Politics

Alamara Disbandment Sought to End Terror in Paquibato

Paquibato leaders decry continued harassment of residents despite military?s assurance

By Cheryll D. Fiel
davaotoday.com

DAVAO CITY ? The disbandment of paramilitary units and the withdrawal of the firearms issued to them by the Philippine Army are some of the recommendations put forward in a City Council hearing last week that looked into the atrocities allegedly perpetrated by the dreaded Alamara in Paquibato District, this city.

An 8 p.m. curfew in the whole of Paquibato was also suggested to the military to distinguish residents from the bandits who are said to be terrorizing residents in the hinterland area.

These suggestions came up during the investigation launched this week by the City Council committees on civil, political and human rights, and peace and public safety.

The investigation was prompted by the massive evacuation in recent weeks of Paquibato residents, which were in turn triggered by several unsolved murders in the area and the harassments allegedly by the Alamara, a group of armed Lumads allegedly created and controlled by the military to assist in its counter-insurgency operations in Paquibato.

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2 More Paquibato Residents Killed as Bandits Continue Rampage

By Cheryll D. Fiel
davaotoday.com

DAVAO CITY — Two more residents in Paquibato were killed last week, the latest in the spate of killings in the hinterland district allegedly perpetrated by a bandit group that has ties to the military.

The victims, who came from different areas in Malabog, a village in Paquibato, had been stabbed; one of them, a 25-year-old man identified only as Luciano, was slashed in the neck. The other victim, Reynaldo Ca?ete, 35, also lost his carabao to the killers.

Generoso Baon, an official of Malabog, told the GMA-7 news program Testigo that the bandits had been running amok after Mayor Rodrigo Duterte announced a bounty for their capture.

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Rising Joblessness, Underemployment Refute ?Improving Economy? Claim

MANILA — Employment statistics from the recently released January 2006 Labor Force Survey (LFS) belies government?s claim of an improving economy, according to independent think-tank Ibon Foundation. The January 2006 LFS actually paints a picture of a weak, worsening economy unable to generate long-term, sustainable jobs, the foundation said.

According to the LFS, some 2.8 million Filipinos failed to find work in January 2006, up by 15% from 2.5 million in the same period last year. The decrease in jobs came from the industry sector, which shed some 95,000 jobs mostly from the manufacturing and construction sub-sectors. In a strong, vibrant economy, manufacturing should be the backbone of the country?s industrial sector and a major source of job creation.

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Special Report: A Life in Pain

(davaotoday.com photo by Carlos H. Conde)

A 26-year-old mother endured six long years of abuse, neglect and fear. Like other survivors of domestic violence, she went through the cycle of pain and confusion. It took the wisdom of a boy to finally set her free.

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Exploitative Ambivalence: How Davao City Profits from Prostitution

By Germelina A. Lacorte
davaotoday.com

DAVAO CITY — The first thing she noticed when he became her boyfriend was he did not like the way she dressed. Tall and slender, she was fond of wearing tight-fitting clothes, which he said was calling the men’s attention to her. This was often the cause of their early quarrels.

At that time, when he used to slap her, she thought it was her fault. She started wearing loose T-shirts. “It made me look like a hanger because I was very thin,” Sarah (not her real name) recalled.

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Ibon to GMA: Damaging Economic Policies Also Cause ?Political Noise?

MANILA — Palace spokesman Ignacio Bunye on Wednesday called for the people to move on so that the government could push economic reforms, reiterating Malaca?ang?s claims that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had decisively won 2004 national elections. But it is precisely her economic ?reforms,? such as the reformed value-added tax (RVAT) law, that continue to contribute to political unrest, and not only allegations of corruption and election fraud, according to independent think-tank Ibon Foundation.

?Life has inarguably become more difficult for the people under Arroyo,? says Ibon research head Sonny Africa. Ibon?s estimated cost of living (national average) has grown almost 30% during the more than five years of the Arroyo administration. The real value of the peso has fallen by 23% during the same period.

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