Philippines: ‘Free Ka Bel, fight despotic landlord politicians’

MANILA — The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and its allies visited ANAKPAWIS Rep. Crispin Beltran to show the peasantry?s solidarity with the detained labor leader and to call for his immediate release.
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Philippines: Beltran slams gov’t plan to file appeal before SC

MANILA — Detained lawmaker Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran today slammed the declaration of Malacanang spokesperson Ignacio Bunye that the Supreme Court decision junking the rebellion charges against the progressive party-list lawmakers of Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP) were fraught with legal consequences and hence the Malacanang through the Department of Justice and the office of the solicitor general will issue an appeal to it.

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CHR clears military in Grecil’s death

In a May 21 decision, the Commission on Human Rights in Southern Mindanao said Grecil Buya was killed in a legitimate crossfire between soldiers and rebels, and that there was no evidence that the soldiers violated the rights of Grecil. It also said that there was no evidence to suggest that she was a communist guerrilla, as earlier alleged by the military.

Grecil Buya's parents had sued the soldiers before the CHR, alleging that the troops summarily executed the girl. (Photo courtesy of MindaNews)

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Farcical and fraudulent: Kontra Daya’s assessment of the elections in Muslim Mindanao

As in the 2004 presidential elections, the Arroyo government has cynically and deliberately exploited the impoverished and anarchic situation in Mindanao to achieve its narrow partisan objectives.

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Reflecting hard times, 2 million Filipino children dropped out of school in ’06

Many of these children might have been forced to leave school to earn a living. In 2006 some 2.5 million children aged 5 to 17 were working either to augment family income or simply to survive. The number of children in school is also dropping: in SY 2005-2006 only 84% of children aged 6-11 was able to attend elementary school, a sharp decrease from 90% in 2001-2002.

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