Philippine activists start 1,000-km march for climate justice (tags)
MANILA, Philippines-- Climate change advocates from various sectors urged world governments to “walk their climate talk” as they launched the Climate Walk, dubbed as “A People’s Walk for Climate Justice.”
Philippines: Coalition Clamor for the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill (tags)
Still enough time for FOI – if House leadership supports it. With only nine session days remaining before Congress adjourns for a long election break, members of the Right to Know Right Now Coalition are reminding members of Congress that they still have enough time to pass the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill even without the prodding of Malacanang.
Philippines - Ranking Red exec named party-list third nominee (tags)
The Anakpawis party-list announced on Monday that it was adding the name of Randall Echanis, a political consultant of the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front (CPP-NDF), as its third nominee, a move which observers say could hasten the integration of the extreme left into the political mainstream.
NPA TO UNDERTAKE STEPS TO PREVENT CIVILIAN CASULATIES-NDF (tags)
THE PESANTE BULETIN based in the United States today reported that the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas said today that the New People’s Army is undertaking steps to prevent civilian casualties over concerns of such occurring last Dec. 8 and Dec. 14 in Northern Samar. The PB reported that “In upholding the people’s war as just, correct and principled, it is important for the NPA to ensure the observance of the rights of civilians,” said Fr. Santiago Salas, NDF-EV spokesperson. "This demonstrates the NPA’s firm unity with the people and differentiates it from the enemy, which is carrying out an unjust and unpincipled counterrevolutionary war backed by US imperialism. It is the people, not arms alone, who are decisive in war — contrary to the casual acceptance of so-called “collateral damage” as well as the willful targetting of civilians by the Armed Forces of the Philippines."
Military supremacy leading to human rights violations in Eastern Visayas (tags)
PESANTE NEWS learned today that the the National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas charged the 8th Infantry Division today of pushing its Oplan Bantay Laya campaign by intimidating the public and dominating the civilian government in the region. "The military is intimidating the public by coming out with an order of battle or liquidation list, and then going into schools and communities to conduct witch hunts and commit other human rights violations," said NDF-EV spokesperson Fr. Santiago Salas.
JUSTICE FOR FR. CECILIO LUCERO OF SAMAR (tags)
Nakiisa ang Pesante-USA sa pamilya at mga kaibigan ng pinaslang na tagapagtanggol ng karapatang-tao na si Fr. Cecilio Lucero nang gunitain ang ika-40 araw ng kanyang kamatayan nitong Oktubre 15. Si Fr. Lucero ay pinuno ng Human Rights Desk ng Social Action Center ng dyosesis ng Catarman at tagapangulo ng Task Force on Peace and Order ng Northern Samar Peace and Development Forum (NSPDF). Pinatay siya ng pasistang militar dahil sa matapang at tahasan niyang pagtuligsa sa mga paglabag sa karapatang-tao. May ilang pagkakataong tumulong siya sa pagsasampa o siya mismo ang nagsampa ng mga kaso laban sa militar. Bago siya barilin, malaon na siyang minamanmanan ng mga operatibang militar at paniktik ng pasistang estado.
KATARUNGAN PAA KAY FR.CECILIO LUCERO NG SAMAR (tags)
Nakiisa ang Pesante-USA sa pamilya at mga kaibigan ng pinaslang na tagapagtanggol ng karapatang-tao na si Fr. Cecilio Lucero nang gunitain ang ika-40 araw ng kanyang kamatayan nitong Oktubre 15. Si Fr. Lucero ay pinuno ng Human Rights Desk ng Social Action Center ng dyosesis ng Catarman at tagapangulo ng Task Force on Peace and Order ng Northern Samar Peace and Development Forum (NSPDF). Pinatay siya ng pasistang militar dahil sa matapang at tahasan niyang pagtuligsa sa mga paglabag sa karapatang-tao. May ilang pagkakataong tumulong siya sa pagsasampa o siya mismo ang nagsampa ng mga kaso laban sa militar. Bago siya barilin, malaon na siyang minamanmanan ng mga operatibang militar at paniktik ng pasistang estado.
