Wheels of justice in the Philippines must turn quickly and judiciously on Burgos case (tags)
Akbayan Partylist today called on President Benigno Simeon Aquino III to "shake the military establishment" and "weed out the corrupt, murderers and traitors" among its ranks. The partylist group made the call after the Court of Appeals' decision to hold elements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) accountable for the enforced disappearance of Jonas Burgos in 2007.
AJLPP CONDEMN THE FASCIST BRUTALITIES VS URBAN SETTLERS IN METRO MANILA (tags)
The Alliance Philippines vehemently condemn in the strongest terms the violent dispersal of informal settlers and urban poor communities in Paranaque by the Philippine National Police (PNP) last April 23. The violent dispersal of April 23 is characterized by violent fascist police tactics and deadly shooting is a carry-over of the fascist policies of dictator Marcos and GMA that cause the death of one person and the wounding of more than 30 others. Scores of people who resisted the brutal suppression were arrested by the PNP.
Philippine police asked to respect human rights (tags)
Akbayan Party to PNP: Respect People's Right to Protest, Observe Maximum Tolerance
FAILURE OF ELECTIONS IN THE OFFING? (tags)
The Armed Forces of the Philippines has started fielding more than 7,300 soldiers in Metro Manila even as it declared 10 cities in the capital region as election “hotspots.” These with news filtering to PESANTE NEWS that politicians are arming their forces and deliberately ignoring the gun ban. PESANTE NEWS also learned that the airport are packed with supporters of candidates from LA who are trying to get out of Manila due to the situation. The situation turned to the worst when 78,000 PCOS machines cocked out and and there was a call for manual elections to the COMELEC. PGMA's lawyers have formally called for a postponement of elections for the next two weeks.
Police warn of more NPA attacks before May polls (tags)
The Los Angeles based PESANTE NEWS sources reported today that the Philippine national police (PNP) warned Saturday that NPAt rebels would step up violent attacks ahead of the May 10 general elections, with politicians and isolated police posts seen as prime targets. Police chief Jesus Verzosa said the New People's Army (NPA) sought to derail the democratic process as well as raise funds by extorting money from candidates, who are threatened with harm if they refused to pay up. "The recent atrocities committed by (the NPA) against candidates, civilians and the public in general indicate their deliberate effort to exploit (police and military) focus on election duties," he said in a statement.
MORONG 43 RETURNED BY THE POLICE BACK TO THE ARMY CAMP (tags)
The PESANTE NEWS learned today that the PNP refuses to house ‘Morong 38’ . They were asked to return to Camp Capinpin, Tanay. Rizal. In line with an order issued by a Morong, Rizal court, 38 members of the so-called “Morong 43” group of health workers were brought to Camp Crame on board a Philippine Army bus Friday morning. About half an hour later, the Philippine National Police (PNP) promptly sent them back to the military’s Camp Capinpin in Rizal, saying it had no room for them in its crowded detention facility.
OCAMPO HITS DOJ, PNP FOR EFYING COURT ORDER ON ECHANIS TRANSFER (tags)
Manila--Deputy Minority Leader and Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo yesterday denounced the Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Philippine National Police for defying a Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) order transferring peasant leader Randall Echanis back to the PNP Custodial Center at Camp Crame. Last Monday, Col. Cesar Magsino, chief custodial group, PNP, a certain Col. Degracia, HQ service and support group, PNP, defied the Manila RTC Branch 32 order by not taking custody of Echanis pursuant to DoJ advice through higher headquarters.
Pesante Hails Transfer of Echanis to PNP Jail- A Tactical Victory (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante-USA) hails the transfer of Randal Echanis, yesterday. Echanis, a persecuted leader of KMP, a veterans FQSM student leader and an NDF Peace Consultant PNP was transferred from the Manila City Jail to the PNP Jai. The transfer is a tactical victory in the interest of justice and lasting peace and was a demand of different human rights groups in the Philippines and in the U.S. Pesante Coordinator Arturo Garcia said: “Echanis should not have been transferred to the Manila City Jail from the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame, It is just a simple case of persecution and the SOP of the resurging and copycat martial law regime. The US-Marcos regime did the same when they transferred the political prisoners from the detention centers to Muntinglupa National Penitentiary and declared them as “public order violators”
Pesante Hails Transfer of Echanis to PNP Jail- A Tactical Victory (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante-USA) hails the transfer of Randal Echanis, yesterday as a victory. Echanis, a persecuted leader of KMP, a veteran FQSM student leader and an NDF Peace Consultant PNP was transferred from the Manila City Jail to the PNP Jai. The transfer is a tactical victory in the interest of justice and lasting peace and was a demand of different human rights groups in the Philippines and in the U.S.
