GERMELINA A. LACORTE- Davao Today

Malacañang could not wash its hands off...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in * News & Features, Davao City, Featured Articles, Human Rights, Media on 01 25th, 2010 | No Comments

By GERMELINA LACORTE Davao Today DAVAO CITY—“Malacañang could not wash its hands off the Ampatuan massacre because the state is obliged to prevent such things,” said Lawyer Harry Roque, who represented the 13 widows of journalist victims of the Ampatuan massacre in the filing of cases before the...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in * News & Features, Davao City, Top Stories on 01 17th, 2010 | No Comments

By GERMELINA LACORTE Davao Today DAVAO CITY—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. Danilo Ramos, KMP secretary-general, said...

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Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Human Rights, Top Stories on 10 25th, 2009 | 2 Comments

By GERMELINA LACORTE Davao Today COLUMBIO, SULTAN KUDARAT (davaotoday.com) �The son of Tolyano Dalumatan recalled the first time it happened to his father in 2005: They left home that night to go hunting for frogs. When they got back, they did not know that soldiers were around, so, they (unwittingly)...

Why worry about the OB list?...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Extrajudicial Killings, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Human Rights, Latest Posts, Media, Military, Mindanao, News Analysis, Top Stories on 08 7th, 2009 | No Comments

(second of three parts) First Part : A Pattern to Madness By GERMELINA A. LACORTE Davao Today The mine-rich jungle of Compostela Valley is not only known for its gold. It�s also where the fight between the government troops and the Communist guerillas is at its fiercest. On its website, the military...

A Pattern to Madness...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in * News & Features, Davao City, Extrajudicial Killings, Human Rights, Latest Posts, Military, Top Stories on 07 7th, 2009 | 1 Comment

(first of three parts) By GERMELINA A. LACORTE Davao Today First, their groups have been tagged as the legal fronts of the Communist New People’s Army. Then, top military officials make public statements suggesting they’re enemies of the state. Finally, before anyone could stop to consider, they...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Extrajudicial Killings, Health, Latest Posts, Top Stories on 07 3rd, 2009 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE Davao Today DAVAO CITY�Peers of the slain AH1N1 doctor expressed alarm that the extrajudicial killings in the country no longer spare doctors and health workers giving services to the poor. Dr. Jean Lindo, the chair of the doctors� group Rx for Peace, said the death of Dr. Rogelio...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Latest Posts, Poverty, Top Stories on 04 14th, 2009 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE Davao Today Alan Codizar�s family noticed the smell after two months inside their house in Catalunan Grande, a village about five kilometers from downtown Davao. �We thought it was the dog,� recalled Codizar�s wife Lourdes, �So, we moved the doghouse somewhere else but still the smell...

Will Parago appear in a CHR hearing?...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Breaking News, Human Rights, Latest Posts, Top Stories on 04 5th, 2009 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE Davao Today DAVAO CITY—The Commission on Human Rights is thinking of inviting New People�s Army (NPA) leader Kumander Parago in a public inquiry to help shed light on the abduction and killing of his daughter Rebelyn Pitao. �We considered calling him (Parago),� Leila De Lima,...

Dreaming of the dagmay...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Arts & Culture, Davao Region, Latest Posts, Top Stories on 01 22nd, 2009 | No Comments

By Germelina A. LacorteDavao Today Caraga, Davao Oriental� Masandag Diano-Pagsac�s face flushed when she heard another version of the story of the origin of dagmay. �It was not a tamisa (a Mandaya term for an only son) who found it,� she insisted in Mandaya. �It was a maiden taking a bath in the river.� An...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Business, Davao City, Latest Posts, Top Stories on 11 19th, 2008 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today DAVAO CITY� Davao companies agreed to send out early warning signals just in case they will have to resort to retrenchments and company shutdown as the impact of the world wide recession will start to be felt in the region. Simeon Marfori, president of the Davao city...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Business, Davao City, Davao Region, Economy, Latest Posts, Top Stories on 09 8th, 2008 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today DAVAO CITY—Mindanao, the country’s food basket, is now importing rice. According to the report from the Mindanao Economic Development Council (Medco), the island�s biggest importation last year consisted of US$138.28 million rice from Vietnam, making up 12...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Human Rights, Insurgency, Latest Posts, Military, Mindanao, Religion on 09 8th, 2008 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today DAVAO CITY�Amidst reports of civilian casualties in the recent fighting in Mindanao, Moro groups fear that renewed government offensives will only displace more people in conflict affected areas during the Ramadhan. Amirah Ali Lidasan, president of Suara Bangsamoro, said...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Children/Youth, Latest Posts, Top Stories on 08 27th, 2008 | 3 Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today DAVAO CITY� James Akiyama, 20, has regularly been receiving support money from his Japanese father since he was born. But under the old law of Japan, Japanese Filipino children like him could never become full-fledged Japanese citizens because their parents never...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Latest Posts, Military, Mindanao, Terrorism on 06 20th, 2008 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today DAVAO CITY—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has ordered an all out offensive against the kidnappers of ABS-CBN senior reporter Ces Drilon, even as she vowed to crush the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Communist New People’s Army (NPA) during her term. “We...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Davao City, Davao Region, Economy, Latest Posts, Top Stories on 06 20th, 2008 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today DAVAO CITY–The National Food Authority (NFA) is selling its special grade imported Thai rice in commercial markets here to bring down the soaring prices of rice that have gone up to as much as P52 a kilo in the previous weeks. But NFA officials only made the...

