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Militants dismissed Arroyo’s reasons for US trip despite Frank as “garbage”

Leftwing activists belonging to the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Tuesday dismissed as “stockpile of garbage” the reasons lined up by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo why she and her entourage for leaving the country to United States at the height of super typhoon Frank.

“That’s garbage, garbage and garbage,” said Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

President Arroyo said it was difficult decision for her to proceed with the 10-day working visit to Washington, but she lined up several reasons why she and her entourage still proceeded with the trip. The Chief Executive said she fully trusted her people on the ground to do everything to address the situation.

Mrs. Arroyo said as a President, she has to make a decision whether to cancel important meetings with US President George W. Bush and leaders of Congress who specifically asked that she and her company be in Washington to lobby the passage of the Philippine veterans bill in American congress.

The President said aside from securing new pledges of jobs and investments from new business players, the Philippine government was able to reaffirm its strong ties with US in fighting terrorism, adding that aside from investment and food aid, security ties between the two countries were further strengthened.

“After spending over 1.5 million US dollars or roughly P 67 million in taxpayers’ money, President Arroyo and her junket gang have both the face and the nerve to say that what they did is for the sake of starving, yet struggling 88.5 million Filipinos. Give us break,” the Pamalakaya leader said.

Hicap pressed President Arroyo, and the 59 congressmen, two senators and 10 cabinet members who joined her 10 -day working visit to the United States to pay for their round trip tickets, hotel and other bills.

“Arroyo and her company should not charge their multi-billion expenses to the taxpaying public. This triple platinum robbery in broad daylight is highly condemnable and has no place in this world,” he added.

Pamalakaya further said: “The Filipino taxpayers are not obliged to pay this mother of all junket trip. If Arroyo and her gang want to see US President George W. Bush, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama and Republican presidential bet John McCain or witness the triumph of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao against David Diaz, that’s their prerogative, but please spare the people’s money.”

The group said Arroyo’s entourage to US had spent some $ 1.5 million or roughly P 66.885 M according to the present US dollar-peso exchange rate. He said the Philippine Airlines chartered by Malacañang to carry the entourage could reach $ 200,000, while the private plane used by President Arroyo from Fresno, California to Washington could cost taxpayers not less than $ 300,000.

Pamalakaya said the hotel bills at the top-rated Willard Hotel could cost Filipino taxpayers some 250,000 US dollars with rates ranging from $ 300 to $ 5,000. He said car rentals during the 10-day working visit could cost Filipino taxpayers some $ 150,000.

The Pamalakaya said each congressmen is also entitled to a P 100,000 monthly travel allowance, and since this is the only foreign trip so far in this month of June, he presumed the each congressional representative received the travel allowance for the month.

Pamalakaya identified the following congressmen who joined Arroyo’s trip to US. They are Rep. Narciso Santiago III, Alliance for Rural Concerns Party List Group, Rep. Monico Puentevella, Bacolod, Rep. Albert Garcia, Bataan , Rp. Mark Llandro L. Mendoza, Batangas, Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, Batangas, Rep. William Irwin Tieng, Buhay Party List Group, Rep. Jose Zubiri III, Bukidnon, Rep. Lorna Silverio, Bulacan, and Rep. Mitzi Cajayon, Caloocan.

Rep. Diosdado "Dato" Macapagal Arroyo, Camarines Sur, Rep. Joseph Santiago, Catanduanes, Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Cavite, Rep. Antonio Cuenco, Cebu, Rep. Eduardo Gullas, Cebu, Deputy Speaker Raul Del Mar, Cebu City, Rep. Rommel Amatong, Compostela Valley, Speaker Prospero Nograles, Davao City, Rep. Antonio Lagdameo, Davao Del Norte, Rep. Marc Cagas, Davao Del Sur, Rep. Nelson Dayanghirang, Davao Oriental, Rep. Teodolo Coquilla, Eastern Samar, Rep. Andres Salvacion, Leyte, Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Leyte, Rep. Trinidad Apostol, Leyte, Rep. Ma. Zenaida Angping, Manila, Rep. Amado S. Bagatsing, Manila, Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., Manila, Rep. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete, Masbate and Rep. Herminia Ramiro, Misamis Occidental.

Rep. Yevgeny Emano, Misamis Oriental, Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, Muntinlupa,
Rep. Joseph Gilbert Violago, Nueva Ecija, Deputy Speaker Ma. Amelita C. Villarosa, Occidental Mindoro, Rep. Anna York Bondoc, Pampanga, Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Pampanga, Rep. Juan Miguel Macapagal Arroyo, Pampanga, Rep. Conrado Estrella III, Pangasinan, Rep. Ma. Rachel Arenas, Pangasinan, Rep. Eduardo C. Zialcita, Parañaque, Rep. Roman Romulo, Pasig City, Rep. Mary Ann Susano, Quezon City, Rep. Nanette C. Castelo-Daza, Quezon City, Rep. Danilo Suarez, Quezon Province, Rep. Junie Cua, Quirino, Rep. Arturo B. Robes, San Jose Del Monte,
Rep. Roger Mercado, Southern Leyte, Rep. Munir Arbison, Sulu, Rep. Rex Gatchalian, Valenzuela City and Rep. Antonio Diaz, Zambales.

Among the senators who joined President Arroyo are Senators. Miriam Defensor Santiago and
Sen. Richard Gordon, two of the President’s allies in the Upper House. The cabinet members who joined Mrs. Arroyo are Agriculture secretary Arthur Yap, budget secretary Rolando Andaya, Central Bank governor Amando Tetangco, Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, local government secretary Ronaldo Puno, education secretary Sec. Jesli Lapus, environment secretary Lito Atienza, finance secretary Margarito Teves, foreign secretary Alberto Romulo, labor secretary Marianito Roque, presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye, press secretary Jesus Dureza and trade secretary Peter Favila.

“The most noble and appropriate political act these lawmakers and cabinet members should do is to declare to the public that they will pay for their own expenses and regret their association with President Arroyo and Malacañang,” Pamalakaya said. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 10:55 | link | comments |
corruption

Militants urged Arroyo, 59 congressmen, 2 senators and 10 cabinet members in GMA junket trip to pay their tickets, other bills

Fisherfolk activists belonging to the left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Monday pressed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and the 59 congressmen, two senators and 10 cabinet members who joined her 10 -day working visit to the United States to pay for their round trip tickets, hotel and other bills.

“Arroyo and her company should not charge their multi-billion expenses to the taxpaying public. This triple platinum robbery in broad daylight is highly condemnable and has no place in this world ,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

Hicap added: “The Filipino taxpayers are not obliged to pay this mother of all junket trip. If Arroyo and her gang want to see US President George W. Bush, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama and Republican presidential bet John McCain or witness the triumph of boxing champion Manny Pacquiao against David Diaz, that’s their prerogative, but please spare the people’s money.”

The Pamalakaya leader said Arroyo’s entourage to US had spent some $ 1.5 million or roughly P 66.885 M according to the present US dollar-peso exchange rate. He said the Philippine Airlines chartered by Malacañang to carry the entourage could reach $ 200,000, while the private plane used by President Arroyo from Fresno, California to Washington could cost taxpayers not less than $ 300,000.

Hicap said the hotel bills at the top-rated Willard Hotel could cost Filipino taxpayers some 250,000 US dollars with rates ranging from $ 300 to $ 5,000. He said car rentals during the 10-day working visit could cost Filipino taxpayers some $ 150,000.

The Pamalakaya leader said each congressmen is also entitled to a P 100,000 monthly travel allowance, and since this is the only foreign trip so far in this month of June, he presumed the each congressional representative received the travel allowance for the month.

Pamalakaya identified the following congressmen who joined Arroyo’s trip to US. They are Rep. Narciso Santiago III, Alliance for Rural Concerns Party List Group, Rep. Monico Puentevella, Bacolod, Rep. Albert Garcia, Bataan , Rp. Mark Llandro L. Mendoza, Batangas, Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, Batangas, Rep. William Irwin Tieng, Buhay Party List Group, Rep. Jose Zubiri III, Bukidnon, Rep. Lorna Silverio, Bulacan, and Rep. Mitzi Cajayon, Caloocan.

Rep. Diosdado "Dato" Macapagal Arroyo, Camarines Sur, Rep. Joseph Santiago, Catanduanes, Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., Cavite, Rep. Antonio Cuenco, Cebu, Rep. Eduardo Gullas, Cebu, Deputy Speaker Raul Del Mar, Cebu City, Rep. Rommel Amatong, Compostela Valley, Speaker Prospero Nograles, Davao City, Rep. Antonio Lagdameo, Davao Del Norte, Rep. Marc Cagas, Davao Del Sur, Rep. Nelson Dayanghirang, Davao Oriental, Rep. Teodolo Coquilla, Eastern Samar, Rep. Andres Salvacion, Leyte, Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, Leyte, Rep. Trinidad Apostol, Leyte, Rep. Ma. Zenaida Angping, Manila, Rep. Amado S. Bagatsing, Manila, Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., Manila, Rep. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete, Masbate and Rep. Herminia Ramiro, Misamis Occidental.