AJLPP Protests The Arrest of Randall Echanis, KMP Leader and a member of NDFP Peace Panel (tags)
The AJLPP through its national coordinator Mario Santos today strongly condemns the illegal arrest of Mr. Randall Echanis, KMP deputy secretary general and a member of the NDFP Reciprocal Working Committee (RWC) on Social and Economic Reforms (SER), by the Arroyo regime’s police agents yesterday at Bago City, Negros Occidental. The AJLPP considered the arrest of Echanis a big blow against the cause of peace. Mr. Echanis was arrested by the PNP in Bago City while he was to attend a conference of agricultural workers in preparation for a KMP national rural congress. Negros is one the KMP’s strongest base where the National Federation Sugar Workers (NFSW) is based. He was flown by the PNP with haste to Hilongos , Leyte where he was detained.
RELEASE KMP LEADER RANDALL ECHANIS- Pesante-USA (tags)
The Philippine Peasant Support Network (Pesante)-USA. a Filipino peasant., human rights and environmental advocacy network in the United States and a member organization of the AJLPP, strongly condemns the arrest and detention of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) deputy secretary general Randall Echanis, 60 years old in the island of Negros last Monday, January 28,2008 in the Philippines. Pesante Coordinator Arturo Garcia said : “the arrest of Echanis, is a strong warning to legal activist to stop organizing the Filipino peasantry. It is also a strong arm tactic of the AFP and the PNP to implicate legal mass leaders to the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA as a part of their legal offensive.” “With the extension of Esperon as AFP Chief of Staff, the US-Arroyo regime will try to make out KMP and other legal mass organizations as “communist organizations” in order to present them as war trophies.
Philippines: Senate alarmed by resurgence of killings (tags)
Senate leaders yesterday raised the alarm over the apparent resur-gence of extra-judicial killings in the country, taking to task the Philippine National Police (PNP) in containing the situation before it gets worse. Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr., in condemning the killing of Fr. Rey Roda, OMI in Sulu, and the abduction of teacher Omar Taub during a raid on a church-run school, also warned authorities that the case had already raised tension in the province.
Military, police raise coup d’etat alarm anew (tags)
With the prospect of an extension of the term of Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff, Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr., as the day of his retirement nears and with the Palace already preparing for the negative points as a result of this, both the AFP and the Philippine National Police (PNP) leaders, along with the Defense and Interior chiefs, again raised the alarm on coups and destabilization moves by alleged rebel soldiers, saying moves are afoot to topple President Arroyo and her government, claiming that they obtained the information gathered by the intelligence community.
Why there is no ceasefire in The Philippines (tags)
It is understandable why there is no ceasefire between the armed forces of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and those of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
AJLPP-USA Denounced Indiscriminate AFP aerial bombing in Davao Del Norte, Mindanao (tags)
The Alliance for A Just and Lasting Peace (AJLPP) vehemently condemened the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) for indiscriminately dropping bombs at Barangay Manay in Panabo City, Davao del Norte, damaging homes and banana fields and endangering the lives of residents who had to evacuate to safer grounds.
New AFP Chief Esperon vows to crush insurgency (tags)
New Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Hermogenes Esperon vowed yesterday to crush the 37-year-old communist insurgency during his watch, saying he would devote his last years as a soldier to finish the task. "The President has renewed her call for the defeat of the insurgents ... I welcome the challenge," Esperon said in a speech as he formally took the helm of the 117,000-strong AFP.
PPNP, AFP, agencies to meet on counterinsurgency (tags)
Pesante-USA/AJLPP reported this news about the Philippine National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and other government agencies will be meeting to coordinate their efforts to combat the communist insurgency, newly installed PNP Director General Oscar Calderon said Thursday. Calderon said President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, at a meeting, instructed the PNP and AFP to create a joint plan to combat communist rebels.
Protestas estremece a Puerto Rico Trabajadores dicen: ¡Que pague los ricos! (tags)
Manifestaciones y marchas de protestas han estremecido a Puerto Rico desde el Primero de Mayo contra el cierre de agencia gubernamentales que dejaron a 95.000 desempleados.