In a statement in time for its 41st anniversary on Dec. 26, the Communist Party of the Philippines said: “The NPA can take the initiative of developing armed city partisan warfare and launching special operations against enemy facilities and antipeople enterprises in order to force the enemy forces to go on guard duty and put more of its troops on the defensive. The movement of enemy units can be hampered by sapper operations, mine warfare, sniping and other small team operations. These appear to be mere pinpricks but have far reaching demoralizing effects on enemy troops.”

At least 68 journalists worldwide were killed for their work in 2009, the highest yearly tally ever documented by the Committee to Protect Journalists, the organization said in its year-end analysis. The record toll was driven in large part by the election-related slaughter of more than 30 media workers in the Philippine province of Maguindanao, the deadliest event for the press in CPJ history.

The declaration of a state of Martial Law in Maguindanao sets a most dangerous precedent for the nation. Not since September 21, 1972 has there been any declaration of Martial Law, not even during the years of tumult under the Aquino, Estrada and, prior to this, the Arroyo regime. For the first time since 1972, the writ of habeas corpus has been suspended in an area in the Philippines.

Commission on Human Rights: “Now that the people have done their part, it is our turn to do ours. It is the government’s turn to vindicate our people’s faith in our institutions, in our Constitution and laws.”

The reason Monday’s incident became international news is because of the high number of victims killed all at once and because so many were journalists and women. Had the killings been spread out over weeks and months, very few outside of the province would have heard of it.

Dozens of groups in the Philippines and abroad have denounced the Maguindanao massacre.

Click here to view a list of the statements and manifestos released so far.

“President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo must not let her political association with the Ampatuan family stand in the way of a speedy and impartial investigation into the incident. The national government must step in and enforce the law since the local police is not likely capable of conducting an impartial probe or may be vulnerable to pressure by the powerful political families in the province.”

Greenpeace today challenged Bayer to stop contaminating the world’s rice supply with GMOs (genetically modified organisms), during a forum on rice genetics sponsored by the giant agrochemical company and hosted by IRRI (International Rice Research Institute) in Manila.

Former President Joseph Estrada put an end today to the rumors that he is backing out of the presidential race to support the presidential bid of Senator Noynoy Aquino

Amid the national jubilation over the latest win of Manny Pacquiao, cause oriented groups and farmers today retained an air of sadness as they commemorated the 5th anniversary of the Hacienda Luisita Massacre.

To a certain degree, Executive Order 839 questioned the lies long peddled by the oil companies and staunch defenders of neoliberalism about neoliberal free market economics. If left unchallenged, EO 839 could become a precedent in policy making: that the government, in the name of public good and welfare, could take decisive action against abusive corporations.

The US Troops Out Now! Mindanao Coalition believes that Secretary Clinton’s rhetoric of supporting peace in Mindanao must begin with the scrapping of the VFA, the pull out some 600 embedded American soldiers in Mindanao, and the demolition of US military structures in the island.

OIL CRISIS   Amid the uproar over the Malacañang-imposed oil price ceiling, Executive Order (EO) 389 is apparently a mere government public relations gimmick, according to Ibon Foundation.

HUMAN RIGHTS   US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should press President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo of the Philippines to prosecute military members responsible for politically motivated killings, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch said that the historically close relations between the US and the Philippines and the direct US support for the Philippine military, places particular responsibility on the United States to press the government to end the military’s involvement in human rights violations and to prosecute those responsible.

POLITICS   Various religious, youth, cause-oriented and civil society groups are set to hold a march throughout the city of Manila on June 30 to sustain efforts opposing the Constituent Assembly being planned by allies of the President. The protest action has also been billed as a countdown to the State of the Nation Address of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on July 27.