Rep. Yevgeny Emano, Misamis Oriental, Rep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, Muntinlupa,
Rep. Joseph Gilbert Violago, Nueva Ecija, Deputy Speaker Ma. Amelita C. Villarosa, Occidental Mindoro, Rep. Anna York Bondoc, Pampanga, Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., Pampanga, Rep. Juan Miguel Macapagal Arroyo, Pampanga, Rep. Conrado Estrella III, Pangasinan, Rep. Ma. Rachel Arenas, Pangasinan, Rep. Eduardo C. Zialcita, Parañaque, Rep. Roman Romulo, Pasig City, Rep. Mary Ann Susano, Quezon City, Rep. Nanette C. Castelo-Daza, Quezon City, Rep. Danilo Suarez, Quezon Province, Rep. Junie Cua, Quirino, Rep. Arturo B. Robes, San Jose Del Monte,
Rep. Roger Mercado, Southern Leyte, Rep. Munir Arbison, Sulu, Rep. Rex Gatchalian, Valenzuela City and Rep. Antonio Diaz, Zambales.

Among the senators who joined President Arroyo are Senators. Miriam Defensor Santiago and
Sen. Richard Gordon, two of the President’s allies in the Upper House. The cabinet members who joined Mrs. Arroyo are Agriculture secretary Arthur Yap, budget secretary Rolando Andaya, Central Bank governor Amando Tetangco, Defense secretary Gilbert Teodoro, local government secretary Ronaldo Puno, education secretary Sec. Jesli Lapus, environment secretary Lito Atienza, finance secretary Margarito Teves, foreign secretary Alberto Romulo, labor secretary Marianito Roque, presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye, press secretary Jesus Dureza and trade secretary Peter Favila.

“The most noble and appropriate political act these lawmakers and cabinet members should do is to declare to the public that they will pay for their own expenses and regret their association with President Arroyo and Malacañang,” Pamalakaya said. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 10:54 | link | comments |
corruption

2-DAYS BEFORE THE SC SUMMIT ON ACCESS TO JUSTICE
Chief Justice told: Radical judicial activism needed to make justice accessible, attainable to poor

THE LEFTWING FISHERFOLK alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Saturday asked Chief Justice Reynato Puno to rally members of the justice system in the country to engage in radical judicial activism in order to make justice accessible and attainable to poor and marginalized people.

The militant group led by Pamalakaya chairperson Fernando Hicap will participate in the high tribunal forum regarding making justice accessible next week. He will be joined by other sectoral groups representing marginalized sectors in the country.

In a four- page paper prepared by Pamalakaya entitled “Saan Nagtatago ang Hustisya” (Where Is Justice Hiding?), the fisherfolk group said the two-day forum scheduled on June 30- July 1 said the members of the justice from the lower courts up to the high tribunal should accept the reality that justice to marginalized sectors is not all about access to court, but how the court within its own judicial power and wisdom assure the poor would get justice from day-to-day oppression of the present system.

“Reforms in the justice system cannot be and will never be achieved through any kind of overnight success. The high tribunal must engage in pro-people activism in the performance of its’ duty, reform its nature, character and orientation, and the first step the Supreme Court should do its to listen, work, learn from and serve the people,” the Pamalakaya paper said.

The militant group said the SC forum is a social and political commentary in recognition of a huge problem and major flaw in the entire justice system in the country. Pamalakaya said the forum is also a recognition that justice is elusive when it comes to the marginalized and oppressed sectors of the society, and that the prevailing justice system failed to address and defend the economic, social and cultural rights of the poor people.

Pamalakaya said apologists of the current justice system always tell the poor that the justice system in the country works, and that the rich have no monopoly of justice in the country. The group further said the landlords in the countryside, the big business groups, powerful government officials and their corproate clients, the moneyed few, the all-time oligarchs and aristocrats, and the bureaucrat capitalists in the government always emerge as winners under the present justice system.

“The cardinal rule under the present justice system is for the defense and further empowerment of the rich. But there are hard fought victories as well for the poor, not because the justice system works favorably for the marginalized, but because of the poor people’s resistance and determination to win their cause in defense of their economic, social and cultural rights, and therefore the mass movement of people should be credited for this strings of victories against their long-time oppressors,” the Pamalakaya paper added.

The militant group lamented that the Supreme Court is part of this perpetual denial of economic, social and cultural rights of the marginalized people. Pamalakaya said many of the high tribunal controversial and landmark decisions in the past up to present are used by the powerful few to deny the economic rights of the people.

Pamalakaya recalled that the Supreme Court failed to execute and pursue its decision way back in 1965, when it ruled that the 2,000 hectare of foreshore land area in Calatagan, Batangas should be taken off from the control of the Zobel-Ayala clan and tasked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to conduct the resurvey of the coastal barangays.



“Last month, the Calatagan fisherfolk and farmers staged a month-long camp-out outside the office of DENR to compel the agency to execute the SC decision which was promulgated 43 years ago. The expression of people power yielded favorable results to the striking farmers and fishermen,” the group said.

The militant group also blamed the Supreme Court decision upholding former President Ferdinand Marcos proclamation declaring the entire town of Nasugbu in Batangas, an eco-tourism zone.

Pamalakaya said the Martial law edict is being used by big landlords to evade land distribution under the equally bogus Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) and legalize the left-and-right eviction of fisherfolk and farmers in 14,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands and foreshore areas.

Pamalakaya said in 1995 it questioned before the Supreme Court the constitutionality of Republic Act 7881 exempting over 800,000 hectares of fishponds and aquaculture farms from the coverage of CARP. The militant group said the exemption from coverage from CARP or from any land reform program of these fishponds and aquaculture farms denied social justice to more 50,000 fishpond workers across the country.

“The court decision upholding the constitutionality of RA 7881 made fish pond workers life further miserable and made life so prosperous for fishpond landlords and corporate fishing interests. The rest is history, the high tribunal’s decision is used by big landlords to convert farmlands and mangrove areas into fish ponds and avail of the long-time exemption,” the group recalled. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 02:26 | link | comments |
supreme court

Pamalakaya slams UN for electing RP as VP of HR council, says its’ horrible

“IT IS HORRIBLE,  TERRIBLE AND EXTREMELY reprehensible. It is a direct affront to the victims of extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations in the country,” the leftist fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said after learning that the Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, Switzerland has been elected as Vice President the UN Human Rights Council or UNHRC.

“Where is UN’s sense of justice and fairness? A lot of people have been summarily executed and massacred by the criminal regime of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo since she assumed the presidency in 2001. This is very, very unfair,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

“We will protest this incorrigible resolution of the UNHRC. The Macapagal-Arroyo government has no political and moral right to sit as Vice President of the human rights council, and the same time has no legitimate standing to become member of the world’s human rights body, unless UN praises states and governments with stirring records of crimes against humanity,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

Hicap said they will send a letter to the UN HRC next week to protest the election of Basilio as VP of the world’s human rights body. “ We will reserve a tongue-lashing and nerve wracking letter against the election of Basilio as VP of the UNHRC. This letter will go direct straight from Manila to Geneva,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

The Philippine Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador. Erlinda Basilio, was elected by members of the human rights body by acclamation to serve as Vice-President representing the Asian group of states, a statement released by UNJRC last Thursday.

The UNHRC said the election of the Philippines to the post demonstrated the "confidence" of the international community in the Philippines as an "active and constructive" member of the UN in human rights promotion and protection. The Philippines, through the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to the United Nations in Geneva, shall serve a one-year term as Vice-President, and Basilio will be the first woman vice-president in the body since it was established in 2006, the statement added.

The human rights group Karapatan said last year, there were 52 incidents of extrajudicial killings and arbitrary execution victimizing 69 people, 73 cases of illegal arrest and detention victimizing 280 political activists, 85 cases of threat, harassment and intimidation victimizing 2,194 leftwing activists.

From January 21, 2001 to March 31,2008, Karapatan said 903 persons were summarily executed by the military, while there were 193 persons were abducted by state agents since the Arroyo government’s implementation of Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and Oplan Bantay Laya II.

“Ambassador Basilio is Mrs. Arroyo’s second rate puppet and militarist lapdog , and she has been speaking the lines of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzalez, former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita to cover up the crimes of her principal benefactor in Malacañang,” Pamalakaya said.

