DAVAO CITY Human rights group Karapatan- Southern Mindanao sharply rebuked President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo’s speech delivered at the 62nd Session…
Palanca Award winner from Davao City writes for the poor
By CHERYLL D. FIEL | Davao Today
Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who was scheduled to undergo surgery last week, said he had no qualms leaving his post because he has complete trust in his daughter. Asked about the possibility of criminals on the loose while he is away, the mayor retorted, “When the cat is away, the tiger takes over,” apparently alluding to his daughter.
Members of Consumer Alert hold a demonstration in front of the Davao City Council to protest the planned 100-million peso loan by the Davao City Water District. According to them, such a loan is unnecessary and that DCWD consumers will ultimately be the ones paying for it. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan.)
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)
With HSA, poor communities most vulnerable to rights abuses
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.
“In Davao City in Mindanao, several corpses were found bearing placards similarly suggesting they that were criminal offenders. What is shocking is the implied acceptance by the authorities and the public regarding this practice without seriously reflecting on the tremendous implications if it is allowed to continue,” says the Asian Human Rights Commission.
The highlight of the Kadayawan Festival in Davao City this month was the street performances, such as the one above. Most of the performers used cultural themes derived from Mindanao’s Lumads. Click here for Kadayawan slideshow. (Photos by Barry Ohaylan, Cheryll D. Fiel and Germelina A. Lacorte)
By COLLETTE CUIZON | Davao Today
The Philippines’s anti-terrorism law could be misused by the military, the groups said, adding that there would be constant disruptions in the lives of children because of the HSA. “Even in places where there is no actual fighting, classrooms are oftentimes transformed into evacuation centers, disrupting school classes. Children bear the trauma when their parents are illegally arrested and detained, or, in worst cases, killed.”
