Somewhere in Davao City’s night life avenues, where darkness is punctuated with neon signs from bars and videokes, young girls have hard time coping with jeers and frowns from passersby.
Author Archives: EARL O. CONDEZA
The death of a peasant leader on September 13 has left the community of Barangay Kauswagan, a highway village of Loreto town, Agusan del Sur, in fear, scared of the possibility of another victim.
Datu Serrano Mambay-an, a Matigsalug leader of purok 4b, Barangay Mangayon said military presence has something to do with the mining operation in the area saying “gigamit jud na nga kompanyaha ang mga military, gibayaran gyud na karon nga panahon sa pag operasyon sa among bukid (the firm uses the military and pays them to operate in our villages).”
Sister of Benjie Planos, slain leader of the Agusan Manobo group, wails and clings to his body during his burial on Tuesday. Planos’ murder comes weeks after the Manobos returned to their community after an agreement to stop militarization in their community in Loreto, Agusan del Sur. The Manobos pin his murder on paramilitary and soldiers. (davaotoday.com photo by Earl O. Condeza)
Benjie Planos, a Bisaya settler living among the Manobos, and other leaders of KASAKA had been receiving death threats from the Philippine Army’s 26th Infantry Battalion and the paramilitary group Bagani. the militarization, KASAKA leaders said, is linked with the entry of New Britain Palm Oil Ltd, which is eyeing KASAKA’s ancestral domain.
Emerciana Alo, a 65-year-old resident, said her family could hardly afford to buy rice now, with many family members without work and grandchildren under her care.
“Government is fooling the students and the people when [President Benigno Aquino] said that government has no more fund for education, when he just distributed it to his political supporters,” said Arian Jane Ramos, Alyansa ng mga Aktibong Kabataan sa UP Mindanao (ANAK UP Min).
“We want our money back. Re-channel the money to government agencies since the sole task of the legislative body of the government is just to create laws and we don’t need to transfer our addresses to the other districts just to win a scholarship from a congressman.” said Mariel Moralde, spokesperson of Anakbayan.
Many participants in Davao’s Million People March were first-timers and found the march-rally ‘inspiring’ and ‘educational.’
Some 100 “environment planners” all over the country held a two-day conference here since Friday to discuss ways to create “green and sustainable communities” vis-à-vis urban development in Mindanao.
