Two-faced Noy EDITORIAL 11/06/2011

Two-faced Noy

EDITORIAL

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11/06/2011
Noynoy, now before the world, during the YouTube Worldwide Series interview, exposed his Janus face on transparency and on press freedom when he was asked about the Freedom of Information (FoI) bill.

With the list of ridiculous excuses he raised from the stock alibi of consultations that are being made, to the right of way issue which was the most “creative” he has thought of yet, Noynoy was obviously stonewalling on the FoI issue.

The right of way argument is similar to a tardy student’s alibi of a spaceship landing in the middle of the road, causing a traffic jam and thus is his explanation his being late for his class..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111106com1.html

Pure BS FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 11/06/2011

Pure BS

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

11/06/2011
Outgoing military chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz claimed that there are no longer areas of temporary stay (ATS) and instructed his troops to continue pursuit operations against the “lawless elements” behind the massacre of 19 Special Forces soldiers in Al-Barka, Basilan.

At the same time, the invisible and silent Defense chief, Voltaire Gazmin, suddenly found his voice and surfaced to say that the Armed Forces of the Philippines will get fugitive Dan “Laksaw” Asnawi, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)’s second highest commander said to have led the massacre of the 19 soldiers.

All that military talk is pure BS, and if these generals and the Defense chief think the people are buying their spiel, they should think again. Filipinos aren’t stupid..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111106com2.html

The law case of the century: Indictment against NATO military and political leaders

The law case of the century: Indictment against NATO military and political leaders

NATO: Indictment for breach of international law in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. The military and political leaders of NATO are hereby accused of the following crimes committed in the Libyan campaign of 2011, in which the systematic breaches of international law are underlined.

Understanding that international law exists and that it is systematically broken by certain powers with impunity, understanding that such a situation is unacceptable and that the same set of laws should apply to all, equally, with the same sets of weights and measures employed in upholding it, I hereby accuse NATO and the below-mentioned individuals, party to its acts in the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya from February to September (ongoing) 2011, of breach of international law;

1. Accusation: NATO war crimes, crimes against humanity, breach of UN Charter, Breach of UNSC Resolutions, breach of Geneva Conventions, occasioning murder, attempted murder, actions occasioning grievous and actual bodily harm, destruction of private and public property..... MORE

Source:  Pravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/opinion/columnists/06-11-2011/119534-indictment_nato-0/

Reign of assassins

Reign of assassins

By LUIS V. TEODORO
Vantage Point | BusinessWorld
President Benigno Aquino III has “vowed,” say media reports, to get the killers of Fr. Fausto Tentorio even if they should turn out to be members of the paramilitary groups he, Aquino, has refused to dismantle.
The call has been made often for the dismantling of paramilitary groups, among them the Civilian Volunteer Organizations (CVOs) and Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Units (CAFGU) armed and trained by the Armed Forces and that have figured prominently in the assassinations and massacres, illegal arrest and detention, and abduction and torture that in many areas of the Philippine countryside occur with impunity.

But that call assumed particular urgency in the aftermath of the Ampatuan Massacre of Nov. 23, 2009, in which the CVOs that were functioning as part of the private armies of the Maguindanao warlords figured prominently.

Fr. Tentorio was the missionary who had been working in Mindanao for 30 years, among whose advocacies in behalf of the lumad (non-Muslim) communities he was serving included opposition to mining. Fr. Tentorio was killed by unidentified gunmen last Monday, October 17, outside a church in Arakan, North Cotabato.
By no means was the Fr. Tentorio killing the only incident of its kind. Others, including priests, community activists, and Muslim and lumad leaders, have also been killed in Mindanao, both prior to and during the present administration...... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/10/28/reign-of-assassins/

Quest for a bargain... to the grave FEATURE 11/06/2011

Quest for a bargain... to the grave

FEATURE

11/06/2011
BERLIN — “If you find it cheaper anywhere else, we’ll pay you back the difference, plus 30 euros,” reads the advert — not for the latest electrical device on special offer on the high street but for a funeral.

Germany, which bore discount supermarket giants Aldi and Lidl to the delight of bargain hunters, has seen a growing demand since 2009 for discount funerals, defined by the industry as costing under 1,200 euros ($1,700).

Just over a quarter of all German funerals are expected to be of the cut-price variety this year, according to burials’ specialist Web site, Bestattungen.de, up from 16 percent two years ago and 20 percent in 2010.

“Some people find themselves obliged by law to bury their father with whom they have not had any contact for 20 years,” Hartmut Woite, head of the Berlin-based company Sargdiscount, or Coffindiscount, told AFP..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111106com3.html

Where the buck stops

TABLETS OF STONE

Larry Faraon, OP

11/06/2011
If this current administration would go so far in buck passing its imprudence and inefficiency in handling the Mindanao secessionist problem and the NPA rebellion, the buck could possibly have stopped at the lap of the late President Cory Aquino.

