The Daily Post (1/3/07)
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has criticized the handover of Daniel Smith to the Americans, saying the Arroyo administration was wrong in doing it. "Had I been there, it would have not…
US Changes Mind on Balikatan; Arroyo Defends Daniel Smith’s Transfer
MANILA: The United States government announced Tuesday that it was going ahead with a major military exercise with the Philippines. The announcement came three days after Manila transferred to U.S. custody an American soldier convicted last month of raping a Filipina.
A local court?s refusal to turn the Marine, Lance Corporal Daniel Smith, over to the U.S. prompted Washington to cancel the exercise, originally scheduled next month and would involve 5,000 American and Filipino troops.
Philippines Is Top Housing Rights Violator
Poverty, hunger, violent demolitions, and lack of social services and basic utilities continue to plague the urban poor. And things are getting worse. In fact, the Philippines was adjudged by the Geneva-based Centre on Housing Rights and Eviction (COHRE) as one of three recipients, together with Nigeria and Greece, of the Housing Rights Violator Award ?for their systematic violation of housing rights and continued failure to abide by their international legal obligations.?
Davao?s Homeless Face a Bleak 2007
HOUSING HEADACHE. City Hall has problems meeting its housing targets to benefit poor Davaoenos, like these slum dwellers near Bankerohan. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)
This year, more and more urban-poor dwellers in Davao City cannot be expected to build their own homes, as City Hall and the national government are hard put to raise funds for their housing programs. A more disturbing aspect of the problem, however, is that even if houses were made available to poor Filipinos, they don?t have enough income to pay for these. In the meantime, the demolition of houses in slum areas continues, displacing hundreds of families.
Daughter Rebukes Duterte?
That was quite a mouthful Sara Duterte said yesterday, in a statement she gave to Sun.Star Davao. In the story by Stella Estremera, Sara said: "I demand that respect for…