Politics

Philippines: AFP should focus awareness drive on human rights in its ranks

MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is grossly deceptive in its latest scheme to hold so-called awareness drive to justify continuing military presence in urban communities during the elections. Instead of rounding up urban poor communities and universities to lecture against cause-oriented groups, the AFP should focus awareness drive on human rights among its ranks. This election season, they should all go back to the barracks and take a study leave on human rights. We don’t need them dictating upon the people the AFP’s choice of candidates in the guise of ‘awareness drive’ which actually consists of lectures against activist groups as what they did at the Philippine Normal University, Philippine Christian University and other schools and communities. We join the various groups in demanding immediate and total pull-out of AFP troops who will likely repeat the scenario of active military role in the fraudulent 2004 elections.
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Duterte Finds Davao Elections a Real Ho-hum

But feisty mayor, who is facing no real threat to his position in next month?s elections, takes pains to justify his decision to field his initially reluctant daughter as his running mate.


Like Father, Like Daughter. Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter Sara at a campaign rally this week. The mayor says Sara is the only one who can beat potential challengers to his throne. (davaotoday.com photo by Barry Ohaylan)

By Marilou M. Aguirre
davaotoday.com

DAVAO CITY ? “Murag walay eleksyon nga naay eleksyon. Murag naay eleksyon nga walay eleksyon. (It doesn?t feel like we have an election in an election season.)?

This was how Mayor Rodrigo Duterte described the upcoming elections during a rally this week in Piapi, Boulevard, a neighborhood in the city’s first district.

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NUJP Davao Denounces Attacks on Journalists

DAVAO CITY — The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-Davao chapter joins all journalists nationwide in expressing our outrage over the killing of Radyo ng Bayan reporter Carmelo Palacios and the attack on Delfin Mallari, radioman and Luzon correspondent of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) as the Philippine media try to survive the darkest era of the Philippine democracy.

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