Immediately after the Edsa I bloodless revolt in 1986, Mrs. Aquino facilitated the release from prison Communist Party of the Philippines (NPA) founder, Jose Maria Sison, followed by Bernabe Buscayno alias Kumander Dante and in fact, requested secessionist leader and founder of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) Nur Misuari, to return home from exile in Saudi Arabia.

Of course, given the sincerity of the conciliatory move, still it did not in anyway cushion the Mindanao conflict nor the NPA armed rebellion. Rather, it worsened the situation as we can see..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111106com6.html

HK groups slam culture of impunity under Noy 11/06/2011

HK groups slam culture of impunity under Noy

11/06/2011
More civil rights groups are taking notice of the culture of impunity under the Aquino administration with human rights organizations holding a picket in front of Philippine Consulate General yesterday to protest the murder of Fr. Fausto Tentorio, PIME and the rising cases of extra judicial killings in the country.

The Hong Kong (HK) Committee for the Advancement of Human Rights and Peace in the Philippines (HKCAHRPP) and Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) HK chapter have expressed alarm over the increasing number of human rights advocates being killed in the country.

Expressing their solidarity with their compatriots, the HK groups slammed the culture of impunity that victimized those who take the cause of the marginalized, like Fr. Tentorio..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111106hed2.html

Palace gives AFP, JCCCH free hand on ceasefire fate By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 11/06/2011

CONFIRMS REVOCATION OF ATS DEAL WITH MILF

Palace gives AFP, JCCCH free hand on ceasefire fate

By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 11/06/2011

After publicly berating the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) following the disastrous special forces operation in Al-Barka, Basilan that caused the death of 19 soldiers, President Aquino will now give the military and the Joint Coordinating Committee on the Cessation of Hostilities (JCCCH) a free hand to determine the parameters of the prevailing ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), including the withdrawal of government recognition of so-called areas of temporary stay (ATS) for the rebel group.

The JCCCH has among its members representatives from the government, the MILF and the International Monitoring Team (IMT).

This was revealed yesterday by presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda to confirm the statement of Army chief Lt. Gen. Arturo Ortiz that the MILF’s so-called ATS no longer exist. He said that “(From a) broader perspective, with respect to ATS and dealings with the MILF and lawless elements, we leave it with the AFP and the, JCCCH to operationalize those details. We will defer to the AFP,” Lacierda said on state radio..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111106hed1.html

DA to repair Banaue Rice Terraces soon 11/06/2011

DA to repair Banaue Rice Terraces soon

11/06/2011
Department of Agriculture (DA) will soon start restoring the Philippines’ famous Banaue Rice Terraces to save this centuries-old eighth wonder of the world from worm infestation that’s already destroying terraced planting areas there.

“We’ll repair the rice terraces,” DA Secretary Proceso Alcala assured the public last Friday during the Communication and News Exchange Forum in Metro Manila.

He’s scheduled to inspect the terraces next week to better assess damage there..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111106nat5.html

CHR probe into fake claimants to compensation casts doubt 11/06/2011

CHR probe into fake claimants to compensation casts doubt

11/06/2011
Bayan Muna Reps. Neri Colmenares and Teddy Casio yesterday expressed fear and apprehension over the supposed investigation into reported cases of fake claimants to the compensation money awarded to human rights victims during the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos ordered by Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chairman Etta Rosales.

In a statement, the solons said they were alarmed by CHR probe when Rosales herself announced she would investigate the matter in her own personal capacity..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111106met3.html

Ramona’s flight to HK sign of guilt, says solon By Angie M. Rosales 11/06/2011

Ramona’s flight to HK sign of guilt, says solon

By Angie M. Rosales 11/06/2011

From the initial case of murder involving a scion of a political clan, the plot has thickened and turning out to be a serious family squabble as one of the supposed masterminds behind the killing hurriedly left the country last Friday night.

Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. publicly admitted his half-sister, Maria Ramona Bautista, had something to do with the death of her own brother Ramgen and attempted murder of his girlfriend Janelle Manahan.
“The guilty must be punished! The unwarranted flight of Ramona Bautista is a sign of guilt that she has knowledge of and direct participation in the commission of the crime,” he said.

“If there are others involved, be they my half brothers and sisters, they must bear the full force and weight of the law and suffer the penultimate consequences of their involvement either as principals, accomplices, or accessories, as the case maybe,” the senator said in a statement..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111106met1.html

Worse than Marcos EDITORIAL 11/05/2011

Worse than Marcos

EDITORIAL

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11/05/2011
Some Gloria haters may think it is only the Arroyos’ right to travel that is being violated by this vindictive Noynoy administration, done through its Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and her usurped power to issue a watch list order on anyone whom Noynoy fancies to put on the WLO that can only be lifted through an “allow departure order” (ADO) to also be issued at the whim of the vindictive Noynoy.

