The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Committee has found the Arroyo government guilty of violating the rights of human rights defenders Eden Marcellana and Eddie Gumanoy. Marcellana, then Karapatan-Southern Tagalog secretary general and Gumanoy, local peasant leader, were abducted and killed in April 2003. Witnesses point to the “Bonnet Gang,” a paramilitary group linked with…
Category: Breaking News
Party-list group Slams Mikey Arroyo for Cha-cha Initiatives
Anakpawis Party-list criticized the signature drive initiated by Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo, eldest son of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, at the House of Representatives as ‘reeking of nepotism and crass opportunism.’ Mikey Arroyo’s signature drive calls for the convening of a joint Constituent Assembly (Con-ass) of the House and the Senate for Charter change.…
77% of Pinoys reject Cha-cha – IBON survey
Seventy-seven percent of Filipinos reject moves to amend the Constitution or charter change (Cha-cha), according to the results of the latest IBON nationwide survey. Of the 72.4 percent of respondents who answered that they were aware of the Arroyo administration’s moves to amend or change the 1987 Constitution, 77.4 percent said they were not in…
Kin of Missing Activist Seek Solons’ Help
BY BULATLAT Exactly two months since James Balao disappeared, his family called on the members of the House of Representatives to conduct investigation and help them in their continuing search. Balao, founding member of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA), was abducted on Sept. 17, around 8 a.m. in Lower Tomay, La Trinidad Benguet by suspected…
Fil-Ams Say Arroyo’s Prayer for Peace Sham
BY BULATLAT Filipino-Americans in the United States called President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s prayer for peace a sham. Arroyo attended the interfaith forum of the United Nations in New York. In a statement sent through email, the US chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan-New Patriotic Alliance) said, “Although Arroyo attended to put forth this notion that she…
Another Activist Arrested for ‘False Charges’
BY BULATLAT Another activist was arrested by elements of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Calamba City, according to the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan-New Patriotic Alliance) in Southern Tagalog. Emmanuel Dionida, executive director of labor institute LEADERS, is among the 72 activists accused of multiple murder in connection with a raid by the New People’s…
GMA Gets Failing Marks for Performance — Survey
BY BULATLAT President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has received a mark of 70.2 percent for her performance, a survey by the independent think tank IBON Foundation shows. At the same time, her net satisfaction rating has remained at -75.6, which is one of the lowest she received since she assumed office in 2004. According to IBON, 71.02…
NUJP: Westmincom Biodata Requirement Violates Press Freedom
BY BULATLAT The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines has expressed outrage at the sudden requirement by Maj. Eugene Batara, spokesman of the military’s Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), for journalists to fill up biodata forms before they can be accredited for coverage. “The biodata is not only an invasion of privacy, it is a…
Int’l Mission Says Attacks on Lawyers, Judges Continue
BY BULATLAT Delegates of an independent international mission who visited the Philippines, Nov. 4 to 12, said the attacks on Filipino lawyers and judges continue. The International Verification and Fact-Finding Mission (IVFFM) of the Dutch Laywers for Lawyers Foundation (L4L Foundation) issued its initial findings at a press conference in Quezon City this morning. Members…
Groups Hit Gov’t before UN body
BY BULATLAT Leaders of two progressive organizations went to Geneva, Switzerland to raise ‘Philippine government’s violations to human rights and economic, social and cultural rights’ before the United Nations (UN) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) is the body of independent experts that monitors…
Another Activist Killed
Another activist in Davao del Norte was killed by suspected state agents, Nov. 10. Rolando Antolihao, cluster coordinator of Bayan Muna (People First) in Kapalong town, Davao del Norte and a worker at the Global Fruits Corporation was shot seven times in his home in Gabuyan village at around 6 p.m., according to Karapatan (Alliance…