In addressing UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston’s report to the 8th session of the UNHRC, Ambassador Basilio said the UN special rapporteur readily accepted information from supporters of rebel groups while casually dismissing information provided by the government, and reminded Alston his favored group- the CPP was in the terror list of the United States and the European Union. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 02:26 | link | comments |
human rights

Leftists see arrival of US carrier as White House military intervention, not for rescue, recovery operations

The leftwing fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) is the latest group that joined the bandwagon in questioning the deployment of US aircraft carrier to help in the search for survivors of the capsized MV Princess of the Stars and the retrieval of the bodies trapped inside the vessel.

“The deployment of the nuclear powered USS Ronald Reagan is Washington military intervention. It is exploiting the situation spawned by the recent sea tragedy to be able to score a rapid deployment and wholesale positioning of its troops in the country for possible combat operations against armed groups critical of US interests across the country,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

“If it is a strategic and combat vessel designed to carry 6,000 troops and stockpiles of nuclear weapons, then it not really meant to assist rescue and recovery operations, but to fulfill US President George W. Bush promise to make the Philippines as America’s second front in its campaign of war of aggression under the pretext of US-led war on terror,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

Hicap theorized the mobilization of USS Ronald Reagan from Hong Kong to the Philippines under the guise of helping the Manila government in its rescue and recovery operations in the aftermath of super typhoon Frank was meant to show military powers in Asia like China and North Korea that Washington under President Bush is capable of rapidly deploying its military forces within the Asia Pacific and East Asia region at any given time to check the two countries that threatened the US military supremacy.

“The arrival of USS Ronald Reagan in the Philippines is not only meant to warn and provoke the local armed resistance groups in the Philippines like the CPP-NPA-NDFP and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and draw them to US instigated war of aggression , but also to score a psywar victory against China and North Korea that Washington is capable of shifting and redeploying US troops at any given situation or time,” Pamalakaya’s Hicap added.

Pamalakaya said the United States maintains 100,000 troops in Asia and the Pacific under the U.S. Pacific Command, with 80,000 troops based in Japan and Korea. It said the 6,000 crew of USS Ronald Reagan aircraft is always ready for rapid deployment, mobile and ready in the event of any conflict.

The group also said the United States is closely monitoring the capacity and capability of China's 2.5 million troops, North Korea's 1 million troops, South Korea's 600,000 troops, Vietnam's 480,000 troops and Taiwan's 350,000 troops. The United States has successfully clinched working military alliances and agreements with Vietnam, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia and Japan to probably check China and maintain Washington's military dominance over Asia for the purpose of pushing its economic agenda further.

Pamalakaya also assailed Palace officials over their statements that the arrival of USS Ronald Reagan will not violate the 1987 Constitution provision banning the entry of foreign ships carrying nuclear weapons inside the Philippine territory.

“How sure Malacañang is that there will be no nuclear weapons inside USS Ronald Reagan? This US aircraft designed for outright combat and wholesale destruction will be useless if does not carry nuclear weapons. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her league of extraordinary US puppets are lying to their teeth,” the group said.

“Will the US military commanders aboard USS Ronald Reagan allow the ship to be subjected to rigid and on the spot checks once they enter the Philippine territory? Malacañang propagandists are insulting our collective intelligence and patriotic wisdom,” Pamalakaya added.

The militant group added that the entry of USS Ronald Reagan in the Philippines will spark a new issue against President Arroyo for violating the 1987 Constitution banning the entry of nuclear weapon carrying ships in the Philippine territory. “ This can be a new ground for Arroyo’s impeachment”, Pamalakaya said.

Last Wednesday, Senator Rodolfo Biazon, a former military general himself said the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier is not designed for salvage, rescue and recovery operations. He said a military ship carrier, its main assets are aircrafts like F-18 which cannot be utilized for rescue and recovery operations.

Biazon said the USS Ronald Reagan strike group is consists of the carrier, a cruiser, three destroyers and a frigate. The aircraft, which is currently in Hong Kong and is set to arrive to the Philippines anytime between this week and next week, is carrying about 6,000 US troops. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:44 | link | comments |
us militarism

Fishers group praises NPAs on relief efforts for typhoon Frank victims

The leftwing fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday lauded the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, for calling all communist guerillas to carry out possible efforts to extend relief and assistance to the victims of super typhoon Frank.

"The national leadership and mass membership of our group welcome the NPAs resolution to help the victims of typhoon Frank like the farmers, fisherfolk and other ordinary people. This political resolve best explains why they are close to the hearts of poor and the toiling masses," Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

"We hope the Army of the reactionary government of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will not exploit the situation for counter-insurgency and state terrorism purposes. The Armed Forces of the Philippines should not spoil and sabotage the sincere efforts of the revolutionary forces," Hicap added.

"We hope the AFP will exercise some kind of rationality in these very trying times and refrain even temporarily from their blood hunting escapade and help the best way they can do," Hicap stressed.

The Pamalakaya leader agreed with the observations raised by the CPP that the Macapagal-Arroyo government and its anti-people policies and outright disregard for the environment should be blamed for the calamities that destroyed farmlands and fishing communities all over the country. "The government is behind this massacre of people's lives and source of livelihood through and destruction of environment through the grand sell out of environment to highest bidders, commission givers and favored partners in crime of the Macapagal-Arroyo government," Hicap added.

The militant leader said Pamalakaya members in Iloilo and the rest of Panay Island, Negros Island, Romblon, Batangas, Quezon, Mindoro Occidental and Mindoro Oriental, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Bulacan were affected by super typhoon that hit the country beginning Friday last week.

Hicap said members of their chapter in Iloilo province were the most hit by typhoon Frank. He said their national headquarters in Manila have been receiving reports from Iloilo blaming the national government and Palace big time logging clients as the culprit in the latest manmade tragedy in the province.

Pamalakaya said the CPP and the NPA were also right in attributing the calamities to decades of rampant commercial mining and logging and the recent rush to strip forests and replace them with hybrid corn plantations resulted in extensive river siltation and vulnerability to flooding of wide swaths of land in Western Visayas.

“The Filipino people should hold the Arroyo government accountable for playing the lead role in the destruction of the environment that stemmed from Malacañang's sell out of national patrimony, gross murder of food security, and open house prostitution of the country’s natural resources," Pamalakaya stressed.

The CPP also held the Arroyo government and the owners of Sulpicio Lines particularly responsible for last Saturday's sea tragedy. NPA fighters in typhoon-stricken areas, particularly
in Iloilo and Eastern Samar will be on defensive mode as they carry out rescue, relief and rehabilitation work. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 04:41 | link | comments |
civil war

Fishers group urges 10 Panay lawmakers to probe mining, logging firms blamed for rampaging floods in Iloilo

Fisherfolk activists belonging to the left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday asked the 10 representatives of Panay Island to lead an investigation on alleged widespread mining and logging activities in the provinces of Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo.

The destructive mining and logging across Panay Island were blamed for rampaging floods over the weekend that heavily affected 38 out of the 42 towns in Iloilo province at the height of super typhoon Frank over the weekend.

In a press statement, Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said Panay lawmakers ---Rep. Florencio Miraflores of the lone district of Aklan province, Rep. Exequiel Javier (lone district of Antique), Rep. Jeanette Garin ( 1st district, Iloilo), Rep. Judy Syjuco (2nd district, Iloilo), Rep. Arthur Defensor (3rd district, Iloilo), Rep. Ferjenel Biron (4th district, Iloilo), Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. (5th district, Iloilo), Rep. Raul Gonzalez Jr. (Lone district, Iloilo City), Rep. Antonio del Rosario (1st district, Capiz) and Rep. Fred Castro (2nd district, Capiz) should conduct a full-blown inquiry on the Iloilo tragedy induced by all-out destructive mining and logging activities in the island.

“It is a make or break for the 10 Panay legislators. They have to do their homework and stop these profit starved, anti-people and anti-environment mining and logging firms from destroying the environment and the Ilonggo people,” Hicap said.

The Pamalakaya leader said thousands of their fisherfolk members in Iloilo, Aklan, Antique and Capiz were affected by typhoon Frank that ravaged the agricultural and coastal areas of Panay Island. Hicap said their chapter in Iloilo had sent an appeal for immediate relief operations.

“The homes of poor fishermen were reduced into pieces. Their small fishing boats were washed away from the seashore. Practically everything is in wholesale disarray courtesy of these mining and logging giants, which are all clients of the sitting administration in Malacañang,” Hicap added.

Pamalakaya also asked the congressmen in Panay Island to immediately re-channel their pork barrel to relief and rehabilitation efforts in Iloilo and other affected areas in Panay Island. The group also addressed the same call to governors, mayors and other officials of local government units to re-channel substantial parts of their Internal Revenue Allocation to relief efforts.

