Human Rights and the Quest for Justice: Arroyo’s ‘War Crimes’

In this analysis piece, the Policy Study, Publication and Advocacy (PSPA) Program of the Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG) analyzes the recent filing of human-rights charges against President…

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‘Hidden Hunger’ Among Filipinos Raises Alarm

A recent survey said more Filipinos are growing hungry, but it was mainly about common hunger, i.e. lack or absence of food on the table. Other studies have found that “hidden hunger,” mainly malnutrition, is an equally troubling problem. And while Davao leads the country in food fortification, the city, as well as the rest of the country, needs to do more to ensure the prevention of illnesses and conditions — such as iron-deficiency anemia — related to lack of nutrition. Contributor Emmanuel C. Roldan reports.
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Lawyer to the People

Lawyer Federico Gapuz. (Davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)
At 72, Federico Gapuz does not look like a swashbuckling lawyer with a 10-gallon Stetson hat. But make no mistake: he does not seem to have passed his prime either. Gapuz remains among the few, brave men of the legal profession who wouldn?t hesitate to come to the rescue of people prosecuted ? and persecuted — for their political beliefs. Davao Today managing editor Cheryll D. Fiel recently had the chance to chat with this ?people?s lawyer.?

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?RP Worst Place to Be a Human-Rights Lawyer?

Foreign delegates at a recent gathering of lawyers in Davao City bewailed the continued killings of activists and the harassment and other threats being faced by lawyers who take the cases of the poor and those who suffer from abuses of the state. Davao Today?s Cheryll D. Fiel reports.

Delegates to the IAPL last month. (Davaotoday.com photo by Cheryll F. Diel)
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Duterte?s Anti-Drugs Gambit

Duterte at the City Council last week. (Davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)Was Mayor Rodrigo Duterte?s unprecedented appearance at the City Council motivated by a serious desire to eradicate the drug problem? If so, why didn?t he or the PDEA file cases instead in court against the alleged drug dealers? Was it because of desperation and exasperation — that no matter what Duterte does, illegal drugs continue to proliferate? Or was it meant to spook councilors into giving him more ?peace and order? money in next year?s budget? Davao Today managing editor Cheryll D. Fiel tries to answer these questions.

Related story: Duterte?s Admission of Failure Proves Extrajudicial Killings Not the Answer

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