Environmentalist group PANALIPDAN!- Southern Mindanao fears that the
recent declarations of DENR and Mines and Geosciences Bureau, that
mining has nothing to do with the Masara landslide and that the area
is a geo-hazard and prone to landslide, are just but ways of covering
up the real score behind the Masara tragedy that took the lives of 30
residents and [...]

“Time and again, the CHR has persistently and consistently asserted that the constitutional mandate of the CHR is completely clear in its meaning and intention and, hence, no amount of preconditions or restrictions may be imposed to bring to life its powers. The CHR’s powers, as expressly enshrined in the 1987 Constitution, are self-executory, requiring no enabling law or compliance with prior conditions.”

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission
WORLD/PAKISTAN: Pakistani and US State authorities must release
information on the two children of Dr. Aafia who remain missing
The alleged US arrest in July of Pakistan-US national Dr Aafia
Siddiqui has left a series of unanswered questions about her missing
children. With Dr Siddiqui now in US custody it is suspected [...]

Unsuccessful in blocking the plenary sponsorship of the controversial Reproductive Health and Population Development bill (House Bill 5043) in the House of Representatives, the bill’s oppositors had intensified their scare tactics – from pressuring lawmakers to spreading misinformation targeting the general public.
Ramon San Pascual, Executive Director of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population [...]

Activists spanning several generations converged at the foot of the Mendiola Bridge today to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by Ferdinand Marcos. The groups are demanding justice for the victims of the Marcos dictatorship.

On the 36th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law in the Philippines under the US-backed dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, Filipino-Americans under BAYAN USA are vowing to support the current movement to remove the current “undeclared dictator” Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from her presidential seat.
“In many ways, she is worse than Marcos,” states BAYAN USA Chair Chito [...]

TheCARE Nederland , the Corporate Network for Disaster Response (CNDR) and the Agri-Aqua Development Coalition (AADC) will launch a new community-based disaster risk management project dubbed ACCORD-2.
HE Alistair MacDonald, Head of Delegation of the European Commission to the Philippines, CNDR board officials led by Mr. Alberto Lim and Dr. Kenneth Hartigan-Go and AADC [...]

New legislation adopted on September 15, 2008 will permit the United States to prosecute foreign military commanders who recruit child soldiers abroad, Human Rights Watch said today. The Child Soldiers Accountability Act passed the House of Representatives unanimously on September 8 and was adopted by the Senate today.

International and national non-government organizations urge the government to ensure a strong Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008 to ensure that the real intents of the law to uphold public health interests will prevail.
The proposed IRR that seeks to prevent abuses by pharmaceutical companies of [...]

Beyond the Currents: The Culture and Power of Sulu
One-afternoon lecture series
Saturday, September 20, 2:00 - 5:00 p.m.
The islands of the Sulu seas boast a history of power and a colorful traditional culture. It is the home of the Sulu Sultanate, a kingdom that wielded great power in centuries past. It was one of the strongest [...]

New York, September 16, 2008—The Committee to Protect Journalists will honor courageous journalists from Iraq, Afghanistan, Uganda, and Cuba with its 2008 International Press Freedom Awards at a ceremony in November.
Bilal Hussein of Iraq, Danish Karokhel and Farida Nekzad of Afghanistan, Andrew Mwenda of Uganda, and Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez of Cuba have all risked imprisonment, [...]

Honored for Courage in Exposing Abuse and Seeking Justice
(New York, September 15, 2008) – Five brave and selfless advocates of human rights from Burma, Congo, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Uzbekistan have been awarded the prestigious 2008 Human Rights Defender Awards, Human Rights Watch said today. All five have been persecuted and threatened for their [...]

Pahayag ni G. Oscar Empeño, ama ni Karen Empeño (dinukot na UP student noong June 26, 2006 sa Hagonoy, Bulacan)

Ano ba ang writ of amparo? Proteksyon saan at nino?
Proteksyon ba ito sa mga biktima na gustung isulong ang katotohanan sa ating lipunan o ginawa lamang ito para may masabi lang ang pamahalaan na sila ay [...]

The European Union is deeply concerned by the escalation of violence in Mindanao, the growing number of civilian casualties and displaced persons.

“We condemn the International Solid Waste Integrated Management Services Inc. (International SWIMS) and the Rizal Provincial Government headed by Gov. Casimiro Ynares III for dumping toxic leachate to Montalban River. This practice not only pollutes the river, but also endangers the health and welfare of people including the residents of Metro Manila,” said Clemente Bautista [...]

China’s successful test of an anti-satellite weapon in 2007, followed by the U.S. destruction in early 2008 of an out-of-control U.S. satellite, demonstrated that space may soon no longer remain a relative sanctuary from military conflict. A new Council Special Report says that as the United States, China, and others increasingly benefit from the information [...]

“The national budget is actually finalized behind closed doors and without public knowledge and participation,” former national treasurer Leonor Briones said. “Where is genuine democracy if people are not able to fully participate in determining public expenditures and allocations for their own development?”

“It is becoming all the more urgent for the government to put a stop to failed policies of globalization. Beyond the immediate economic relief, much more meaningful over the longer term is to focus all efforts to build a genuinely self-reliant domestic economy.”