The military continued attacking Muslim communities even during the Ramadan, according to human-rights and Moro groups. “When entire communities get displaced by war, how are you going to celebrate Ramadan?” one of them asked. “Ramadan completely loses its meaning. Foremost in your mind, when you’re in an evacuation center, is how to survive, where to look for food, or to keep yourself from being harassed, or get hit by a bomb.”
The Alejandro Lanaja Command-Front 3 Operations Command of the New People’s Army is holding under its custody Army detachment commander Sgt. Raul Reyes, along with paramilitary Civilian Action Auxiliary members Glorieto Mahumas, and Rudy Villaflor. The three were arrested during the October 7 NPA tactical offensive that successfully raided the 72nd Infantry Battalion-AFP detachment in Canidkid, Montevista in Compostela Valley Province.
The Patriotic Officers Union Southeastern Mindanao section, a clandestine organization of progressive bloc within the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), is denouncing the statements of Major Medel Aguilar of the 10th Infantry Division blaming the protesting workers of Davao Integrated Transport Facilities, Inc. (DITFI) for the company’s “closure”.
How much talent fee is DOLE-Stanfilco paying the Armed Forces of the Philippines to become its foul mouthpiece against the legitimate demands of retrenched workers of DITFI? This was the question of Kilusang Mayo Uno-Southern Mindanao Region Chair Romualdo Basilio following the accusations of Major Medel Aguilar of the 5th Civil Relations Group that the labor center was behind the closure of Davao International Transport Facilities, Inc (DITFI).
Students and campus journalists of the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) in Davao City light candles to protest a recent incident of violation of campus press freedom in their school. Members of the school’s official student publication, Collegiate Headlight, accused a professor of harassing members of the staff over an article on the increase of publication fees. (davaotoday.com photo by
Barry Ohaylan)
Accounts from the staff of the publication showed that while the staff meeting was ongoing, they were interrupted by hasty knocks on the door. The professor entered and uttered words of defamation and insult to the editors.
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines expresses utmost concern over moves by senators to cite a reporter in…
Duterte said teenagers today are different from those in the past and, at 15, he believed a boy already has discernment. He also thought the Juvenile Justice Law, which says children below 15 cannot be held criminally liable, is open to abuse — a lot of criminals could get away with crime because of this, he said. He called the law myopic and impractical.
Contrary to the Arroyo government’s claims of a social payback in exchange for new tax measures, only 17 centavos out of every peso in revenues are allocated in next year’s budget for health, education and housing services. In the budget, funding for government hospitals was slashed by 12 percent. By contrast, the Department of National Defense will get thrice as much as the health department.
DAVAO CITY Human rights group Karapatan- Southern Mindanao sharply rebuked President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo’s speech delivered at the 62nd Session…