The militant group also lauded the New People's Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines, for calling all communist guerillas to carry out possible efforts to extend relief and assistance to the victims of super typhoon Frank.

The CPP also held the Arroyo government and the owners of Sulpicio Lines particularly responsible for last Saturday's sea tragedy.

NPA fighters in typhoon-stricken areas, particularly in Iloilo and Eastern Samar will be on defensive mode as they carry out rescue, relief and rehabilitation work.#

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 04:36 | link | comments |
mining

World activists demand release of KMP leader

Some 339 world activists representing labor and farmers' organizations, human rights groups, civil
liberty associations, lawyer groups, migrant organizations and political parties in 35 countries
across the globe signed a petitioned letter demanding Malacañang and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to urgently free peasant leader Randall Echanis.


Echanis, the deputy secretary general of the militant farmers' group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), was arrested on January 29 in Bago City, Negros Occidental while attending a consultation called by the agricultural workers' group Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) on the proposed
Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059.

The KMP leader was charged by the Philippine government with 15 counts of murder in connection with
the discovered mass grave in Hilongos, Leyte. The government and the military had said the mass grave is connected with the communist purge in the 80s to rid the movement with deep penetration agents.

According to Gerry Albert Corpuz, information officer of the left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang
Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), the more than 300 leftwing and
anti-imperialist activists also demanded President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to immediately drop all
fabricated and trumped-up charges against Echanis.

Corpuz, who also heads the international desk of Pamalakaya, brokered the news on his way to Manila
last Sunday from Hong Kong. He was in Hong Kong from June 18 to 22 to represent Pamalakaya in the Third International Assembly of the anti-imperialist alliance International League of Peoples' Struggle
(ILPS).

"The world is condemning President Arroyo and the Philippine military over the continued detention and
political persecution of Echanis. The message of this across-the-globe call for the urgent and unconditional release of the KMP leader is clear--Mrs. Arroyo should let Echanis go or face the collective wrath of world activists," the Pamalakaya information chief added.

The signature campaign was initiated by KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos, in cooperation with Pamalakaya, UMA and Amihan-National Federation of Peasant Women.

Those who signed the manifesto for the immediate release of Echanis are leaders of labor, peasant and
political organizations in Brazil, the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Austria,
United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Mongolia, Hong
Kong, Philippines, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand.

Ramos said KMP will submit the signatures to Quezon Rep. Erin Tanada, chair of the House Committee on Human Rights and Senator Maria Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal, chair of the Senate Committee on Peace. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:45 | link | comments |
human rights

Global activists support anti-offshore mining fight in
RP

Some 339 world activists representing labor and farmers' organizations,environmental groups, human
rights groups, civil liberty associations, lawyer groups, migrant organizations, and political parties
in 35 countries all over the world approved a resolution opposing all destructive offshore mining
activities in the Philippines, including the $ 110-million ExxonMobil oil and gas exploration in
the Sulu Sea slated mid next year.

The Resolution Opposing Destructive Offshore Mining in the Philippines authored and presented by the
left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) was passed at the plenary session of the Third International Assembly of the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) held in Hong Kong on June
18-20.

Pamalakaya information officer Gerry Albert Corpuz said those who approved the anti-offshore mining
resolution in the Philippines include social activists from the United States, Canada, Brazil, The
Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Turkey, Austria,Italy, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, India, Nepal,
Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malaysia, Taiwan, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Japan,Mongolia, Australia, New
Zealand, and the Philippines.

Corpuz who represented Pamalakaya in the third general assembly of the anti-imperialist league said the
activists vowed to campaign against offshore mining in the Philippines, including ExxomMobil's oil and gas search in the Sulu Sea.

"The international campaign against offshore mining is on. There's no turning back. The people of the world are also raging against this extreme act of imperialist plunder," Corpuz added.

Aside from ExxonMobil, the Pamalakaya information chief said global anti-imperialist league also vowed
to support the group's campaign against offshore mining in Cebu-Bohol Strait, a body of water
separating the island provinces of Bohol and Cebu, and other oil and gas oil explorations to be conducted in Ragay Gulf in Bicol Region, Antique and Guimaras provinces in Western Visayas, Leyte, Davao del Sur,
Surigao del Sur, and Quezon and Mindoro provinces in Southern Tagalog.

"Our colleagues specially in the United States, Australia, Japan, The Netherlands and China have
committed to pursue lobby and advocacy work against their respective governments currently engaged in
offshore mining projects in the Philippines," Corpuz added.

Pamalakaya said the controversial Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU) between the Philippine and Chinese governments was also denounced by the  ILPS participants .

Corpuz said an international fact finding mission to investigate the impact of offshore mining in Tañon
Strait, a protected seascape separating the island provinces of Cebu and Negros will be conducted in
early October this year to assess the impact of offshore oil exploration conducted by Japan Petroleum
Exploration Corp. (Japex) in the last three years from 2005 to 2008.

Pamalakaya's Corpuz said the international fact finding mission will be headed by the Philippines,
Japan, Australia and Malaysia. It will include a week long social investigative on fishing areas affected by
Japex oil and gas offshore mining activities.

Next year, Pamalakaya will organize a national conference on offshore mining in Manila, and will
invite several anti-mining groups and personalities in the US, Europe and Asia for inputs and possible
exposure to offshore mining areas.

"The world is watching President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her clients-- the oil and gas corporations and it wants to pursue accountability against the President and these offshore mining
giants," Pamalakaya said. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:38 | link | comments |
mining

Fishers group told Rep Iggy Arroyo:
Stop acting like a House benchwarmer, start offshore mining probe

THE LEFTWING FISHERFOLK alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Tuesday pressed Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo to quit acting like a resident benchwarmer at the House of Representatives and jumpstart the long-delayed investigation on the impact of offshore mining in the Visayan Sea.

“Rep. Arroyo is not doing his homework as the Chair of the environmental committee of the House of Representatives. House Resolution 212 authored by militant party list lawmakers and legislators from the Visayan bloc has been sent to his committee August last year. In two months time we will be commemorating the first year anniversary of this resolution,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

“When will Rep. Arroyo tackle this very important piece of legislative inquiry? All our chapters representing the affected fishermen in Cebu, Bohol and Negros are telling Rep. Arroyo to do his homework now and refrain from acting as the King of benchwarmers in the Lower House,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

Pamalakaya said House Resolution 212 authored by Bayan Muna Party list Reps. Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño, Gabriela part list lawmakers Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan and the late Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin Beltran was supported by Rep. Eduardo Gullas (1st district, Cebu), Rep. Benhur Salimbangon (4th district, Cebu), Rep. Antonio Cuenco (2nd district, Cebu City), Rep. Jocelyn Sy-Limkaichong (1st district, Negros Oriental), Rep. George Arnaiz (2nd district, Negros Oriental), Rep. Henry Teves (3rd district, Negros Oriental), Rep. Edgar Chatto (1st district, Bohol), Rep. Roberto Cajes (2nd district, Bohol) and Rep. Adam Relson Jala (3rd district, Bohol).

The resolution had called for Rep. Arroyo as chair of the House Committee on Environment to undertake a full-blown congressional inquiry on offshore mining being conducted in the fishing areas of the Visayas, including protected seascapes in Tañon Strait, a body of water separating the island provinces of Cebu and Negros, the Cebu-Bohol Strait, another protected seascape between the islands of Cebu and Bohol, as well as other offshore mining activities in the waters of Antique, Leyte, Ragay Gulf, and Quezon and Mindoro provinces in Southern Tagalog region.

“Rep. Arroyo’s snub of House Resolution 212 deserves the attention of the House Committee on Ethics. It is very unethical of him to sit on a resolution that is a matter of life and death to the Visayan fishermen and to the environment,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

“Of course we will not wait until August 12 for his committee to act on House Resolution No.212. We will do the appropriate move to compel him to take his assignment seriously in accordance with the sectoral and national interest of the fisher people in the Visayas,” Hicap said.

Pamalakaya said it got information from its chapter in Cebu and Bohol that the Australian firm NorAsia is set to conduct oil and gas exploration in Cebu-Bohol Strait by August this year. The exploration will entail seismic and related offshore mining activities in the 444,000 hectare strait.

Earlier the group obtained the support of 339 political and environmental activists all over the world when they approved the anti-offshore mining resolution authored by Pamalakaya during the Third International Assembly of the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS) held on June 18-20 in Hong Kong.





Pamalakaya also vowed to oppose the plan of the world’s largest gas producer—the US oil firm ExxonMobil from conducting the ambitious $ 110 million oil exploration program in Sulu Sea that will start in the middle of next year.