Arroyo government plotted and carried out Fr. Lucero's murder- NDF-EV (tags)
-The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas today , September 7, accused the Arroyo government of planning and carrying out the dastardly murder of Fr. Cecilio Lucero, a well-known peace and human rights advocate who served as parish priest of Catubig town and chairman of the human rights committee of the Catarman diocese in Northern Samar. Fr. Lucero was shot and killed by assailants in bonnets and military uniform in San Jose, Northern Samar, yesterday Sept. 6 while his two companions were wounded. "Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself virtually signed Fr. Lucero's death warrant," said Fr. Santiago Salas, NDF-EV spokesperson.
KONSULTANT NG NDF ILEGAL NA INARESTO (tags)
Inulat ng balitaan ng PESANTE-USA na iligal na inaresto ng mga militar at pulis ang isang konsultant ng National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) sa usapang pangkapayapaan. Mahigit na 20 tauhan na ng NDF ang inaaresto ng AFP mula ng matigil ang usapang pangakapayapaan noong 2004. Samantala. wala ring patid ang pagsalbeyds at pagpapahirap ng mga tropa ng AFP sa mga sibilyang pilit na isinasangkot sa armadong kilusang rebolusyonaryo. Ito ang ulat sa iba't ibang bahagi ng bansa na nilikom ng Pesante News.
NDF-EV condemns virtual martial rule in troop deployment to Tacloban City (tags)
The National Democratic Front-Eastern Visayas today condemned the virtual martial rule in the deployment by the 8th Infantry Division of soldiers to the northern barangays of Tacloban City and the outright role of the military in rigging the elections to favor the Arroyo regime. "The military psywar blabberers blatantly lie that the 8th ID is sending troops to the northern barangays of Tacloban City because of the alleged presence of the New People's Army," said NDF-EV spokesperson Fr. Santiago Salas. "What the military really aims after the elections is to forestall mass protests by heightening the psywar campaign against the people's organizations and party-list groups, whom they frame as part of the NPA to justify attacking and killing off their leaders and members. In the elections, various reports from Samar and Leyte also describe soldiers as terrorizing the people against voting for the progressive party-list. But the people have democratically defied the military and the Arroyo regime in the elections: Despite the barefaced use of fraud and military terrorism against them, the progressive party-list groups are clearly headed for Congress. The people have spoken, but in retaliating by sending troops against them, the military goes on with its script of mayhem and murder."
Bayan Muna member gunned down in Northern Samar (tags)
A member of the party-list group Bayan Muna and chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) in Northern Samar was gunned down late yesterday afternoon by a motorcycle-riding assassin in front of students at the University of Eastern Philippines in Catarman. Professor Jose Maria Cui, also a former secretary general of human rights group Karapatan in the Eastern Visayas, died on the spot after being shot in the head and chest by an unidentified suspect outside the Engineering Building of the campus around 4:15 p.m.
Palparan named deputy NSA (tags)
President Arroyo has appointed controversial Army Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan as deputy national security adviser for the government’s anti-insurgency campaign, Malacañang announced yesterday. Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said Palparan will assume his new post when he officially retires from the military on Sept. 11. As expected, Palparan’s appointment to a sensitive government post was denounced by militant groups that have complained that the retiring Army officer is behind the extra-judicial killings of leftist activist
Military batters rebels in Eastern Visayas (tags)
The 8th Infantry Division, Philippine Army has again battered CPP/NPA terrorists in the Eastern Visayas after hitting them in two separate operations in Leyte and Northern Samar, Eastern Visayas, Central Philippines.
Bukidnon villagers flee as attacks vs NPAs continues (tags)
Pesante-USA reprints the latest news from the Phil.Star. dated June 27 about the incrased AFP counter-insurgency operations in Central Mindanao. As of the latest news. eight villagaes have been evacuated due to the heavy militarization in the area as the AFP launched ground and air attacks against the NPA in Bukidnon. the central highland area of Northern Mindanao.