They would be so wrong, because if this is to be tolerated by the Filipino people and the issue glossed over by the Supreme Court, anybody — critic or political foe of the vindictive Noynoy who obviously wants them to beg him for their right to travel and all other constitutional rights — can be subjected to the very same unconstitutional WLO, which, together with its ADO, is clearly a hold departure order (HDO) in disguise. And it is only the courts that can issue an HDO, not the Department of Justice (DoJ)..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111105com1.html

Rejecting responsibility for their actions FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 11/05/2011

Rejecting responsibility for their actions

FRONTLINE

Ninez Cacho-Olivares

11/05/2011
Noynoy and his peace adviser are misusing taxpayers’ money to fund armed enemies of the state, claimed to be all done in the name of peace, apart from making certain that criminality will continue to be on the rise.

Why provide P31 million to the armed rebel group called the Alex Boncayao Brigade (ABB), a urban communist hit squad that is, as a group, no longer in existence, and worse, it has been admitted by Peace Adviser Teresita Deles herself that this is the same armed group that makes up the private armies of politicians?

And yet, armed with that fact, Deles even says that the peace agreement Noynoy has entered into with these mercenaries does not call for the surrender of these ABB members’ firearms. Instead, they are to have their firearms licensed. Translated, Noynoy and Deles, apart from giving tax money in the tens of millions to this armed group that forms part of a politician’s private army, are giving these mercenaries the license to kill, for their mercenary and political purposes. Yet Deles claims that financing them will bring about peace when the opposite is true in that Deles has ensured “legitimacy” for these mercenaries who are also working for politicians as their private army and killings will still be around..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111105com2.html

Khamenei: U.S. main terrorists

 Imam Khamenei: "The U.S. is the main terrorist in the world"

The Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Imam Seyed Ali Khamenei, made mention of the many plots hatched in U.S. history against the Iranian nation. He reiterated Wednesday that the regime in the White House is the principal terrorist in the world.

Imam Khamenei, during an address directed to young students, on the eve of Student Day, has emphasized that Tehran has evidence in the hundreds, unquestionable, revealing Washington's role in supporting anti-Iranian terrorist groups against the Persian nation and the region, reports Press TV.


The guide of the Islamic Revolution has been considered the worry of the enemy for the diffusion of the Iranian "religious democracy," the solid model before the the rest of the world, the main reason why the White House tried to impute the government inTehran in an alleged "plot" to assassinate Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States..... MORE

Source:  Pravda.ru

URL: http://english.pravda.ru/hotspots/terror/03-11-2011/119523-Khamenei_us_main_terrorists-0/

‘Lowering age discernment won’t solve juvenile delinquency’ – children’s rights groups

‘Lowering age discernment won’t solve juvenile delinquency’ – children’s rights groups

“Children in conflict with the law should not be perceived as criminals because they are victims, victims who should be helped to correct his/her mistakes.” — Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concern
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – In late 2008, Arnold (not his real name), then 17, was on his way home from a birthday party when a police mobile stopped in front of him. The policemen stepped out of the vehicle and arrested him. A woman inside the police mobile accused him of robbery. He was detained at Quezon City Police Station 6 together with other adult prisoners.

“I was detained for five days. Inside the jail, I was beaten up by other prisoners,” Arnold, now 20 years old, told Bulatlat.com in an interview. Although nothing was recovered from him by the police, he was still imprisoned. He was considered as one of the thousands of children in conflict with the law (CICL).

Arnold’s experience inside the jail is the main reason why children’s rights advocates are up in arms against the call to amend Republic Act 9344 or the “Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006”. Children’s rights advocates said that lowering the age discernment and suspension of the law will not solve the problem.

“It is absurd to judge the law as a failure when in fact it has not been implemented as it should be,” said Melissa San Miguel, spokeswoman of Salinlahi Alliance for Children’s Concern. “We are dismayed that one of the more progressive laws concerning the welfare of children is now being considered for amendments or even suspension,” San Miguel added.

(Photo courtesy of Salinlahi / Bulatlat.com)

The Philippine Action for Youth Offenders (Payo) cited a 1997 study conducted by the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) in 1997 showing that the age of discernment of in-school Filipino children is 15 years old.