The militant group said the immediate implications of the planned offshore mining in Sulu Sea would be the eventual displacement of Moro fishermen, as well as the destruction of marine biodiversities in the fishing grounds of Sulu. It said there are about more or less 10,000 Moro small fishermen in the island province.

Pamalakaya added that the destructive impact of the proposed offshore mining would be the same if not surpass the country’s previous experience on oil and gas exploration, particularly, the experience of small fishermen in Tañon Strait, a protected seascape which was previously explored by a Japanese oil and gas exploration firm.

After his meeting with ExxonMobil officials last week, Energy secretary Angelo Reyes last announced the plan of ExxonMobil to undertake a milestone oil exploration in the Philippines, adding that the Texaco-based US oil and gas explorer and producer would be able to strike oil in the Sulu Sea.

The energy chief said ExxonMobil is a major player and it will not go a country where the potentials are not great. The US oil firm officials headed by Stephen Greenlee said the plan to explore oil and gas in Sulu was a big deal for the company, and the ExxonMobil was encouraged preliminary seismic data on the potential of oil and gas reserves in Sulu Sea. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:35 | link | comments |
mining

Leftists call Manila priest a fake messiah for blaming Edsa 2 over political turmoil

THE LEFTWING FISHERFOLK alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Sunday slammed a top official of the Manila Archdiocese for dismissing the 2001 People Power revolution counterproductive, and dismissed his anti-Edsa 2 statement, as a message from fake messiah.

“The 2001 People Power Revolution is a collective action and expression of people’s will. Nobody, including self-proclaimed messiahs in the Roman Catholic Church, has the right to ridicule or emasculate the people’s political wisdom that successfully ousted an unwanted regime,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

“The correct political attitude is to blame the ruling Macapagal-Arroyo syndicate in Malacañang for betraying what the people had fought for in Edsa 2. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her league of extra ordinary criminal gang should be condemned not the second popular uprising in 2001 over the country’s political crisis,” Hicap added.

Manila Archdiocese Vice Chancellor Fr. Sid Marinay on Sunday said the CBCP acknowledged the error of “Sin era” in supporting the Edsa 2 that ousted former President Joseph Estrada, and said the prelate’s group wants to make up for it”.

“This political starlet has no sense of history and respect for the collective wisdom and political power of the people to remove an undesirable regime from office. He does not even know his Gospel,” Pamalakaya’s Hicap added.

“Let me remind Fr. Marinay that Edsa 2 is People Power in action and he should not insult the people’s action and decisive power to punish unwanted and corrupt regimes at any given period of history. People Power is sacred and should not be insulted to high heaven,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

Pamalakaya said if there’s one who should be blamed for the political prostitution of the political institutions in the country, it is no other than the ruling de facto Martial Law and the corrupt and brutal regime of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“Is the Manila Archdiocese deaf? Is it blind? Mrs. Arroyo is destroying practically everything in this country in the name of her political survival”, the group said.

Fr. Marinay said the current direction of the CBCP is to strengthen political institutions to solve and prevent political crises is a kind of corrective measure of Edsa 2 which weakened political institution in the sense that it did not wait for the verdict of the Senator-Judges in the impeachment case against President Joseph Estrada.

The Manila Archdiocese Vice-chancellor said people always blame the government they have chosen to govern them, and have become more aware, that despite efforts, successful or not, to remove incompetent or corrupt, the problems have remained.

In his article posted at CBCP website, Fr. Marinay said “the kind of political activism the CBCP is trying to espouse at this point in Philippine history is at the service of the stability of our political institutions to be able to solve political problems and prevent political crises. This emphasis on making the political institutions strong by promoting rule of law serves a grammar that can help accurately interpret the language of CBCP at this point in Philippine history ,and the thread that coherently links all of the CBCP statements from 2004 to 2008, the post Cardinal Sin era of the Catholic Church in the country”.

Fr. Marinay also said the statements released by CBCP from 2004 to 2008 showed the end of the era of the CBCP’s political activism, saying the era of church activism faded away with the passing of former Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 00:06 | link | comments |
people power

Leftists ask Obama to support peace talks, not US war
on terror in RP

Leftist activists belonging to the fisherfolk alliance
Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas
(Pamalakaya) on Saturday asked United States (US)
Democratic Party's presidential standard bearer Barack
Obama to support the resumption of peace talks between
the Government of the Republic of the Philippines
(GRP) and the communist-led National Democratic Front
of the Philippines (NDFP) in case he wins the
presidential derby this year.

“If he is really against US President George W. Bush's
war on terror, and against Bush's doctrine and policy
of unjust war , the Democrat presidential wannabe
should support the resumption of stalled peace talks
between the Manila government and the equally
belligerent Communist Party of the Philippines, the
New People's Army and the NDFP, recall the US war on
terror campaign all over the world and pursue
international dealings on the basis of truth, justice
and fairness,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando
Hicap said in a press statement.

“Obama is running on the strength of his anti-US war
on terror campaign in Iraq, in Afghanistan and in
other parts of the world. The American people will
give their votes and electoral approval to him
provided that he will pursue their anti-US war on
terror sentiment in and out of the White House. The
Filipino-Americans in the US share the same sentiment
against Bush war on terror, and their votes will count
and help in the decision of who will be the next
President of the United States,” Hicap added.

Pamalakaya said Obama should also process the
delisting of CPP and the NPA in the terror list of the
United States, authored by US President Bush and other
militarist officials in the White House and US
National Defense Department.

“The inclusion of the CPP and the NPA in the Bush
authored terror list remains a material political
obstacle in the GRP-NDFP peace talks. If elected,
Obama must scrap this terror list, and instead
encourage states confronting civil wars and armed
rebellions to stick to the policy of just peace and
junk unjust war as a policy to address civil strifes,”
the militant group added.

Pamalakaya's Hicap said aside from seeking Obama's
support to the resumption of peace talks between the
government and the communist guerillas and the
delisting of the CPP-NPA from US terror list, the
group also asked Obama to pursue the abrogation of the
controversial Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) and
Mutual Logistic and Support Agreement (MLSA) with the
US government.

Also if elected, Pamalakaya said Obama should
immediately nullify the RP-US Free Trade Agreement
which is being resolved right now by President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo and Bush in time for the Philippine
president visit to US in the third week of this month.


Pamalakaya also asked Obama to immediately drop the
support the US government to the Philippine military
in connection with the ongoing extrajudicial killings
and enforced disappearances of poltiical activists
allegedy perpetrated by state agents since January 21,
2001.

The senator from Illinois who defeated New York
senator Hillary Clinton in the nomination race of the
Democratic Party greeted Filipino-Americans in Hawaii
with “mabuhay” (long live) during the celebration of
the Filipino independence day last June 12.

Today, I extend my warm wishes to President Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo and the people of the Philippines.
Let us join with Filipinos worldwide and Filipino
Americans to celebrate Philippine Independence Day.
Mabuhay!" he said.

Obama's statement, available at the website of Asian
Americans for Obama, acknowledged the contribution of
Filipino veterans who fought in the Second World War.

"During World War II, Filipino and American troops
fought bravely together under some of the most trying
conditions suffered by any forces during that
conflict, forging a historic bond between our two
nations and their people. Filipinos displayed great
courage alongside American soldiers at Bataan and
Corregidor, only to be denied their just benefits by
our government," he said.

The Democrat presidential hopeful also urged members
of the US Congress to pass the Veterans' Benefits
Enhancement Act of 2007 which would honor the service
of all US veterans, including these Filipino World War
II heroes.

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 00:05 | link | comments |
peace talks

Fishers group to fight US offshore mining in Sulu Sea

THE LEFTWING FISHERFOLK alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Saturday vowed to oppose the plan of the world’s largest gas producer—the US oil firm ExxonMobil from conducting the ambitious $ 110 million oil exploration program in Sulu Sea that will start in the middle of next year.

“This is one of the biggest battles the Filipino fisherfolk will engage in the very near future. We will fight this transnational plunder courtesy of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s first rate puppetry to US interest,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

Hicap added:” The approval of ExxonMobil oil exploration deal is just a preview of the forthcoming RP-US Free Trade Agreement, which Malacañang will offer to the White House in time for the President Arroyo’s state visit in the third week of June.”

“The country should expect more crimes of treason and sell out of national sovereignty and patrimony to the US from Mrs. Arroyo beginning with this ExxonMobil oil escapade,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

After his meeting with ExxonMobil officials last week, Energy secretary Angelo Reyes last announced the plan of ExxonMobil to undertake a milestone oil exploration in the Philippines, adding that the Texaco-based US oil and gas explorer and producer would be able to strike oil in the Sulu Sea.

