By LYN V. RAMO
During the press conference, the women thanked their supporters and the mass movement for their freedom. The questions from the journalists present ranged from what one supported described as inane (“Are you still mad at the military?”) to the curious (“What was it like being imprisoned for 10 months?”)
By RONALYN V. OLEA
and ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
BREAKING NEWS (Updated: 11:05 pm: Twenty-three female detainees have been released): Relatives and supporters of the political prisoners had been waiting for days for this moment to come, a week after President Benigno S. Aquino III ordered the dropping of charges against them. On Friday, they trooped to the court in Morong town in Rizal for the court’s release order and then, by nightfall, to Camp Bagong Diwa, where they waited for the authorities to free the detainees who had been jailed there for most of the past 10 months.
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Nov. 15 began like any other day for the families of Julio Borromeo and Sofronio Cortez. Borromeo was even excited because his work with Leonardo Co would be his highest paying job so far. But by the afternoon of that day, the lives of their families changed forever.
By BENJIE OLIVEROS
In media forum to mark anniversary of Ampatuan Massacre, journalists, media experts and human-rights advocates define and dissect impunity, “the dark side of accountability,” as one of them put it.
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld Posted by Bulatlat.com On July 10, or less than two weeks into his presidency, Benigno Aquino III told the Department of Justice to review the coup charges, which he described as “unjust,” against former Navy lieutenant and now Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. The order was interpreted at…
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
President Benigno S. Aquino III is “doing the exact opposite of his pronouncement that he will put closure to the human-rights violations of Arroyo and her cohorts. As commander-in-chief, he allowed the AFP to extend the counter-insurgency plan which was proven to have violated human rights.” Read more stories on Oplan Bantay Laya
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“It is inhumane for the court to order a nursing mother to go back to prison with her newborn child. We could only imagine [Carina’s] turmoil as none could be more horrid for a mother than the thought of her child being put in peril,” said Joms Salvador, deputy secretary-general of Gabriela.
By NORTHERN DISPATCH BAGUIO CITY — The 5th Infantry Division is imposing a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the local government units that violates the principle of civilian supremacy over the military, Simon “Ka Filiw” Naogsan, spokesman of the the Cordillera Peoples’ Democratic Front (CPDF), said in a statement sent to the media. In the…
By RONALYN V. OLEA
After the attempt on his brother-in-law’s life, peasant leader Dario Tomada fled to Luzon and took on different jobs to support his family back in Leyte. Five years later, he was arrested by soldiers for 15 counts of murder that allegedly took place in 1984 — when he was still peacefully tilling a small piece of land and was not involved in any organization.
By ALMA B. SINUMLAG Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat.com BAGUIO CITY – Women representatives from Asia Pacific countries shared their experiences on the impact of militarism in their homes at a conference on “Women Resisting Violence And War” held at the Igorot Lodge, Camp John Hay from July 19 to 21. In the conference workshop…
By MARYA SALAMAT
Special Report As the Philippine military continues to wage Oplan Bantay Laya, its so-called “dirty war” against communists as well as activists, peasants and workers, more and more innocent children are not only being caught in the crossfire but have become targets as well of human-rights violations.