Author: DAVAO TODAY

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3 Davao Backpackers Cleared of NPA Links

The military, police, barangay officials from Davao all agree: They are not members of the New People?s Army (NPA).

By Ace Alegre
Bulatlat

La Trinidad, Benguet ? The Davao City-based military command, local police and barangay officials cleared the three backpackers who live in Davao from any link with the NPA.

The Regional Trial Court in Benguet declared two weeks ago the arrest by Benguet police officers of 11 Sagada-bound backpackers as illegal. Two of the 11 were released on recognizance immediately after.
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Widespread Peasant Landlessness and the Deceits of CARP

Government repeatedly declares achievements by successive land and agrarian reform programs, including the CARP. How does this reconcile with decreasing land ownership according to agriculture census data?

By Sonny Africa
Ibon Features

MANILA — As the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) marks its 18th anniversary this month, rural poverty continues to be widespread and millions of peasants still remain landless. And this is not just after close to 20 years of CARP, but nearly half a decade of various agrarian reform programs.

Major land reform legislation in the country started with the Agricultural Tenancy Act of 1954, the Land Reform Act of 1955 and the Agricultural Land Reform Code of 1963. Following the Agrarian Reform Code of 1971 and Presidential Decree No. 27 (PD 27) in 1972 under the Marcos regime, agrarian reform took organizational form with the creation of a Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). Most recently, Republic Act (RA) 6657 or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (CARL) of 1988 initiated the CARP.

Yet, according to various Censuses of Agriculture, full land ownership has actually been on the decline since PD 27 was enacted. In 1971, 58% of all farms were fully owned but this fell to 47.5% in 2002; in terms of land area, fully owned farms accounted for 62.9% of total farm area in 1971 but fell to 50.6% in 2002.

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Emata Returns

Pastor Emata at Wednesday's press conference (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)By Cheryll D. Fiel
davaotoday.com

DAVAO CITY ? More than anything else, the homecoming was a marketing event, with Erwin ?Pastor? Emata, the Davaoeno who recently conquered Mount Everest, the product.

It seemed that, on Wednesday, June 7, the organizers — companies who sponsored Emata?s historic ?summeting? of the world?s tallest mountain ? made sure that their investments in the mountain climber from Tagum were worth it.

A ?grand welcome? was prepared for Emata at the Davao International Airport in the morning. That same day, he rode to Tagum City, his home, with a motorcade behind him. There, at the town pavilion, a program attended by government officials was held.

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Virador Urges Scrapping of Intel Funds

?Despite the billions of (intelligence) funds made available since 2001, these have not contributed to maintaining peace or even arresting the violence. Unless, of course, these funds were used to sponsor such violence, which we strongly believe is the case.?

Bayan Muna Rep. Joel Virador (davaoyoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)DAVAO CITY ? To Joel Virador, the Bayan Muna congressman who represents Mindanao, it?s an idea that makes perfect sense: if the state?s intelligence apparatuses can?t stop criminals from killing political activists, journalists, lawyers, students and church people, why should the Filipino people allow them to continue enjoying their intelligence fund?

In fact, Virador thinks that ?it is very plausible that these government funds are being used by the Arroyo administration to fund operations of death squads to murder Bayan Muna members, leaders and supporters nationwide.?

The solution would be to scrap these ?Confidential and Intelligence (COIN) Funds? immediately, Virador said.

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