The energy chief said ExxonMobil is a major player and it will not go a country where the potentials are not great. The US oil firm officials headed by Stephen Greenlee said the plan to explore oil and gas in Sulu was a big deal for the company, and the ExxonMobil was encouraged preliminary seismic data on the potential of oil and gas reserves in Sulu Sea.

Pamalakaya’s Hicap said their vast experience in opposing the oil and gas exploration in Tañon Strait would help them a lot in fighting ExxonMobil’s plan to conduct massive oil and gas exploration in Sulu Sea.

“We will be drawing lessons and inspirations from the struggle and victory of the fisherfolk against the oil and gas offshore mining in Tañon Strait, a protected seascape separating the islands of Cebu and Negros.” We defeated Japan in this battle, we will prepare for protracted battle against Exxon Mobil this time,” the fisherfolk leader said.

Pamalakaya led protests in cooperation with environmental non-government organizations, academic groups and legal experts compelled Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd. (Japex) and its local subsidiary Japex Philippines to give up its offshore mining activities in Tañon Strait due to intense pressures.

A Tokyo based daily published a story on May 13 stating that Japex mother company announced that Japex Philippines Ltd. had decided to relinquish service contract 46 on June 20, 2008 because no promise of oil and gas was found in the protected seascape believed to be rich in marine biodiversities.

“This is a triumph of truth and justice and high regard for people’s livelihood and the environment. We are happy to send Japex out of Tañon Strait. But we have some scores to settle with Japex and Malacañang for the economic and environmental havocs they created detrimental to the people,” the group said.

Aside from US, Pamalakaya said Australian mining firm NorAsia is set to conduct oil exploration activities in Cebu-Bohol Strait, another seascape separating the island provinces of Cebu and Bohol, the Dutch owned Premium Oil will launch an offshore mining in Ragay Gulf encompassing the provinces of Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Quezon, aside from other foreign firms already in Palawan for offshore mining activities.

Pamalakaya said so far the most ambitious oil and gas exploration activity is one that is enshrined in the RP-China offshore mining in the disputed Spratlys that will include portions of Palawan province. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 00:03 | link | comments |
mining

Detained KMP leader blamed Palace security council over imprisonment

The detained leader of the militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) on Independence Day assailed Malacañang’s National Security Council (NSC) for his continued imprisonment over the last 134 days since his arrest on January 29.

In a one-page hand written press statement sent to KMP’s national headquarters in Quezon City, KMP deputy secretary general Randall Echanis said the national security syndicate in Malacañang headed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzalez and Department of Justice secretary Raul Gonzalez were the brains behind the fabricated murder charges filed against him.

“The Palace security council all obsessed to with the national security doctrine to preserve the illegitimate, immoral and evil reign of President Arroyo are working seven days a week and thirty days a month to keep me in prison and silence my unwavering advocacy for truth, justice and peace, and for the peasant cause for genuine agrarian reform,” the 60-year old detained KMP leader said.

On January 28, Echanis was arrested in Bago City, Negros Occidental while attending a national conference called by the agricultural worker group Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) regarding the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059 authored by the late Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin Beltran.

Echanis, who acted as resource person of KMP on GARB, was also sharing the participation of the peasant group in the 2nd National Rural Congress (NRC) spearheaded by the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), when military and police agents arrested for 15 counts of murder in connection with the discovered mass graves in Hilongos, Leyte.

“The criminal and ruling syndicate in Malacañang will move heaven and earth to justify this high-level orchestrated political persecution done in the name of Mrs. Arroyo’s political survival and at the same time, satisfy the Armed Forces of the Philippines institutional penchant in violating the basic human rights and civil liberties of the president’s critics and perceived political foes,” the detained peasant leader added.

Echanis said: “The NSC is the principal author behind my political incarceration, and now it is hell bent to sacrifice and persecute more people who have effectively exposed and opposed Mrs. Arroyo’s wholesale crimes of corruption against the Filipino people.”

The detained KMP leader said the next project of NSC is the persecution and imprisonment of militant lawmakers--- Bayan Muna party list Reps. Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casiño, Liza Maza of Gabriela and Anakpawis party list Rep. Rafael Mariano.

“Justice Secretary Gonzalez, in the name of his political benefactor in Malacañang, will do anything, everything to imprison the genuine representatives of the masses. But history is on Ocampo and his colleagues because they truly serve the people. We are confident they would overcome these political obstacles authored by Malacañang war freaks,” Echanis added.

Earlier, KMP’s staunch ally---the fisherfolk group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) wrote an open letter to Jaro Archbishop
and CBCP President Angel Lagdameo appealing to the Roman Catholic archbishops and bishops’ support to the urgent and unconditional release of Echanis.

But government and AFP records, including court proceedings revealed that Echanis was held in solitary confinement by the military at the time the alleged crimes were committed in the early and mid 80s. The Manila Regional Trial Court had also dismissed all criminal charges filed by the Marcos government in the 80s against Echanis. In 1992, the case of illegal possession of firearms was again dismissed by the Manila RTC for lack of merit.

The son of Echanis, Ranmill Echanis likewise sought the help of Senate President Manuel Villar and House Speaker Prospero Nograles to facilitate the immediate and unconditional release of his father.
The young Echanis also refuted the allegations, saying the charges against his father were fabricated by the Arroyo government and the military. “My father is not a criminal,” said Ranmil, a convener of the Free Randall Echanis Movement (Freedom). “He is a man of justice and peace. His life has been devoted to serving the interest of the people.”
“My father was incarcerated by the Marcos dictatorship from 1983 to 1986,” Ranmil added. “He was under a solitary confinement, and we were not even allowed to visit him while he was in detention. The story about the Leyte mass grave is nothing but a pure psy war operation of the national security gang of Malacañang,” he added. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 00:02 | link | comments |
human rights

COA audit of P 162-B CARP funds sought

The militant Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and the left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Friday asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to undertake a full-blown financial audit of P 162-B in taxpayers’ money used to fund the twenty-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

In a joint press statement KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos and Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said government audit agency must perform a thorough and comprehensive audit of CARP funds amounting to P 162 billion over the last 20 years from 1988 up to present.

“Where did our people’s hard earned taxes go? The Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources must account these funds and subject themselves to national audit and public scrutiny,” they asserted.

“The Filipino taxpaying public was forced and compelled by previous and present regimes to shell out billions of money to finance a bogus and bankrupt land reform program. They cannot accept the fact the fund went to the pockets of big landlords at the expense of peasant land rights. The P 162 billion funds used to finance a comprehensive failure program on land reform is not acceptable to the millions of taxpaying Filipinos,” the KMP and Pamalakaya leaders added.

Based on the report submitted by DAR Secretary Nasser Pangandaman, a total of P 162-B has been released for CARP as of December 2007, including P 72 billion from the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), P 25.9 billion from the Asset Privatization Trust Fund and the Privatization Management Office under the Dept. of Finance, P 55.9 billion from the general fund courtesy of the general appropriations act and P 7.9 billion from other sources.

The report said that P 150 billion or 94 percent of the P 162 billion released for CARP from 1988 to 2007 were used by CARP implementing agencies led by DAR with P 74 billion and the Land of Bank of the Philippines with P 54.7 billion.

Anti-CARP groups said in the twenty years of CARP, DAR failed to reveal the identities of the landlords whose lands were acquired and paid for by the government, as well as the beneficiaries and the places where distribution of lands took place.

“Everything are kept secret, as if CARP is the best kept secret of DAR and DENR in the past two decades. However, they cannot obscure the fact that CARP is an ultimate disaster and twenty year old nightmare with scores and cases of landgrabbing, land conversion and confiscations of land titles flooding the gates of DAR national, regional, provincial and municipal offices across the country,” the groups said.

KMP and Pamalakaya put to task COA to immediately release reports on how CARP funds were spent over the last twenty years. In the name of transparency, public accountability and good governance, COA, they said is constitutionally and legally bound to make a honest-to-goodness audit report.

Both groups opposed the approval of House Bill 4077 or CARP extension law that seeks to expand the life of CARP for another five years in order distribute the remaining 1.8 million hectares of agricultural lands to 1.4 million farmer beneficiaries.

Instead KMP and Pamalakaya, along with allied groups Amihan-National Federation of Peasant Women and Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) are pushing for the passage of House Bill 3059 or Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) principally authored by the late Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran. The bill if passed, will distribute all agricultural lands to farmers for free.

