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In Philippines, Mother Buries 4th and Last Son Killed by Davao Death Squad

Taken. Clarita Alia is hysterical as her son, Fernando, is laid to rest in Davao City today. Fernando was the fourth and last son of Alia who was killed in the last five years. “I no longer have anybody with me. They took all my children,” Alia wailed during the burial. She believes that the so-called Davao Death Squad was behind the murders of her sons, as well as countless other people, many of them minors who had trouble with the law. The extrajudicial killings, which Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has tacitly approved, are seen as the city’s way of dealing with crime. Government and tourism officials have praised the city for its low crime rate, which is ironically attributed to these killings. Duterte has likewise earned kudos for his toughness on crime and for his statements warning people that they would be killed if they commit crimes in his city. (davaotoday.com photos by Barry Ohaylan)

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Army Bombs Panabo Villages, Residents Outraged


Outraged. Manay residents Josephine Rebante (right) and Antonia Ayko (second from right) rail against the military’s bombings. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)

In an effort to save face after Communist guerrillas raided the Davao Prison and Penal Farm, the military dropped more than a dozen bombs on villages in Panabo. When the smoke cleared, only a chicken and a tukmo were found dead. But the residents were furious at the army?s ?grossly wrong and irresponsible? action that put their lives in danger.

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Kabataan Denounces Fee Collection at Tudaya Falls

DAVAO CITY ? Almost a hundred delegates for the Kabataan Partylist-sponsored Youth Climb expressed disappointment on the recent cancellation of their activity due to the entrance fee that they were asked to pay by the Office of the City Economic Enterprise Manager in Kapatagan, Davao del Sur.

“We will refuse to pay even if we have the money because we believe that we are not there to just climb Mt. Apo. We went there with the purpose of registering our pledge to campaign against the installation of the Hydro electric plant project by the Hydro-Electric Development Corporation (HEDCOR),” Karla Hyasmind Apat, vice-president for Mindanao of Kabataan, said.

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Residents from Davao’s 3rd District Felt Insulted by Council Bets


Neophyte Jeppie. BayanMuna partylist member Jeppie Ramada (third from left) looks ill at ease during a campaign sortie this week. Ramada is running for councilor in the third district under the umbrella of Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Sara who are running unopposed as mayor and vice mayor for the upcoming polls in May. Duterte had earlier endorsed partylist groups BayanMuna, Gabriela and Anakpawis, saying these groups have consistently fought for the people’s interest.(davaotoday.com photo by Germelina Lacorte)

DAVAO CITY — Some 600 residents of Davao City?s third district who gathered for the Green Vote 2007 Candidates Forum in Calinan Thursday afternoon felt insulted when the candidates who attended the event left them for another sortie barely halfway through the activity.

Barangay Tawan-Tawan Kagawad Danny Gumapac was emotional when he aired his dismay over the turn of events and said that the candidates? attitude reflected how they would treat people should they be put into office.

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IFJ Protests Journalist Sentenced to Jail for Slander, Death Threat Against Radio Journalists in Senegal

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today condemned ?threats to independent journalism and free expression? in Senegal after a politician threatened radio journalists and a judge sentenced the director of a newspaper to jail for slander.

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