Philippines pushes for sealing of EU-Asean FTA

LISBON, Portugal (via PLDT)—President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo expressed confidence Tuesday that the long-awaited Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the economic power bloc of the European Union (EU) and the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) can be concluded during the Asean Summit in November.

The President said that as the present chair of the Asean, her two-day visit here was timely since Portugal will assume the presidency of the 25-member EU in July.
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Farmers belie police report that argument led to killing of Negros farmers

MANILA — Task Force Mapalad (TFM) belied reports that a heated argument between farmer-beneficiaries and security guards of Hacienda Velez-Malaga in La Castellana, Negros Occidental ensued prior to the shooting last Monday that left two farmer-beneficiaries killed and six others wounded.
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Joker slams AFP for derailing human-rights bill

According to Senator Joker Arroyo, the military has lobbied for the junking in the House of Representatives of a bill that seeks to compensate victims of human rights violations during the Marcos dictatorship. The military, Arroyo said, fears that the money would just go to insurgents and rebel groups. In a privilege speech Monday, Arroyo said the military's lobbying "demeans and mocks the legislative process" because it shows that the "military can throw a monkey wrench even at the tail-end of congressional work." Read the rest of this story.

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Philippines: Arroyo should order ISAFP chief to appear before CHR’s Jonas probe — Bayan

MANILA, Philippines — The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today assailed what it called the ?stonewalling tactics? of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) in the ongoing probe of the Commission on Human Rights into the abduction of activist Jonas Burgos.
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