KMP and Pamalakaya cast doubts on the authenticity of DAR and DENR reports that they were able to distribute 7.1 million hectares out of the 9 million hectares covered by CARP over the last 20 years, adding that DAR and DENR are known for double reporting and manipulation of CARP reports and have misrepresent these agrarian reports to the public as CARP success stories. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 00:01 | link | comments |
garb vs carp

Akbayan rep. slammed over landlord-leftwing lawmakers collusion vs. CARP extension

The left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday took turns in berating Akbayan party list Rep. Risa Hontiveros, after the party list lawmaker accused the left-leaning party list bloc in the House of Representatives of conspiring with the landlords in shooting down House Bill 4077 that seeks to extend for five more years the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

“The honorable Akbayan party list representative is outrageously engaged in psy war politics, full-blown smear campaign and undoubtedly larger than life trial by publicity against the real representatives of the people,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

The Pamalakaya leader said it is understandable why Rep. Hontiveros was likely acting like a triple platinum attack dog of Malacañang against the militant lawmakers.

“The principled militant lawmakers effectively exposed and opposed the rottenness and bankruptcy of CARP that’s why Hontiveros and company are embarking on a blatant hate campaign drive by misrepresenting Ocampo and other progressive lawmakers to public as collaborators to landlord lawmakers in the name of bogus and anti-farmer CARP,” Pamalakaya’s Hicap added.

“Let me remind Ms. Hontiveros--- the certified grandmother of mediocre and defeatist politics in the House of Representatives, that the people’s party list lawmakers—Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casiño of Bayan Muna, Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan of Gabriela and incoming Anakpawis party list representative Rafael Mariano are known for their dedication and truthfulness in serving the best interest of the Filipino farmers and the general public. Their unblemished and uncompromising track record in the parliament of the streets and in the House will speak for their loyalty to the people,” Hicap added.

In her statement issued on the occasion of the 20th year of CARP, the Akbayan lawmaker said the landlord lawmakers and the party list congressmen in the Bayan bloc (Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Anakpawis) have succeeded in delaying the process by questioning the quorum despite appeals fro House Speaker Prospero Nograles that the bill should be approved since it is a priority measure.

In the same statement office by the Akbayan party list solon, Hontiveros said there is nothing genuine in the so-called Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059 principally authored by the late Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin Beltran. Hontiveros likewise raised current issues ranged against GARB like HB 3059 is confiscatory and unconstitutional, and does not guarantee just compensation to farmers.

“Ms Hontiveros and the pro-CARP political operators should welcome and exercise principled debate on the merits and demerits of CARP extension and the proposed GARB and refrain from perpetual exploitation of outdated logic and Jurassic brand of red bashing and irresponsible criticism,” Pamalakaya said.

The militant group said Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Anakpawis party list lawmakers are questioning CARP and the proposed five year extension based on a number of issues and concerns surrounding CARP, and they are not into mass production of sweeping and unfounded allegations and illogical brand of reasoning. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 00:18 | link | comments |
garb vs carp

CBCP bishops told: Clamor for CARP extension is a hype

Groups representing farmers, fisherfolk and agricultural workers opposed to the extension of the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) today rejected the statement of some archbishops and bishops of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that there is a clamor for the extension of the agrarian reform program.

“Where did the clamor for CARP extension come from? Yesterday, across-the-nation protest actions were held against the extension of the bogus land reform program. Farmers from Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon, Ilocos, Cordillera, Cagayan Valley, Bicol, Panay and Negros Islands, Cebu, Bohol and in many parts of Mindanao went out yesterday to demand the passage of Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill or House Bill 3059. So where is that clamor coming from?” the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a joint statement.

The KMP and Pamalakaya joint inquiry was supported by the agricultural workers union Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and the peasant women federation Amihan- Pambansang Pederasyon ng mga Kababaihang Magbubukid.

“The clamor for CARP extension is just a hype courtesy of groups known for misleading the fight of farmers for thoroughgoing land reform program, and sad to say the prelates have become the victims of this publicity hype and campaign of make-believe,” the groups added.

KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos and Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap issued the joint statement, after the Philippine Daily Inquirer ran the one page paid advertisement signed by the bishops headed by Jaro Archbishop and CBCP President Angel Lagdameo.

“The voices from the grassroots are telling the bishops that it is time to bury CARP six feet under because of its comprehensive failure over the last two-decades. But this justice and truth purpose driven Gospel of the Filipino peasantry, sad to say is not being addressed seriously by the prelates,” the two militant leaders added.

The KMP and Pamalakaya leaders challenged the Roman Catholic leadership, including the more than 100 prelate members of the CBCP to go on deeper biblical theological reflection on the issue of agrarian reform in the country.



“The bishops said it is better to have CARP than nothing at all for the farmers, but the trouble is CARP is nothing but a 20-year old token land reform and a two-decade old nightmare to millions of Filipino farmers. The mere fact that it is endorsed by an illegitimate, immoral and corrupt regime makes the CARP extension highly suspicious and zero in credibility,” the groups said.

Pamalakaya urged the bishops to reconsider their position on House Bill 4077 extending CARP to another five years that commands a whopping P 100-billion in total budget. “The archbishops and bishops of CBCP should think over a million times how come the government and the Department of Agrarian Reform are rushing a highly questionable and grossly fatal CARP extension law that would drain taxpayers another 100 billion pesos in hard earned taxes,” the group added.

Pamalakaya’s Hicap cautioned the CBCP about its support to CARP extension, saying the bishops could be “wittingly or unwittingly” endorsing a shotgun piece of legislation that would perpetually deny peasant land rights to millions of farmers by means of extending a token land reform all over the country.

Hicap told CBCP bishops that CARP beneficiaries themselves were victims of the twenty year old bogus agrarian reform program. “Proponents of this bogus land reform program failed to explain the real score behind thousands of cases of land reform reversals, compounded by confiscation of land titles, thousands of cases of land use conversions, across-the country land grabbing extravaganza and the unexplained P 143-B spent for CARP, which all happened in the 20 years of CARP,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

“Now GARB detractors have the guts to tell the farmers that CARP is meant for social justice despite the fact the CARP failed the tillers of this land over the last 20 years. The ring leaders of the pro-CARP syndicate in and out of Malacañang are obscuring the truth in the name of their respective political and material agenda,” Hicap added.
.
They said from 1994 up to 2007, about 1,302,375 hectares of prime agricultural lands have been placed by DAR under conversion and such terrible act led to the massive land reform reversals with the cancellation of land titles all over the region. The group said around 173,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands in the region have been already converted for commercial purposes; leaving tens of thousands of supposed to be CARP beneficiaries landless.

In 1993, Pamalakaya, KMP and the Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentra) held a preliminary assessment of CARP from 1988 to 1993, and one of the striking results of program was revealed--- a total of 10,958 certificate of land transfers (CLTs), 9,133 EPs and 2,303 CLOAs were cancelled by DAR covering 32, 041 hectares of prime agricultural lands affecting over 22,000 CARP beneficiaries.

The groups said while farmlands belonging to farmers are perpetually targeted for landgrabbing and conversion under CARP, lands leased to foreign corporations like Dole and Del Monte Philippines remained untouched. It said foreign corporations managed to keep 220,000 hectares of agricultural lands because these lands were devoted to production of export crops. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:52 | link | comments |
garb vs carp

Militant farmers set 11-km march from DAR to Mendiola against CARP extension

Around 1,000 farmers, fisherfolk, agricultural workers, national minorities and peasant women from Southern Tagalog provinces---- Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Quezon, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal opposed to the proposed five-year extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) will embark on a 11-kilomter march from the national agrarian reform office to the historic Mendiola Bridge in Quezon City against legislative move to extend the twenty-year old land reform program.

The rural marchers belonged to the Anakpawis party list, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and Amihan- National Federation of Peasant Women.

They were joined in by the Kalipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog Katagalugan (Kasama-TK) and Pamalakaya-Southern Tagalog, as anti-CARP groups ended their week long “Lakbayan ng mga Magsasaka Para sa Lupa, Pagkain at Hustisyang Panlipunan” with a political statement calling for the passage of Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059 principally authored by the late Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin Beltran.

Those who led the 11-km march from DAR to Mendiola were KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos, Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap, Amihan chairwoman Carmen Buena, UMA national president Rene Galang, Kasama-TK secretary general Orly Marcellana, Pamalakaya-Southern Tagalog secretary general Pedro Gonzalez, incoming Anakpawis party list Rep. Rafael Mariano and leaders of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), Anakpawis party list, Bayan Muna, Gabriela and Kilusang Mayo Uno.

The anti-CARP marchers breezed the Elliptical Road, the stretches of Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, Welcome Rotonda and España boulevard on their way to Mendiola in Manila. The marching farmers were met by around 2,000 contingent from the multisectoral group of Bayan which held their own assembly at the University of Sto.Tomas, along España in Manila and proceed to Mendiola past 11:00 a.m.




Lakbayan organizers reminded the archbishops and bishops of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) that many farmers across-the-country rejected CARP extension, and instead pushing for GARB or HB 3059 as a replacement to what they called a bogus land reform and shotgun piece of legislation.

