News Release
April 16, 2007
Sans cheating, Bayan Muna sure to recapture three seats
Bayan Muna President and Representative Satur Ocampo today expressed
confidence that the partylist group will again recapture the maximum
three seats in the House of Representatives in the May 14 elections.
Manila, 16 April 2007–Greenpeace activists dressed to symbolize the
bul-ul, a traditional Ifugao rice guardian, carried out a sit-in protest
at the Department of Agriculture?s (DA) doorsteps in Quezon City today.
The peaceful action was meant to tell the DA to act on its mandate to
protect the country’s food supply, in this case against looming GMO rice
(genetically-modified rice) threat posed by the agency’s pending
decision on GMO rice Bayer LL62.
As part of the protest, the activists also displayed a banner with the
message “Keep our rice GMO-free!” and delivered a bul-ul carving to DA
Secretary Arthur Yap’s office to remind him daily of the DA’s important
role in watching over the country?s precious rice supply. The bul-ul,
Greenpeace says, also symbolizes how this grain is inextricably linked
to our culture and way of life, and should serve to remind us how GMO
rice must never become a reality in the Philippines.
News Release
April 16, 2007
References: Danilo ?Ka Daning? Ramos, secretary general, KMP
Diane Ragub, campaign officer SAGUPA-SB
Carl Anthony Ala, public information officer
?Mass evacuation in Samar village true!?-KMP
Military and police further harassing peasants
The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and its regional chapter SAGUPA-SB lambasted the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) particularly the 34th Infantry Battalion and Mayor Mateo Biong of Giporos town in Eastern Samar for lying to the media that there was no mass evacuation of at least 80 families from Barangay Huknan.
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Farmers’ Conference: Making our own choices towards sustainable farming
Fersal Place, Malakas St.,
Brgy. Central District, Diliman, Quezon City
April 17, 2007, Tuesday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
The rice program of the Department of Agriculture is pinning all its
hopes on the hybrid rice technology to attain rice sufficiency in the
Philippines. The government has allotted a large slice of its budget
to this technology that was touted to be the breakthrough to improve
rice productivity. However, the country continues to rely on rice
importation to meet the domestic needs and the government has
constantly blamed the typhoons that hit the country to the sorry state
of the rice farming sector.
Republic of the Philippines
Office of Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q.
Pimentel, Jr.
Senate, Pasay City
Press Release