Payo’s study conducted in 2002, meanwhile, revealed that the age of discernment of out-of-school Filipino children is 18 years old. In their position paper, Payo said that said studies were the basis for setting of the age of criminal responsibility in RA 9344 to 15 years old.
.... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/04/lowering-age-discernment-wont-solve-juvenile-delinquency-childrens-rights-groups/

Slideshow: In Upper Suyan Village, children suffer the worst from poverty, militarization

Slideshow: In Upper Suyan Village, children suffer the worst from poverty, militarization

DLUMAY, Sarangani — Back in 2007, a survey revealed that the literacy rate among the six sub-villages of Upper Suyan was a mere three percent. Children had a hard time going to school because the nearest formal school, which is located in the village proper of Upper Suyan, is about two to three hours away by foot. The Blaan people endured the situation for a long time until the Center for Lumad Advocacy and Services (Clans) and the Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya (Sibol) came along and empowered them through a literacy program and a micro-hydro powerplant..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/08/25/slideshow-in-upper-suyan-village-children-suffer-the-worst-from-poverty-militarization/

Tublay’s disintegrating culture

Tublay’s disintegrating culture

 By MARY ROSE GARCIA
Norther Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat.com

The Ibaloi, Kankana-ey and the Kalanguya indigenous people inhabit the municipality of Tublay town of Benguet. The town is known for its wonderful tourist destinations, to name a few, the Bengaongao cave, Winaca Village, and the Tuel hot spring.

Interestingly, its people perform the age-old cañao which is part of its rich culture and tradition. The cañao is a community feast, following some rituals performed by the community. Each indigenous group have their own term for cacao: the Kankana-ey call it sida, the Ibaloi peshet, and the Kalanguya kecheng..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/04/tublays-disintegrating-culture/

The Roots and outcome of Philippine Migration

The Roots and outcome of Philippine Migration

 By Erika Caleja
Bulatlat.com

It is surely a rare occasion where I get to know a person who can let me have a deeper understanding about forced migration here in our country. That’s why it’s so nice to meet Mr. Ramil Batas, the case officer of a progressive organization Migrante International. Mr. Batas gave us (interns here in Bulatlat) a brief and very informative discussion about the history of forced migration (that started way beyond Spanish Era), and the current situation of our very own Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

Bulatlat,com provided us with this migrant sit and gave us the opportunity to learn while doing our on-the-job training. By the way, the talk was very helpful to us, so that when we write stories (like some issues regarding migration and other related topics) we have an idea or a little bit background on the topics that we are writing about.

So, what can I say about our OFWs? Before, I couldn’t care less about it, all I know is that they go abroad because there’s work waiting for them with a higher wage. But, I’m also aware that they do that because they can’t get work here in our own country that can be able to sustain and provide for their family’s needs. Little did I know (during our discussions) that migration is rooted in our history and that even some of our ancestors during the Spanish period have become labourers in cargo vessels in galleon trading. We can also say, some Illustrados or “learned” Filipinos that came from rich families back then who travelled to Europe to study are also what we call migrants, just like Jose Rizal.

Who can we blame for the widespread forced migration? I thought there should be one, well I guess it’s our government, if only they would promote and improve the Industrial and agricultural sectors here in the country, then a lot of Filipinos would have a job and won’t need to go abroad–leaving their families, and their children without a mother or a father to guide them as they grow up. I remember when we tackled about migration in the time of Marcos; the government started this “Labor Export Policy” where it simply treats migrant workers as a commodity rather than a “human being.” When the government learned that they could get a lot of money to flow into the country (which is by the way through remittances) just by sending pinoys abroad, now the program has become permanent. I’ve learned that LEP has a big contribution to the Philippine economy: it provides a systematic migrant “trading” and offer Filipinos with work, when unemployment hits the country during the time of Marcos and carry on up to now..... MORE

Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/06/09/the-roots-and-outcome-of-philippine-migration/

Noy comes up with more excuses not to get FoI passed by Congress By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 11/05/2011

Noy comes up with more excuses not to get FoI passed by Congress

By Virgilio J. Bugaoisan 11/05/2011

President Aquino continues to come up with a litany of excuses on why his administration has yet to make good on his campaign commitment to pass a Freedom of Information (FoI) bill.

He has even gone a step further as he compared “absolute freedom (to know)” to “absolute imprisonment” and also saying that such an FoI law would serve to inflict harm on the general public.

In an interview over YouTube’s Worldwide Series aired yesterday, Aquino claimed his administration is still consulting various stakeholders before coming out with Malacañang’s version of an FoI bill which would be submitted to Congress for legislative action..... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111105hed3.html

Binay wants NSC convened to tackle MILF situation By Michaela P. del Callar 11/05/2011

Binay wants NSC convened to tackle MILF situation

By Michaela P. del Callar 11/05/2011
Vice President Jejomar Binay has proposed the convening of the National Security Council (NSC) to address recent developments involving the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

Binay, in a radio interview, said the NSC might be needed to address the issues of peace and order in Mindanao, along with other local security issues.

“This national security problem, particularly what’s happening in Mindanao, it’s best to convene our National Security Council,” he stressed.

The NSC is composed of the President, the Vice President, the Executive Secretary, the secretaries of Foreign Affairs, National Defense, Justice, Labor and Employment, and Local Government; the National Security Adviser, and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, as well as past presidents. .... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111105hed4.html