committed acts of physical and psychological abuse on suspects and detainees, and there were instances of torture,” the report said, adding: “Arbitrary or warrantless arrests and detentions were common. Trials were delayed, and procedures were prolonged. Prisoners awaiting trial and those already convicted were often held under primitive conditions.”

Left-wing and human rights activists were often subject to harassment by local security forces, the report said.

The US also noted that corruption has pervaded institutions making up the criminal justice system, including police, prosecutorial and judicial organs.

Problems such as violence against women and abuse of children, child prostitution, trafficking in persons, child labor, and ineffective enforcement of worker rights were also common.

The report took note of the measures taken by the Philippine government to step up its investigation and prosecution of cases of arbitrary, unlawful, and extrajudicial killings.

It said these measures included the creation of human rights offices in the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, the Supreme Court’s petition for a writ of amparo, and President Arroyo’s directive for “cooperation and coordination” between prosecutors and police from the outset of a political or media killing "until the termination of cases in court."

“The full results of these reforms in terms of indictments and convictions were not yet visible, but government agencies, human rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and even some of the government's critics noted a significant decrease in the number of killings,” the report said.

Arroyo Signs Nat'l Budget Worth Over P1 Trillion

Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo shows the General Appropriation Act of 2008 which she signs Tuesday, March 11, 2008 in Malacanang's Rizal Hall. The signing is witnessed by Vice President Noli De Castro, House Speaker Prospero Nograles, and some members of the House of Representative and other senators.(Photos by Rey Baniquet/Office of the President)

MANILA, Philippines - President Gloria Arroyo signed into law in Malacañang the P1.127-trillion General Appropriations Act (GAA) for 2008.

Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr. has described the General Appropriations Act of 2008 as an outlay that will be totally supported by internal revenues as it reflects government confidence in a continued “economic upturn.”

The budget is premised on revenues of P1.236 trillion—P1.108 trillion from taxes and P127 billion in non-tax revenues. Of the tax revenues, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will contribute P885 billion and the Bureau of Customs (BOC), P254 billion.

The 2008 GAA has doubled its investment in housing to P7.6 billion and increased funds for economic services to P287 billion from P242 billion, social services to P368 billion from P320 billion, and defense to P61 billion from P53 billion.

Topping the list of recipient agencies of the 2008 budget is the Department of Education with P146 billion, followed by the Department of Public Works and Highways, P94.5 billion; National Defense, P56.1 billion; Interior and Local Government, P52.6 billion; Agriculture, P23.8 billion; Transportation and Communications, P22.3 billion; Health, P16.3 billion; Agrarian Reform, P13 billion; Judiciary P10.2 billion; and Foreign Affairs, P10.1 billion.

Cuba Demands Release Of Political Prisoners

The five Cuban men held in US prison.

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 11, 2008) – Cuba has renewed demands for the release of five of its agents being held in the United States for nearly ten years now.

Cuban Ambassador to the Philippines, Jorge Rey Jiménez, said the five -- Gerardo Hernández, Antonio Guerrero, Ramón Labañino, Fernando González and René González -- were sentenced for fighting the terrorism that has been launched against Cuba from the US for the last 48 years.

He said the five men came to the US in the early 1990s in response to the wave of violence directed at Cuba by mercenary groups from the Cuban exile community in southern Florida.

They were sent to infiltrate the network of terrorist groups that had been attacking Cuba. Washington became aware of their presence in the US and were arrested in 1998 and prosecuted on a variety of charges, including failure to register as foreign agents. Three were charged with conspiracy to commit espionage; one was charged with conspiracy to commit murder.

“Having infiltrated Cuban extremist groups in Miami, the Cuban Mafia, which the US authorities organize and protect, their intelligence was impeding terrorist operations that have cost our country over 3,000 dead and hundreds of injured and maimed,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.

Jiménez said Cuba is demanding the immediate release from US prisons of the five anti-terrorist fighters, now known as the “Cuban Five,” who have been held as political prisoners.

