War in Mindanao :Palace, AFP reject OIC call for ceasefire in Sulu (tags)
Manila-- Malacañang is giving full support to the military offensive against renegade Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) forces in Sulu, which entered its fourth day of fierce fighting yesterday. While the government acknowledges the appeal of the 47-nation Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to disengage forces, Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye said there must be an assurance against further attacks from the renegade forces. Nearly 8,500 families ( 40,000 people)have fled the fighting and thousands crammed into schools and gymnasiums in downtown Jolo, relying on food rations from disaster agencies. The mass evacuations are a bitter development for conflict-scarred residents, who had hoped Jolo was becoming a more stable place after a long-running military campaign to rid the island of scores of Islamic militants.
VERDICT HAILED BUT OTHERS "HALF-SATISFIED" (tags)
Women's groups celebrated their court victory while lawmakers and Malacañang hailed the conviction yesterday of a US Marine and the acquittal of his co-accused on rape charges. But there were ordinary people who were not fully satisfied with the verdict of the Makati Regional Trial Court, which convicted US Marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith and acquitted three other Marines.
Start anti-corruption drive with Bolante’ (tags)
If the government is serious in its campaign against corruption, it should start revealing details of why former agriculture undersecretary Jocelyn "Jocjoc" Bolante was taken into custody in the United States, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon said yesterday.