Cotabato City-Cotabato provincial governor Jesus Sacdalan presses the need for the members of civilian volunteer organizations (CVOs) in the province…
By MARILOU AGUIRRE-TUBURAN | Davao Today
The Task Force Davao (TFD) has organized a 4, 000-strong barangay defense system (BDS) to counter the growing number of Communist guerrillas operating in the outskirts of the city, Col. Oscar Lactao, TFD commander, said. Lactao said the military gathered local residents and organized them into a BDS to counter the growing presence of the New People’s Army (NPA) in Toril district. He said the military recruited one “volunteer” from each household for the barangay defense system.
By MARILOU AGUIRRE-TUBURAN | Davao Today
A witness takes oath to tell the truth during the public hearing conducted by the House Committee on Human Rights in August. Victims and witnesses from the Mindanao regions presented their accounts on the human rights abuses allegedly committed by the government troops. Rep. Lorenzo Tanada III, chairperson and Rep. Satur Ocampo, House Deputy Minority Leader, were present at the hearing. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)
The best deterrent to crime is when the wheels of justice, no matter how slow, really move and convict people who are guilty. This is the statement made by Lorenzo Erin Taada IIII, chair of the House of Representatives’ committee on human rights, after a two-day hearing for the Mindanao regions of the ongoing Congressional inquiry on extrajudicial killings.
By GERMELINA A. LACORTE | Davao Today
“The peace agreement is dead as far as the government is concerned but the MILF will continue to assert it. If we can’t assert it in the national level, then, we’re going to assert it internationally,” said the MILF’s Mohagher Iqbal, vowing to elevate the MILF position to the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC).
By CJ KUIZON | Davao Today
Sitio Valma of Barangay Ngan in the municipality of Compostela used to be a thriving logging community in the 1970s up to the 1990s. When the company’s timber logging agreement (TLA) expired, Consuelo Valderrama, its owner, chose not to renew the contract, signalling the death of the boom town.
By GRACE S. UDDIN | Davao Today
He could hear the sound of his footsteps as he ran to escape his captors. His heart beat very fast. He went to their underground house, where they used to hold secret meetings against the Marcos government, to warn other activists to abandon the place. But men in uniforms captured him instead. “It was just like in the movies,” recalls Bienvenido Lumbera, the National Artist for Literature, who was once a Martial Law survivor.
Photos By JONALD MAHINAY and BARRY OHAYLAN | Davao Today
According to Karapatan, human-rights violations in Southern Mindanao have increased as Oplan Bantay Laya, aimed at crushing the communist rebellion, is nearing its deadline in 2010. Click here for more pictures
By CJ KUIZON | Davao Today
Funded by the United Nations children’s fund (Unicef), the Ibon book delves into the lives of women and children living in areas under the influence of the New People’s Army (NPA) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), hence, the subject of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) operations.
By CHERYLL D. FIEL | Davao Today
“The government will not implement what it has committed. So when it was not signed, our two commanders concluded that the government of the Philippines did not really want the peaceful process. So, they decided by themselves without the sanction of the high leaders of the MILF. That’s when the problem came.”
By CJ KUIZON | Davao Today
Gabriela representative Liza Maza said the Bangsamoro people can’t help but interpret Arroyo’s move as a declaration of an all-out war against them. “The Arroyo government’s obstinacy, all the while ignoring the legitimate demands of the Bangsamoro, does not bring the conflict anywhere near resolution,” she said.