A Miami jury convicted them on all counts after a seven-month trial. It was the longest trial in the history of the US at the time. During the trial, the attorneys for the five Cuban men requested a change of venue from Miami to another city five times. The judge denied each request.

In December 2001, two of the five men -- Gerardo Hernández and Rene Gonzalez --were sentenced to life in prison -- one to 19 years, and the other to 15 years.

But the Cuban Ambassador said: “These five compatriots were unjustly sentenced at a trial which was declared illegal and void, by a panel of the Atlanta appeal court judges. Also the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions declared the Cuban Five innocent and their trial, which was held in Miami, illegal.”

He said a worldwide campaign seeking justice for the five political prisoners is gathering strength. “They must be freed,” he said.

In January, a strong demand for the release of the five men was also made at the World Social Forum in Madrid.

Filipino human rights advocates in Manila are also demanding the release of the five Cuban political prisoners, Jiménez said. (Mindanao Examiner)

NPA Owns Up Attack On Mining Firm In South RP

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Arroyo Urges Congress To Approve Consumer Bill Of Rights

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar.10, 2008) - Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo urged Congress on Monday to approve the Consumer Bill of Rights to protect the public from unscrupulous traders, price manipulations and unfair trade practices, government media said.

Arroyo said the Congressional approval of the Consumer Bill of Rights will go a long way in easing the people’s burden arising from high prices and unfair practices.

"The high price of gasoline and everyday commodities hits our poor the hardest. While the high price of oil and now, the high price of rice in the world market due to global warming and therefore reduced production, is a global issue outside the control of government, we have nevertheless taken and will continue to take actions to reduce the pain on our people of these high prices,” she said in her address before some 3,000 participants of the 4th Mindanao Cooperative Summit in Cagayan de Oro City in Northern Mindanao.

She said the government is doing everything possible to lessen the impact on consumers of the current high prices of oil and prime commodities, including rice.

She pointed out that as part of government initiatives to reduce the price of oil in the local market despite the continuing increase in the price of the commodity in the world market, the government has reduced the tariff on oil imports.

"We have cut tariffs. We have started providing targeted cash payments to the poorest of our poor to help them cope. And we ask now Congress, Congressman Cua, Congressman Aquino, to help us enact a Consumer Bill of Rights to protect our citizens from price gouging, false advertising and other scams that prey on our people," Arroyo said.

She also ordered the National Food Authority to help stop the reported irregularities involving the distribution of NFA rice, including the diversion of subsidized rice intended for the Tindahan Natin outlets to commercial markets.

She said the reported diversion of NFA rice is “part of the culture of corruption that we still have to fight."

"And so we have ordered the NFA to prudently and strictly manage the distribution of the subsidized rice packs. And the NFA has begun by putting its own house in order,” Arroyo said. (With a report from Mark Navales)

Labor Leader Killed In Philippines

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is shocked to learn that a labour leader who survived an earlier attempt on his life in April 2006 was shot dead this morning, March 10.

Gerardo Cristobal (a.k.a. Gerry) was driving his vehicle when armed men riding in another vehicle open fired at him soon after chasing him. He suffered several fatal gunshot wounds which killed him instantly. Gerardo, an organizer of labour unions in Cavite, South of Manila, had been facing continuing threats since surviving the 2006 incident.

CASE DETAILS: (according to information received from Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR))

As described in our previous appeal (UA-142-2006; UP-098-2006), labour activist Gerardo Cristobal (a.k.a. Gerry) survived an earlier attempt on his life on 28 April 2006 by gunmen later identified as a member of the police force and another man who was said to be a member of the civil security unit.

At around 8 am this morning, Gerardo was driving his car from his house in Barangay (village) Malagasang II, Imus, Cavite when armed men riding in another vehicle chased him and subsequently open fired at him as they chased him towards a crowded place in the said municipality.

