Known to Davao media as “Batman,” short for “Batang Mandaya,” (Mandaya child) Fernando Lintuan was laid to his grave on Sunday. Lintuan is the 5th journalist murdered in the country this year. He was shot dead on Christmas eve as he was leaving his radio station, DXGO, right after his radio program, “Ligas Paka” (one slip and you are dead). He left behind four children, aged 21, 18, 14 and 10. (davaotoday.com photos by Cheryll D. Fiel)
Joel Basiao, a driver of a passenger jeepney in Davao City, said he lost as much as P200 on Thursday for joining the nationwide transport strike. But he said it was just about the same amount that drivers like him have been losing every day this year because of the unabated increase in the prices of oil.
Finally signed by Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on November 15 this year, the Shelter Code is supposed to address the growing homelessness in the city. Non-government organizations consider the new ordinance a triumph. But what does this new law promise a city, where an estimated half a million people are homeless?
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte suspected the 12-year-old Mariannet Amper could have been raped, based on the findings bared by the medico legal officer who conducted the autopsy. The mayor, who ordered the girls body exhumed five days after burial, said it was possible that rape could have driven the girl to kill herself. He also said that its also possible that someone could have killed her.
Journalists, some of whom experienced being denied information related to the last elections, have committed to campaign among colleagues and lawmakers for the “Freedom of Information Act of 2007,” which, once passed into law, will require government to release public documents within a specific number of working days upon receipt of a request and will eliminate the excessive cost of acquiring these data, which is imposed by government agencies.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who was scheduled to undergo surgery last week, said he had no qualms leaving his post because he has complete trust in his daughter. Asked about the possibility of criminals on the loose while he is away, the mayor retorted, “When the cat is away, the tiger takes over,” apparently alluding to his daughter.
During the commemoration of the 35th year of declaration of martial law on Sept. 21, different lawyers’ organizations in Davao City came together at the Centennial Park not only to light candles for judges, lawyers, and paralegals who were victims of the abusive law. They were also there to denounce the Human Security Act, which they called “illegal.” The lawyers describe the present state of the country as even worse than during martial law. They see more human-rights abuses under the law. On the same occasion, the lawyers launched HOTLINE 296-0070; people who are faced with HSA-related violations can call and ask for help. (davaotoday.com photo by Cheryll D. Fiel)
As the city announced a shift in the way the annual Kadayawan Festival is celebrated — that is, for one, showcasing Lumad culture and tradition not for tourism’s sake — tribal leaders remain concerned that the festivities hardly depict the struggle of Mindanao’s indigenous peoples to pursue their unique way of life and retain control of their ancestral lands, which have been encroached into by big mining companies and plantations.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s office will get the biggest chunk — 190 million — of the nearly half a billion supplemental budget, which was passed Tuesday on second reading by the City Council. Much of it (180 million) will go to his “peace and order program.” He also gets to spend an additional 10 million for doleouts to the city’s indigents. On the other hand, the City Social Services and Development Office gets 322,000 pesos.
Activists in Davao City burn the effigy of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during her State of the Nation Address on July 23. According to the activists, Arroyo’s promises mean nothing as they protest rampant human-rights violations and the implementation of the Human Security Act, which, they said, will worsen political repression in the Philippines. (Davao Today photos by Cheryll Fiel and Jon Mahinay) MORE ANTI-SONA PHOTOS HERE.