Duterte says he won’t allow witchh...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Davao City, Extrajudicial Killings, Human Rights, Latest Posts, Military, Top Stories on 05 22nd, 2008 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today DAVAO CITY — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte said he will not allow a �witch hunt� against political activists to start in the city even as he ordered a prompt investigation on the killing of a peasant leader here recently. Duterte, who went on a brief visit yesterday to the...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Davao City, Latest Posts, Politics, Press Freedom Watch, Top Stories on 04 27th, 2008 | No Comments

By GERMELINA LACORTE and CHERYLL D. FIEL | Davao Today DAVAO CITY — Backing up the case of jailed Davao broadcaster Alexander Adonis, journalist groups questioned the country’s libel laws before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, saying that jailing a journalist for libel is a...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Davao City, Davao Region, Latest Posts, Poverty, Top Stories on 04 1st, 2008 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today DAVAO CITY — Pencils and notebooks made in Germany and Switzerland, durable umbrellas, raincoats as big as blankets because European sizes are almost twice as big as average Filipino sizes, used toys curiously making their way to the lumad communities in...

Davao’s new jailhouse gives hope t...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Crime & Public Safety, Davao City, Gender Issues, Latest Posts, Top Stories on 03 30th, 2008 | No Comments

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today DAVAO CITY — “The place looks very nice, it doesn’t feel like a jail at all,” Colin Davies, deputy representative of the United Nations Children’s Education Fund (Unicef), observed in a brief visit early this month to the Ray of Hope...

Despite doubts by MILF, ‘peace is ...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Latest Posts, Mindanao, Peace Process, Top Stories on 03 26th, 2008 | 1 Comment

By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today Secretary Jesus Dureza, the President’s adviser on the peace process, said he remains hopeful that peace is “still possible” even as he admitted the administration may be running out of time with the Presidential elections barely two years...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Breaking News, Davao City, Davao Region, Latest Posts, Special Reports on 01 29th, 2008 | 2 Comments

No Fans of Bananas. Japanese pastors support their Filipino counterparts in speaking against JPEPA at the end of the five-day bilateral conference between their group, the National Christian Churches of Japan and the National Council of Churches of the Philippines. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Davao City, Environment, Latest Posts on 01 29th, 2008 | 2 Comments

By Germelina A. LacorteDavao Today After hearing about the successful launch of the e-jeepney in Makati, Davao officials are excited about the prospects of electric-powered cars, saying it could lessen the country’s dependence on gasoline. Both Councilors Pilar Braga, chair of the committee on energy...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Davao City, Latest Posts, Politics on 01 29th, 2008 | No Comments

By Germelina A. LacorteDavao Today DAVAO CITY—Mayor Rodrigo Duterte thumbs down initial moves to entice him to run for the Senate under the slate of Lakas-NUCD when his third term as mayor finally ends in 2010. “I don’t have the slightest intention to run for Senator nor to work as an...

�Alston�s report will not stop me� ̵...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Davao City, Human Rights, Latest Posts on 01 29th, 2008 | No Comments

By Germelina A. LacorteDavao Today DAVAO CITY — Mayor Rodrigo Duterte ordered no let up against drugs and crime syndicates despite criticisms from international human rights groups and the report by United Nations (UN) rapporteur Philip Alston on extra-judicial killings. Duterte said Alston�s report...

Posted by GERMELINA A. LACORTE in Breaking News, Davao City, Human Rights, Insurgency, Latest Posts, Military on 11 20th, 2007 | No Comments

By Germelina A. LacorteDavao Today DAVAO CITY— Luisito Bustamante, the youth earlier reported missing when militiamen held him in a Task Force Davao checkpoint in barangay Malabog last month, had two stories to tell. The first one, he told the Court in a writ of amparo hearing that freed him from his...