It is reported that the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco), who are supposed to conduct an onsite investigation, allegedly asked a local funeral home in Dasmarinas to collect Gerardo's body instead of conducting an investigation at the crime scene. Gerardo's body was later transferred to another funeral home. As of yet, the complete details regarding Gerardo's have not been made available.

In April 2006, Gerardo survived an attempt on his life after having exchanged fire with his attackers who were later identified as Senior Police Office 1 (SP01) Romeo Lara, a member of police' intelligence unit in Imus, Cavite and his companion, Larry Reyes, a member of the Civil Security Unit (CSU) of the same municipality. Gerardo at the time had to carry his own licensed firearm for protection due to continuing threats against him.

At the time, Gerardo suffered multiple gunshots wound but later recovered after receiving medical treatment. After the ambush, the local police claimed instead that it was Gerardo who had ambushed the police and security forces, and subsequently filed charges of frustrated murder against him. This, however, was contrary to Gerardo's version of story.

Eight months later, December 2006, Gerardo's colleague, Jesus Servida (a.k.a. Buth) was also shot dead in front of the factory where they help organizing unions. Two other workers, Joel Sale and Kenny Mari Severo, were also wounded during the shooting. For further information please read: UA-399-2006. None of the perpetrators in this case have so far been identified, arrested and prosecuted for the murder.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS:
The murder of Gerardo Cristobal demonstrates the severity of the security problem and the lack of safety of activists. In Gerardo's case, apart from having no choice but to carry his own firearms for protection, there has not been any known action or arrangement afforded to him that he be afforded with security for his safety by the authorities.

In the Philippines, policemen are seen as adversaries by the activists for having been involved in carrying attempts on their lives and for their inaction into affording them any form of protection.

Gerardo's death is a case in point. Often, when an activist faces and receives threats to his or herself, going to police station and concerned authorities is not an option. They rather take upon themselves any arrangement for protection. There are also cases where a person facing threats refuses to divulge his plight to his anyone.

This, however, has been proven fatal in most cases involving killings of activists. In May 2006, activist Elena Mendiola (a.k.a. Baby) was also shot dead after having been survived an earlier attempt on her life. For details please read: UP-106-2006.

The AHRC has in recent times has expressed serious concerns over the continuing violence and the lack of protection to activists facing threats in the Philippines.

AHRC-STM-016-2008: PHILIPPINES: KILLINGS - Two more killings: a priest and a judge - a symptom of lawlessness

AHRC-STM-014-2008: PHILIPPINES: KILLINGS – Why can't security forces act without being asked?

AHRC-STM-009-2008: PHILIPPINES: KILLINGS – Claims of police efficiency at odds with reality

AHRC-STM-007-2008: PHILIPPINES: Killings leave deeply entrenched fear and distrust

SUGGESTED ACTION:Please write letters to the concerned authorities demanding their immediate attention into the killing of Gerardo Cristobal. An inquiry must be conducted as to who is responsible for his death and why the authorities have failed to afford him adequate protection. Those involved in the previous attempt on his life, in particular the police, must also be investigated to establish whether or not they have any involvement in his murder.

The AHRC writes letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary, or Arbitrary Executions and Special Representative of the Secretary General for human rights defenders calling for interventions in this matter.

To support this appeal, please click here:

SAMPLE LETTER:

Dear ___________,
PHILIPPINES: Labour leader who survives an earlier attempt on his life is killed
Name of victim: Gerardo Cristobal (35), a resident of Barangay (village) Malagasang II, Imus, CaviteAlleged perpetrators: unidentified armed menPlace of incident: Barangay (village) Malagasang, Imus, CaviteDate of incident: At around 8am, 10 March 2008.

I am shocked to learn that Gerardo Cristobal (a.k.a. Gerry), a labour activist who survived an attempt on his life in April 2006 had been shot dead on March 10, 2008. He was riding in his service vehicle coming from his place when armed men riding in another vehicle open fired at him and the vehicle he was driving. Gerardo died instantly due to multiple gunshot wounds he suffered during the attack.

