By Mike G. Kulat  |  The recent squabbles within the government and the deplorable conditions of over half a million refugees brought about by the aborted signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain can be considered one of the greatest dramas in the annals of Philippine history.

By Ellen Tordesillas and Chit Estella | Vera Files  |  The government is pushing through with plans to parcel out the controversial gold rush site in Diwalwal, Compostela Valley province to various foreign mining companies, despite the tangle of unresolved legal issues that are threatening to fuel a potentially explosive situation.

A new Supreme Court ruling has ended hope of a peaceful resolution in the near future to the decades-old conflict between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Philippines government. The Philippines: The Collapse of Peace in Mindanao, the latest briefing from the International Crisis Group, says the immediate task now is to prevent escalation of fighting and discourage the government and local officials from arming civilians. Interested governments and donors should press both sides to keep existing ceasefire mechanisms in place, while quietly urging a return to talks.

By Yasmin Arquiza | Vera Files  |  Because of their rapid expansion, Davao’s big banana plantations are encroaching into the city’s built-up areas and farmlands, where small farmers grow crops and fruits that are sold in Davao City markets. Communities around these plantations have been complaining of health problems every time toxic pesticides would drift their way.

MANILA — Members of the Philippine press are entitled to a 10-percent discount on all books at Bound Bookshop, a bookstore in Quezon City owned and operated by journalists.
“All our colleagues have to do is present their press cards to us and we will give them discounts,” said Carlos Conde, one of the owners of [...]

On March 21, 2008, Edgar de la Cruz Candule, a 23-year-old Aeta, was picked up by policemen in Zambales. What followed was a nightmare, as the cops tortured him and accused him of being a Communist. According to human-rights groups, Candule’s case illustrates the dangers caused by a skewed interpretation and application of the Human Security Act.

With the worsening crisis of the US and global economy expected to further aggravate poverty in the country, independent think-tank IBON Foundation today said that it has become more crucial for government to ensure enough resources are spent for the poor.

The Vietnamese government should immediately release Roman Catholics arrested for holding peaceful prayer vigils in Hanoi and hold accountable police and others responsible for attacking Catholic parishioners, Human Rights Watch said today. The protesters have been calling for the return of church properties confiscated by the government.

SEATCA is calling on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Health Ministers who will be meeting this week to pressure their governments into adopting policies that will make it more difficult for people—adults and minors—to buy cigarettes.

“The right to reply should be looked upon not as an infringement on the freedom of speech and expression now being enjoyed by the media. It is an expansion of the right of the people to express the other side of a controversy in which they are unduly maligned,” he said.

As government’s economic managers prepare a contingency plan for the US financial turmoil, research group IBON Foundation urges the government to immediately increase social services spending to cushion the effect on the people.

“We are not surprised that the JPEPA has been approved while the rest of the country is not watching. This treaty has been negotiated by Malacanang and signed by Ms Gloria Arroyo in virtual secrecy. The undemocratic and non-transparent manner with which the deal has been conceived has resulted in a seriously flawed agreement that threatens to further destroy the jobs and livelihood of Filipino workers, farmers and fishers and further destroy local industries and stunt long-term economic development.”

Migrante International, the largest global alliance of Filipino migrants and the families, warned that more Filipino domestic helpers could become targets of sexual exploitation and abuses because of the racist depiction of a Filipina domestic helper as a sex object in an episode of a BBC comedy show “Harry & Paul.”

By Carlos H. Conde |  As far as Malacanang is concerned, journalists can be pests. They can provoke people — especially hot-tempered and arrogant people like Arroyo — into doing something silly during a press briefing, like raising their voice, respond condescendingly to reporters or, heaven forbid, throw a cellphone at one of them. Or worse, Arroyo can be painted into a corner on questions about her legitimacy and all the scandals facing her and her people.

The recent conflict between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and government forces threatened communities in southern Philippines, including the predominantly Muslim provinces in Mindanao. This resulted in 511,090 persons being displaced during the height of the conflict.

The Bangkok-based think-tank, Focus on Global South, reveals that a US military base construction unit has awarded a P3.5-billion contract for work in Mindanao. The award is part of a multi-billion peso contract lasting until 2012, it says.

“PLCPD is a legitimate NGO made up of members of Congress. We are advocating for the RH bill solely for the improvement of women’s health and to uphold freedom of informed choice,” Ramon San Pascual, Executive Director PLCPD, clarified. “That is all there is to it. There is no hidden agenda behind this campaign.”

By Renato Reyes Jr.  |  The government admission of lower growth targets, slower export growth as well as vulnerabilities in foreign direct investments and speculative investments show that the Philippines is not totally shielded from the US financial meltdown.