PHILIPPINES: Akbayan Lawmakers want Marcos declared ?enemy of democracy? (tags)
Coinciding with the 39th year anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law, Akbayan lawmakers today filed a resolution urging the House of Representatives to officially declare former dictator Ferdinand Marcos an ?enemy of democracy.?
MILF PLEDGES BANGSAMORO SUBSTATE WILL BE JUST FOR ALL (tags)
The Alliance Philippines (AJLPP) welcomes the pronoucement of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that pledges that the Bangsamoro self-governance setup it seeks to be established in Mindanao will not be unjust to non-Moros. ?A just undertaking, pursuing legitimate and civilized methods will always result in just outcome,? MILF chief peace negotiator Mohagher Iqbal told civil society leaders during a recent dialogue here in Cagayan De Oro City, Mindanao last June 13, 2011 The AJLPP appreciates that the Monday?s dialogue with civil society was held by the MILF. This is the 14th was since March. The government panel also held its 31st consultation last week in Tawi-tawi.In Iligan City, chancellor Sukarno Tanggol of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) expressed hope that such dialogues will spell success for the Mindanao peace process.
No to military offensive in Mindanao (tags)
Bishops from the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) yesterday cautioned the Arroyo government on engaging in an all-out military offensive against the Muslim rebels and bandits in Mindanao, saying such action could have repercussions on the “peace-building” efforts of the inter-religious groups in the region. “Conflicts cannot be resolved simply by military might. Conflicts can be solved by mutual understanding,” CBCP president Angel Lagdameo said during the 12th Asia Pacific Policy Forum on the “Role of Youth in Peace Building” held yesterday at the Australian Embassy at RCBC Plaza in Makati City. The event was attended by Australian officials led by Ambassador Rod Smith, student leaders, CBCP president Lagdameo, CBCP chairman on Inter-Religious dialog Antonio Ledesma, members of academe and non-government organizations.
GMANews.tv: RP Failed to Redeem Self from 2004 Scandal - Int’l Observers (tags)
The Philippine government failed to redeem itself from suspicions that it "benefited" from such illegal practices in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in 2004 with rampant irregularities "allowed" in the region in the May 14 midterm polls. This was the conclusion reached by the People's International Observers' Mission (IOM), whose members admitted they are now questioning their belief that the Philippines is a democratic country. "What were very obvious and undeniable was that the government failed to redeem itself from the wide belief that it benefited from these illegal practices in Lanao del Sur in particular and the entire Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in general in 2004," IOM said. “The Commission on Elections (Comelec), by sins of commission and omission, presided yet again over abominably chaotic elections."