More than 500 delegates from 50 countries consisting of lawyers, judges, magistrates, academics, law students, and representatives from various sectors are expected to attend the five-day Congress to be held at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel with the theme "Lawyering for People's Rights."
Neil Cervantes, Chairperson of Sambayan, said, “What we are witnessing tonight is only a bit of the rich culture and arts of the lumad through their dances and songs. But more than our performances, this is a night to unite with the ‘roots’ of our country.” He further said that, “Our lumad sisters and brothers here are calling for the pull-out of military troops in their areas after they experienced aerial bombing and many forms of abuse from the soldiers. Any form of aggression upon their land like military operation ultimately destroys their culture.”
"The Zamboanga City government should ensure that the rights of the IDPs (internally displaced persons) in the Cawa-cawa evacuation camp are protected as the city government acts to relocate them in the coming days," Phelim Kine, Human Rights Watch deputy director for Asia, said today. "Any relocation should be done peacefully and fully respecting the rights and well-being of IDPs who have already been traumatized by the Zamboanga violence late last year."
This year, the Palanca Awards has enhanced its submission system to facilitate the submission of entries, particularly for aspiring and professional literary artists who wish to join the competition but are based in the provinces or overseas. Contestants will no longer be required to submit hard copies of entries, which saves on printing and courier service costs.
The College of Nursing (CON), Department of Social Work, and the Community Extension and Advocacy Council (Uceac) of the Ateneo de Davao University (Addu) in partnership with the American Wheelchair Mission (AWM) distributed for free 280 wheelchairs Monday at the University’s Finster Auditorium.