Duterte Rejects GMA?s Defense Chief Offer
DAVAO CITY -- Davao City Mayor Duterte was being eyed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to be the next secretary of the defense, the local ABS-CBN reported on Saturday. But the…
Open Season Again for Vigilantes?
DAVAO CITY -- The deaths of two persons in two days have brought back fears of the dreaded vigilante group Davao Death Squad. A man newly released from prison was…
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.
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.
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.