I am aware that prior to his killing, Gerardo had earlier survived an attempt on his life by perpetrators later identified as a member of a police intelligence unit and security forces. However, none of those involved in previous attack on him have been held to account.

In fact, I have learned that Gerardo was instead been charged for supposedly attempting to murder the policeman and members of security forces who actually were responsible in attacking him.

I am also aware that Gerardo's colleague, Jesus Servida (a.k.a. Buth), was shot dead in December 2006, eight months after the first attack on Gerardo. Two other workers were also wounded during the said attack. However, I am not aware of any progress regarding these two separate incidents; nor the perpetrators responsible been held to account. None of those involved in shooting Jesus to death, wounding the two workers, and the first attempt on Gerardo's life have been held to account.

Also, I am deeply concerned by the reported action taken by the Scene of the Crime Operatives (Soco) in Gerardo's case for allegedly not properly conducting investigation at the crime scene. I have been informed that instead of conducting proper onsite investigation, the police have instead reportedly instructed a funeral parlor to take the victim's body out with them.

In so doing, I am seriously concerned that even at the early stage of investigation it has already been undermined as a result of the police' negligence and inaction. I urge you to look into these allegations seriously and have the policemen involved investigated.

It is disappointing that human rights and labour activists has since been continuously becomes target of these killings and atrocities. I am aware that this is not the first time wherein an activist is killed after surviving an earlier attempt on their lives. I am extremely shocked by this deteriorating condition and the continued lack of protection for human rights and labour activists in the country.

I therefore urge you that any action taken in Gerardo's case must be effective and adequate, in particular of ensuring that those responsible are held to account.

Yours sincerely,

-------------------

PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:

1. Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
President
Republic of the Philippines
Malacanang Palace
JP Laurel Street, San Miguel
Manila 1005
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 736 1010 Tel: +63 2 735 6201 / 564 1451 to 80
E-mail: corres@op.gov.ph

2. Mrs. Purificacion Quisumbing
Commissioner
Commission on Human Rights
SAAC Bldg., Commonwealth Avenue
U.P. Complex, DilimanQuezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 929 0102 Tel: +63 2 928 5655 / 926 6188
E-mail: drpvq@yahoo.com

3. Deputy Director General Avelino Razon
Chief, Philippine National Police (PNP)
Camp General Rafael Crame
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2724 8763 Tel: +63 2 726 4361/4366/8763
E-mail: bluetree73@gmail.com

4. Mr. Raul Gonzalez
Secretary
Department of Justice (DoJ)
DOJ Bldg., Padre Faura1004
Manila
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 521 1614
E-mail: agnesdeva@yahoo.com

5. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon
Chief of Staff
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP)
AFP-GHQ Offices, Camp Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo
Quezon City
PHILIPPINES
Fax: +63 2 911 6436 Tel: +63 2 911 6001 to 50

Thank you.

Urgent Appeals ProgrammeAsian Human Rights Commission (ua@ahrchk.org)

Peace Talks Top Agenda In MILF Meet; Army Protests Presence Of Huge Armed Rebels In Mindanao

Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels on their way to a meeting in Lanao del Sur province in southern Philippines. Muslims on Monday, March 10, 2008, say they are supporting the MILF demand for a separate homeland in Mindanao. (Mindanao Examiner Photo/Mark Navales)

LANAO DEL SUR, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 10, 2008) – Tens of thousands of Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels gathered on a remote Philippine town, discussing the slow progress and the danger of a possible collapse of the peace talks with Manila.

The Philippine military accused the MILF of violating the truce after rebel forces arrived in convoys of trucks and jeeps, armed with high-power weapons, in Lanao del Sur province.

“We have filed a protest with the government cease-fire committee. The rebels cannot bring their weapons or display them publicly,” Maj. Gen. Nehemias Pajarito, commander of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, told the Mindanao Examiner.

