Martial Law still exists in Mindanao, particularly in Moro areas under the pretext of pulverizing terrorists. Thirty-five years later, the public is still being made to believe that the terrorist scare justifies anti-people measures like the Human Security Act and all-out war in Moro communities, even during Ramadhan, the holy month of fasting.
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte hands a package of food to Muslim leaders at a mosque in Ecoland last week. Giving out food to Moro communities in Davao City during the Ramadan has been a yearly practice of the mayor. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)
A Davao City councilor, Edgar Ibuyan, has filed a proposed ordinance that would regulate the practice by employers of putting out advertisements about the termination or separation from service of their employees. There have been complaints that these ads, which implies that the employee had committed a wrongdoing as reason for the separation, violate the rights of employees and destroy their credibility, thus reducing their chances of becoming employed in the future.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines is alarmed over reports that no less than the chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has prevented a reporter from covering legitimate news events in Mindanao, particularly in the province of Basilan.