2007 July – PinoyPress — Philippines news, opinion, blogs.

Archive for July, 2007

Philippines vows justice butchered marines

MANILA — Miffed by the treacherous attack on government forces in Basilan the other day, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo said today Malacanang will account for the perpetrators of the dastardly act “in line with the rule of law and through the mechanisms of the peace process. ”

7/13/07 02:29 PM Full Story

10 top policemen honored in Philippines

MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo awarded today with trophies the top 10 police personnel of the year in recognition of their career achievements and service to the community.

7/13/07 02:28 PM Full Story

Philippines honors outstanding farmers, fishermen

MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo conferred today the Gawad Saka Awards to 25 enterprising farmers and fishermen and six agro-fishery cooperatives that made significant contributions to the government’s goal of a sustained growth for the agriculture sector.

7/13/07 02:27 PM Full Story

Philippines to pursue peace talks with MILF despite Basilan ambush

MANILA — Underscoring the critical importance of peace and security to the country’s bid for First World status and sustained economic growth, Presidential Adviser on National Security and acting Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales said today the government will not abandon the quest for an end to the Mindanao hostilities through peaceful means in the aftermath [...]

7/13/07 02:26 PM Full Story

Philippines’s Communist leader remains on EU terror list

The Royal Netherlands Embassy in Manila issued a statement this afternoon saying that, contrary to what Jose Maria Sison and the National Democratic Front may have impressed on the public, Sison is still on the terrorism list of the European Union. The embassy said the judgment of the European Court of First Instance concerns an old terrorism list, not the new terrorism list adopted on June 29, 2007. Sison, who lives in exile in Utrecht, is the founder of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NDF’s chief political consultant.

7/13/07 02:18 PM Full Story

In war vs youth offenders, Davao mayor reaches for the shotgun

By CHERYLL D. FIEL | Davao Today

Rodrigo Duterte, the tough-talking mayor of Davao City known for his uncompromising stance on crime, has created an “Anti-Hoodlum Unit” that will go after gang members and abusive cabbies. He said the unit can shoot these “embarrassments to the city” with shotguns if necessary. “I warn you,” he said last week. “You bring out the worse in me.” He also warned child advocates to get out of his way and to stop pampering juvenile delinquents.

7/13/07 11:23 AM Full Story

Philippines: EU court judgment ‘a victory for justice,’ says Joma

By Prof. Jose Maria Sison
Chief Political Consultant
National Democratic Front of the Philippines
The judgment of the European Court of First Instance (ECFI) annulling the decision of the Council of the European Union (EU) to put me in the “terrorist” blacklist is a victory for the cause of justice. It is not merely my personal victory. [...]

7/13/07 08:59 AM Full Story

Basilan beheadings: Dishonoring the dead

The Black & White Movement condemns in the strongest possible terms the beheading of ten marine soldiers following a firefight with members of the 8th Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT). “It is an inhuman and barbaric act that has no place in any civilized society and we ask that all means be exhausted to bring the perpetrators to justice”, says BnW lead convenor Enteng Romano.

7/13/07 08:51 AM Full Story

Philippines president signs order to ensure successful probe of killings

MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has signed as early as eight days ago an administrative order that would help ensure the success of the investigation and prosecution of political and media killings.

7/11/07 09:59 PM Full Story

Philippines to launch info campaign on terror law

MANILA — To allay public concerns over the Human Security Act (HSA) of 2007, the government is preparing a full-blown campaign to inform the public on the pros and cons of the new law also known as Republic Act (RA) 9372, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said today.

7/11/07 09:57 PM Full Story

Philippines: Courtesy resignations being evaluated carefully, says Ermita

MANILA — A total of 301 officials, mostly from government-owned and controlled corporations and financial institutions, have tendered their courtesy resignations to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in time for the June 30 deadline set by Malaca�ang.

7/11/07 09:56 PM Full Story

Franchising industry helps boost Philippines economy

MANILA — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has cited the franchising industry as a big boost to the country’s economic growth and development.

7/11/07 03:50 PM Full Story

‘Tourism, commerce to surge once terror law takes effect’

Tourism and commerce are expected to surge once peace and prosperity in the countryside is restored with the implementation of the Human Security Act of 2007, Malacanang said today.

7/11/07 03:48 PM Full Story

The biofuels myths: Here’s why biofuels are bad

The term “biofuels” suggests renewable abundance: clean, green, sustainable assurance about technology and progress. But in reality, biofuel draws its power from cornucopian myths and directs our attention away from economic interests that would benefit from the transition, while avoiding discussion of the growing North-South food and energy imbalance.

7/11/07 09:55 AM Full Story

Video: Sensational knockout by Philippines’s Nonito Donaire

7/10/07 07:45 PM Full Story

Terror law meant to protect innocent — Gonzales

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY— National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales reiterated here today that Republic Act No. 9372, otherwise known as the Human Security Act, is meant to protect the rights of the innocent against terrorism and not to stifle leftist organizations or even the opposition

7/10/07 06:56 PM Full Story

Philippines warns: Delay in implementation of terror law would embolden terrorists

MANILA — While expressing appreciation for the efforts of various groups, including the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), to keep the people informed about the Human Security Act (HSA), Malaca�ang said today any delay in the implementation of the law could only embolden terrorists at the expense of public welfare.