Pajarito said the MILF meeting has no permission from provincial government officials and that the presence of rebels alarmed civilians in Lanao del Sur and other areas where the convoys passed.

“The site of rebels armed with high-power weapons in public places is enough reason for civilians to be scared and alarmed. We are monitoring the situation in the province,” the general said.

The MILF said it sought permission to hold the meeting from the Coordinating Committee on Cessation of Hostilities and local government officials.

The MILF, the country’s largest Muslim rebel group, said the seven-year old peace talks now hang in the balance and it assailed the Arroyo government for failing to find a just and lasting solution to end the more than four decades of Muslim insurgency in Mindanao, a region rich in natural resources, but is deep in poverty and torn by strife and terrorism.

More than 100,000 rebels gathered since Sunday in Butig, a Muslim town created in 1963 by then President Diosdado Macapagal, father of now Filipino leader Gloria Arroyo, who opened peace talks with the MILF in 2001 after catapulting herself into power through a bloodless people power revolution.

Peace talks between the government and rebels had been stalled since September 2007 after both sides failed to agree on the scope of the ancestral domain, which is the single most important issue in the negotiations marred by sporadic clashes between security and MILF forces.

The MILF is demanding recognition of the Muslim ancestral domain, which will make a separate homeland that covers the whole of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao consisting of the provinces of Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao and Basilan province.

And also other areas in Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and Sarangani provinces, Palawan where there are large communities of Muslims and indigenous tribes.

Rebel leaders have repeatedly accused Manila of reneging to its commitment.

Chief MILF peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal said the Philippine peace panel, headed by Rodolfo Garcia, last year had agreed on the scope of the Muslim ancestral domain, but later reneged on the accord that will constitute a homeland for over 4 million Muslims and indigenous tribes in Mindanao.

Iqbal said the government peace negotiators completely disregarded the agreement on the ancestral domain and insisted again that the granting of homeland to Muslims in Mindanao would solely be through Constitutional process which the rebel group previously opposed. The Philippine Constitution prohibits the dismembering of the country.

The MILF also said there is a group which could sabotage the peace talks. But it did not give details or say who is behind that group or its motives for plotting to derail the peace talks.

However, many politicians whose family owns vast tracks of lands and business interests in Mindanao are opposing the MILF demand for a separate state, saying, it would displaced Christians in areas covered by the ancestral domain.

Mindanao was once under the rule of the Sultan of Sulu and North Borneo until Christian settlers occupied ancestral lands.

The MILF previously appealed to rebels for patience as the talks stalled over demands for a separate Muslim homeland. Last month, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney met Ebrahim and discussed the peace process in Mindanao. The US had in the past offered as much as $30 million to fund development projects in Muslim areas in the southern region should the MILF signed a peace agreement with Manila.

The prospect of resuming the stalled peace talks remains unknown and this is further aggravated by anti-Arroyo protests and street rallies over accusations of corruptions and scandals in the government.

Mohammad Ameen, a senior rebel leader, previously said the MILF will only sign a peace deal with the Arroyo government if it establishes genuine governance for Muslims either in the form of "state" or "sub-state". The MILF earlier warned that hostilities may erupt in Mindanao if the peace talks fail. (With reports from Mark Navales and Merlyn Manos)

Rice Dryer Funds For South Leyte Now Ready

MAASIN CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 09, 2008) - Funds for the installing of high-tech rice dryer here in this province amounting to about P3M is ready to be released by the office of the President.

The funds are to be raffled among the qualified rice-producing municipalities, according to a source from the office of Rep. Roger Mercado. He said t there should be letters of request from the Chief Executives of the qualified municipalities (LGU) addressed to the Congressman’s office.

He explained that a raffle is to be conducted among the interested parties to have a “fair play” in making the selections. This is also to avoid any complaint and unreasonable grumbling later on when the project is already in place, he said.

