Glitches seen during the Davao mock elections

By GINGGING AVELLANOSA-VALLE
Relief assistance for people displaced by the fighting between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Maguindanao has come to a halt after the massacre that killed 58 people, 32 of them journalists, in the town of Ampatuan on November 23 last year.

POOLED EDITORIAL
The perpetrators obviously thought that they could get away with their atrocity. The only possible explanation for such impunity is that these people were confident somebody higher up would protect them. We hold the regime of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo accountable for what happened in Ampatuan. It was her regime that had benefited from the reign of terror in Maguindanao. It was her regime that had encouraged and nurtured the violence that led to the massacre.

By GRACE S. UDDIN
Just like in the cybergame Farmville on Facebook, overseas Filipino workers can now invest their hard-earned money in a virtual poultry farm and watch it grow on the internet.

By GRACE S. UDDIN
The 10-day nationwide caravan aimed to bring to government’s attention the issues of farmers like Cabisay. More than 7,000 farmers coming from as far as Tarlac in the north and Davao City in the south will converge in Quezon City to join the long March to Malacañang on the day that marks the 23rd year of the massacre in Mendiola.

By GERMELINA LACORTE
Farmers belonging to the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) set off on Wednesday for a 10-day caravan that will end up in a long march to Malacanang to mark the 23rd year of the farmers’ massacre in Mendiola.

They left Davao City bearing meager belongings: a bagful of clothes good for ten days, a lunchbox and a cup. They had to leave their fields, their families for a mission — to bring their woes for land and justice and call the attention of the national government.

By GRACE S. UDDIN
A member of the military intelligence group implicated in the Rebelyn Pitao rape-slay case was caught violating the election gun ban but was released by the police.