Special Reports
In Philippine society where people often know everyone in their communities, torture is known to be a common practice. People know who the torturers in their locality are, and where victims are taken to be tortured.
The disturbing divergence between the fortunes of a few and the welfare of the many is the most troubling legacy that the Arroyo presidency leaves behind — and among the greatest challenges that the incoming administration has to confront to deliver any real change.
By Sonny Africa
Ibon Foundation
MANILA — The Arroyo administration will be remembered for lost ground on important …
MANILA — “Consciously put in place protections for human rights during martial law in Maguindanao,” the independent Commission on Human Rights urged the government including the military during International Human Rights Day (10 December).
The Commission en banc made this call immediately after the session of Congress that considered the imposition of martial law in Maguindanao late 9 December. …
HUMAN RIGHTS By Perla Aragon-Choudhury | What happens when women are too poor to pay for their own contraceptive supplies and long for the government to step in an offer simple support for an operation that would stop their unwanted pregnancies and enable them to take control of their lives?
POLITICS By Sweet Mary J. Cawicaan | Nationally speaking, the First Time Voters Network said roughly 60 percent of the 2010 electorate will come from the age bracket of 18 to 40 years old.
LABOR By Chit Estella | Vera Files | If the heroism of the Olalias and other laborers could not be doubted, then why are they not remembered as heroes by the Bantayog ng mga Bayani Foundation?
HUMAN RIGHTS The Philippine government should investigate alleged “death squads” responsible for hundreds of targeted killings in Davao City and other in Mindanao, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.
Clarita Alia, whose four sons were murdered by the Davao Death Squad, joins the Human Rights Watch in a press briefing today about extrajudicial killings in Mindanao. (File photo by Carlos H. Conde)
Related story: Inside the Davao Death Squad
PRESS FREEDOM At least 24 journalist murders have gone unsolved in the last decade. This pervasive climate of impunity has led to repeated attacks on the press, with renewed levels of violence recorded in 2008. Impunity Index Rating: 0.273 unsolved journalist murders per 1 million inhabitants. Last year: Ranked 6th with a rating of 0.289.
Read the full story
HUMAN RIGHTS By Keith Bacongco | The brutal murder of Rebelyn Pitao, the noncombatant daughter of New People’s Army commander Leoncio Pitao, has people up in arms and put the military on the defensive. A Special Report
A Killing Too Far. Rebelyn Pitao, a grade school teacher, was abducted, tortured, raped, killed and dumped in a watery ditch in Carmen, Davao del Norte. (Photo by Barry Ohaylan)
Related: Why Is the Military Being Blamed for Rebelyn’s Death?