However, interested LGUs that want to avail as the potential recipient of the project must have its own lot big and ideal enough for the installation of the high-tech rice dryer. He said Congressman Mercado will make an inspection tour to the proposed site from the applicants for study and evaluation.

“Interested LGUs that is a rice-producing area must have its own lot as one of the requirements for being the potential recipient of the high-tech rice dryer”, he pointed out.

When queried about Governor Damian Mercado’s project to install also 6 rice dryers in areas like Sogod Bay and Pacific towns, he said that the Governor can go on with his.

“The high-tech rice dryer is a project of Congressman Mercado with funds coming from the office of the President”, he clarified, “There’s no conflict with that. Congressman Mercado’s project is just an additional to that of his younger brother’s.”

The municipalities that are entitled to make and submit their proposals for the possible acquisition of the high-tech device are Libagon, St.Bernard, Hinundayan, Hinunangan and Silago. (Quirico M. Gorpido, Jr.)

Jun Lozada, Off-Limits Sa ARMM Campus

MAGUINDANAO (Mindanao Examiner / Mar. 09, 2008) – Umani ng kaliwa’t-kanang batikos mula sa mga estudyante at militanteng grupo ang Department of Education sa Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) matapos diumano’y ipag-utos nito ang pagbabawal kay NBN-ZTE scandal whistle blower Jun Lozada na magsalita sa mga campus.

Limang lalawigan ang sakop ng ARMM at kasalukuyang nasa campus tour si Lozada sa Mindanao, ngunit pinangunahan na ng DepEd-ARMM ito. Bawal na umano na magsalita sa mga estudyante si Lozada, particular sa isyu ng NBN-ZTE deal na tadtad ng eskandalo bunsod ng mga alegasyong overpriced ito ng $130 milyon.

Galing umano ang kautusan sa pamunuan ng DepEd-ARMM. Naunang ipinag-bawal ni Education Secy. Jesli Lapuz si Lozada na mag-ikot sa mga campus sa Maynila ngunit matapos na umani ito ng maraming batikos ay pinasinungalingang may nasabing kautusan.

Takot umano ang Malakanyang sa malaking simpatiya na nakukuha ni Lozada mula sa mga paaralan at sa maainit na pagtanggap sa kanya ng mga estudyante sa Metro-Manila.

Maging sa ibang bahagi ng Mindanao ay malaki rin ang suporta ni Lozada mula sa mga estudyante. Hindi naman mabatid kung itutuloy pa ni Lozada ang planong pagiikot sa mga campus sa ARMM, na kilalang balwarte ng mag-amang Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan at ARMM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan na parehong mga loyalista ni Pangulong Gloria Arroyo.

Ang ARMM rin ang isa sa mga lugar na diumano’y talamak ang pandaraya, pananakot at vote-buying nuong nakaraang Presidential elections. Malakas ang suporta ni Arroyo sa mga opisyal ng lalawigan ng ARMM dahil sa marami nitong proyekto doon. Kilalang Arroyo county ang ARMM at ang mag-amang Ampatuan ang ilan lamang sa mga gubernador na nagbuhos ng suporta kay Arroyo nuong kasagsagan ng mga rally sa Maynila. (Mindanao Examiner)

Photo: Sarangani Province's Own Version Of White Water Rafting

French nurse Clotilde Bur, 23, rides with guides and local tourists over the 1.6-kilometer white water “tubing” adventure in the village of New la Union in Maitum town in Sarangani province. White water “tubing,” the local version of Cagayan de Oro City’s white water rafting, is the top tourist draw in the town, luring domestic and foreign tourists who dare take the breathtaking adventure aboard a "salba-bida" (inflated tire tube) downstream, across rapids and forest cover. Maitum posted 19% increase in tourist arrivals, from 10,818 in 2006 to 12,895 last year. (Photo by Cocoy Sexcion/Sarangani Information Office)