7/10/07 06:55 PM Full Story

THE POTATO PURSUED A DISAPPROVING LIP (OR WHY I MISS JIMMY SANTOS)

For the longest time, I thought the comedian Jimmy Santos, famous for his carabao English (”I love you three times a day!”), was just being funny. Then Antonio Calipjo Go, academic supervisor of the Marian School in Quezon City, sent PinoyPress a copy of his ad that appeared yesterday in the Inquirer. In it, he listed dozens of errors in several books being used in public schools in the Philippines. Here are some of them. I laughed out loud while reading this crap but it’s no laughing matter, of course. Still, enjoy — and weep.

7/10/07 05:48 PM Full Story

LATEST STORIES FROM DAVAOTODAY.COM

Duterte-Nograles tiff over park prelude to 2010?

Urban poor group hits Arroyo on housing mega-sale

Military operations in ComVal is linked to mining – environmental alliance

San Isidro town govt to penalize cacao felling

Boston villagers recount tales of military abuses

STORIES BY CARLOS H. CONDE

40 die as Philippine ferry capsizes

Asia, too, feels the pain

As the MOA Unravels, What Now?

Peace process fraught with peril for Arroyo

Islamic separatists kill 28 in Philippines rampage

THE NEWS IN PICTURES

Spawn. This photo, taken by photojournalist Sonny Espiritu, won the Best Single Photo award in the recent annual PopDev Awards. The photo was first published by the Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project with this caption: "An urban poor woman feeds her youngest child while washing clothes for a living and looking after other children. Modern contraception advocates say having fewer children would help fight poverty and hunger, but the predominent Catholic Church says there is no link between poverty and population, of which the Philippines has now almost 90 million."

End The Violence. Members of the women's group Gabriela make known their sentiments about violence against women. They commemorated yesterday, Nov. 25, the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. (Photo courtesy of arkibongbayan.org)

Anti-GMA Protest in LA. Members of GABNet, the progressive Filipino women's group in the United States, outside the LAX Sheraton in Los Angeles last week to protest the persecution and killing of political activists in the Philippines. The protest was timed for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stopover en route to Peru for the Apec summit. (Photo courtesy of Ninotchka Rosca/GABNet)

Tagaytay on a Sunday. Kite-flying has become a favorite activity at the Picnic Grove in Tagaytay. On an overcast but generally pleasant afternoon last Sunday, dozens of kites colored the skies, complementing the view of Taal Volcano in the background. (Photo by Ayi Muallam)

Downed. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front released Friday this photo of some of its members playing with what the group claimed was an unmanned spy plane that crashed earlier this month. The front said the alleged drone was a property of the US military. More details here.

Hunger Amid War. This child refugee is one of the thousands affected by the war in Mindanao. The situation in North Cotabato and Maguindanao has deteriorated since renewed fighting between government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) broke out in Aleosan and Midsayap, North Cotabato last Aug. 8, according to groups that held last month the National Interfaith Humanitarian Mission in North Cotabato and Maguindanao. (Photo courtesy of Kalinaw Mindanao/arkibongbayan.org)

Another Bayan Muna Leader Killed. Danny Qualbar, an officer of the Compostela Farmers' Association and coordinator of Bayan Muna was on his way to Compostela town Thursday afternoon to buy fish for his family when assassins in motorcycles shot him. Qualbar was the second Bayan Muna member killed this year in Compostela Valley. Top photo shows Qualbar’s eldest child grieving his death. (Photo by Jonald Mahinay/davaotoday.com)

Stairway to Heaven. Found in the middle of the forest, the cascading waters of Aliwagwag waterfalls in Cateel, Davao Oriental, looks like a descending stairway. No wonder it is considered one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Mindanao. (Photo by Grace S. Uddin / davaotoday.com)

Stop Militarizing Communities! Members of farmer's group Kilusang Magbubukid sa Pilipinas in Southern Mindanao Region held a rally October 8 in front of the headquarters of the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Panacan, Davao City. The group called for the pullout of troops conducting massive military operations in Tamayong in Davao City, Talaingod in Davao del Norte, Monkayo in Compostela Valley and in the towns of Baganga, Cateel, Boston in Davao Oriental and Lingig Surigao Del Sur. (Photo by Jonald Mahinay/davaotoday.com)

Land and Peace Concert. Students from Tribung Bayanga National High School perform before the crowd at Gaston Park in Cagayan De Oro City on October 23 night during the Yuta ug Kalinaw Concert. The two-hour concert was part of the Integrity of Creation Solidarity week that kicked-off last October 19. The week-long activity was a gathering of mining affected communities and support groups to discuss the issues affecting their communities. (Photo by AKP Images / Keith Bacongco)

Full Capacity. Normally, passenger vans are allowed to carry 14 people. But this one is apparently beyond its carrying limit as it negotiates the zigzag road in Sulop, Davao del Sur, a known accident- and landslide-prone area. (Photo by Keith Bacongco / AKP Images)

The Child as Vigilante. A 10-year-old boy carries a firearm and joins members of the Ilaga, an infamous anti-Moro militia, in its camp in Aleosan, North Cotabato. The child's father leads the dreaded vigilante group in the area. (Photo by Romy Elusfa/Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project)

Under Repair. A "Skylab," the most common mode of transportation in the Agusan provinces and elsewhere in Mindanao, undergoes a repair at a shop in Butuan City. The motorcycle is fitted with wooden "wings" on both sides -- hence the moniker -- and is capable of carrying up to eight passengers. (Photo by Keith Bacongco / AKP Images)

Free At Last. Pastor Berlin Guerrero of the National Council of Churches of the Philippines, shown above with wife Mylene, was released after 15 months in police detention. He had been abducted and went missing for days before the police came out to say that he was arrested on a murder charge, which his family and colleagues said had been fabricated. A court ordered him released on Sept. 11. (Photo by arkibongbayan.org)