Was ComVal Girl a Guerrilla? AFP Now Unsure

DAVAO CITY — The military on Friday appeared to have changed its position that Grecil Buya was a child combatant of the communist New People’s Army. Grecil was the nine-year-old girl from Compostela Valley who was killed during an encounter between communist rebels and soldiers on March 31 and whom the military earlier tagged as a member of the New People’s Army.

Instead, the military, which earlier said that soldiers were forced to shoot and kill Grecil because she allegedly had a firearm, now says it was not even sure whether the soldiers or the rebels shot the girl.

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Philippines: New Grads Can Now Register with PhilJobnet

Graduates of various skills and courses this year can now register with the biggest jobs search system of the country.

According to the Department of Labor and Employment, fresh graduates can register with the PhilJobnet where they can access to thousands of vacancies along with employers in need of professionals and workers with technical and vocational skills.

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Davao’s Falling Bridge


Falling Bridge. The Gov. Generoso Bridge near the Bankerohan Market has been showing signs of collapsing, with residents under it complaining that one of the bridge’s posts gave way Thursday monring. The debris shown in the picture is a result of the damage. The bridge is one of the oldest in the city. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)

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Mother Loses 4th — and Last — Son to Davao Death Squad


Fernando’s Dead. Fernando Alia, the last remaining son of Bankerohan vegetable vendor Clarita Alia, was stabbed dead this morning, the fourth of the Alia children to have died in the hands of the so-called Davao Death Squath. (davaotoday.com file photo)

Clarita Alia, a vegetable vendor in Bankerohan, Davao City, frantically called members of the Davao media this morning to report that her son, Fernando, 15, was stabbed dead at around 3 in the morning today, Friday. Before this, she already lost three other sons to the so-called Davao Death Squad. Fernando was her last remaining son.

Check out these previous Davao Today stories on Clarita Alia and her family:
Last Son Alive | A Mother?s Plea, a City?s Madness | Rody’s War | Teenagers Perish in Davao’s Killing Fields

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Smarting From Dapecol Raid, AFP Bombs Plantations, Displaces Panabo Families

PANABO CITY — About 50 families composed of more than 300 individuals fled their homes after a military air-strike hit Wednesday morning a banana plantation area in barangay Manay, this city.

About 15 kilometers from the poblacion, Manay was the place where the Philippine Air Force OV-10 planes dropped bombs at a banana farm where New People’s Army (NPA) rebels were seen hiding after their successful raid of a jail armory last April 8.

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