““The bishops said it is better to have CARP than nothing at all for the farmers, but the trouble is CARP is nothing but a 20-year old token land reform and a two-decade old nightmare to millions of Filipino farmers. The mere fact that it is endorsed by an illegitimate, immoral and corrupt regime makes the CARP extension highly suspicious, zero in credibility and grossly detestable,” KMP’s Ramos said.

“The archbishops and bishops of CBCP should think over a million times how come the government and the Department of Agrarian Reform are rushing a highly questionable and grossly fatal CARP extension law that would drain taxpayers another 100 billion pesos in hard earned taxes,” Ramos added.

For his part, Pamalakaya’s Hicap cautioned the CBCP about its support to CARP extension, saying the bishops could be “wittingly or unwittingly” endorsing a shotgun piece of legislation that would perpetually deny peasant land rights to millions of farmers by means of extending a token land reform all over the country.

“The CBCP must learn from the Gospel of the grassroots and not from a narrow group of people who benefited and continuously benefits from CARP’s built-in fatal flaws and uncurable congenital defects and promise of billions of taxpayers’ money,” Hicap added.

KMP and Pamalakaya leaders asserted that social justice is not CARP’s cup of tea, stressing that CARP is equivalent to 20-years of social injustice and extreme massacre of peasant land rights. It is nothing but a token symbol of land reform. “It is about time to bury this shotgun piece of legislation six feet under,” they said.

“Proponents of this bogus land reform program failed to explain the real score behind thousands of cases of land reform reversals, compounded by confiscation of land titles, thousands of cases of land use conversions, across-the country land grabbing extravaganza and the unexplained P 143-B spent for CARP, which all happened in the 20 years of CARP,” they added.

“Now GARB detractors have the guts to tell the farmers that CARP is meant for social justice despite the fact the CARP failed the tillers of this land over the last 20 years. The ring leaders of the pro-CARP syndicate in and out of Malacañang are obscuring the truth in the name of their respective political and material agenda,” they said.
.
They said from 1994 up to 2007, about 1,302,375 hectares of prime agricultural lands have been placed by DAR under conversion and such terrible act led to the massive land reform reversals with the cancellation of land titles all over the region. The group said around 173,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands in the region have been already converted for commercial purposes; leaving tens of thousands of supposed to be CARP beneficiaries landless. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:51 | link | comments |
garb vs carp

Anti-CARP groups hold vigil at DAR, set 11-km march to Mendiola tomorrow

Not less than 1,000 farmers, fisherfolk, agricultural workers, national minorities and peasant women from Southern Tagalog provinces---- Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Quezon, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal opposing the extension of the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) will hold a vigil and camp out tonight at the national office of Department of Agrarian Reform in Quezon City in preparation for tomorrow’s 11-kilomoter walk from DAR to Mendiola.

Spearheaded by five of the biggest rural based groups--- the Anakpawis party list, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and Amihan- National Federation of Peasant Women, in cooperation with the farmer group Kasama-Timog Katagalugan and Pamalakaya-Southern Tagalog, the week long “Lakbayan ng mga Magsasaka Para sa Lupa, Pagkain at Hustisyang Panlipunan” wants CARP replaced by the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059 principally authored by the late Anakpawis party list. Rep. Crispin Beltran.

KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos said tomorrow anti-CARP and pro-GARB farmers will stage a symbolic political breakfast billed as “Agahan ng mga Magsasaka, Maralita at Tagapagtaguyod “ from 7 am to 8 am. The peasant leader said by 8 am, the farmers will start the 11-kilometer walk from DAR to Mendiola to call for the junking of CARP and the passage of Beltran’s land reform bill known as GARB or HB 3059.

Expected to join Ramos in the 11-km march tomorrow are Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap, Amihan chairwoman Carmen Buena, UMA national president Rene Galang, Kasama-TK secretary general Orly Marcellana, Pamalakaya-Southern Tagalog secretary general Pedro Gonzalez, incoming Anakpawis party list Rep. Rafael Mariano and leaders of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan).

The anti-CARP marchers will pass the Elliptical Road, the stretch of Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, Welcome Rotonda and España boulevard in Manila on their way to Mendiola in Manila. Lakbayan organizers said they have applied for a permit to stage their mass action in the historic Mendiola Bridge last week, but they have yet received any official response from Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.

“If that is the case, then our application for permit is deemed approved, because under Batasang Pambansa 880, failure of the local government unit to issue an official response to the applied permit within three working days, the permit is approved. But with or without permit, we will proceed with our march to Mendiola,” KMP’s Ramos added.

The KMP leader also asked pro-CARP farmer groups to shift their political campaign from supporting CARP to GARB or HB 3059, asserting that the bill filed by Beltran is a million times superior, and political and morally correct than CARP.

“ We want to inform our pro-CARP colleagues that the end of this 20-year old bankrupt and bogus land reform program is the beginning of the Filipino farmers’ liberation from a socio-political nightmare known as CARP. For many Filipino farmers, CARP is a long-running curse deodorized by cases of token land reform, and it is high time to break from CARP and shift our political energy for GARB or HB 3059,” the KMP leader said. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:50 | link | comments |

CBCP bishops asked: How sure are you farmers really want CARP?

Groups representing farmers, fisherfolk and agricultural workers opposed to the extension of the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) today asked archbishops and bishops of the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) how sure they are that the rural people all over the country really want another five year life to the 20-year old land reform program.

In a joint press statement, the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), the peasant women federation Amihan, the agricultural labor group Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and left-leaning fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) challenged the Roman Catholic leadership, including the more than 100 prelate members of the CBCP to go on deeper biblical theological reflection on the issue of agrarian reform in the country.

“The bishops said it is better to have CARP than nothing at all for the farmers, but the trouble is CARP is nothing but a 20-year old token land reform and a two-decade old nightmare to millions of Filipino farmers. The mere fact that it is endorsed by an illegitimate, immoral and corrupt regime makes the CARP extension highly suspicious and zero in credibility,” the groups said in a press statement.

The anti-CARP groups are instead seeking for the passage of the Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059 which seeks to replace the 20-year agrarian reform program. The bill principally authored by the late Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin Beltran aims to distribute all agricultural lands in the country, including those lands exempted from CARP and previous like land reforms like commercial lands, pasteur lands, fish ponds and those re-classified for other purposes.

KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos urged the bishops to reconsider their position on House Bill 4077 extending CARP to another five years that commands a whopping P 100-billion in total budget.

“The archbishops and bishops of CBCP should think over a million times how come the government and the Department of Agrarian Reform are rushing a highly questionable and grossly fatal CARP extension law that would drain taxpayers another 100 billion pesos in hard earned taxes,” Ramos added.

Today, some 1,000 peasant and fisherfolk activists belonging to Samahan ng Magbubukid ng Batangas (Sambat) and Haligi ng Batangueñong Anakdagat (Habagat), affiliates of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) from different provinces across Southern Tagalog region resumed their week long march dubbed as Lakbayan ng mga Magsasaka Para sa Lupa, Pagkain at Hustisyang Panlipunan, and are expected to camp out at DAR national office by seven o’clock this evening.

For his part, Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap cautioned the CBCP about its support to CARP extension, saying the bishops could be “wittingly or unwittingly” endorsing a shotgun piece of legislation that would perpetually deny peasant land rights to millions of farmers by means of extending a token land reform all over the country.

“The CBCP must learn from the Gospel of the grassroots and not from a narrow group of people who benefited and continuously benefits from CARP’s built-in fatal flaws and uncurable congenital defects and promise of billions of taxpayers’ money,” Hicap added.

The Pamalakaya leader asserted that social justice is not CARP’s cup of tea, stressing that CARP is equivalent to 20-years of social injustice and extreme massacre of peasant land rights. It is nothing but a token symbol of land reform. “It is about time to bury this shotgun piece of legislation six feet under,” Hicap added.

Hicap told detractors of GARB and proponents of CARP extension that CARP beneficiaries themselves were victims of the twenty year old bogus agrarian reform program.

“Proponents of this bogus land reform program failed to explain the real score behind thousands of cases of land reform reversals, compounded by confiscation of land titles, thousands of cases of land use conversions, across-the country land grabbing extravaganza and the unexplained P 143-B spent for CARP, which all happened in the 20 years of CARP,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

“Now GARB detractors have the guts to tell the farmers that CARP is meant for social justice despite the fact the CARP failed the tillers of this land over the last 20 years. The ring leaders of the pro-CARP syndicate in and out of Malacañang are obscuring the truth in the name of their respective political and material agenda,” Hicap added.
.
They said from 1994 up to 2007, about 1,302,375 hectares of prime agricultural lands have been placed by DAR under conversion and such terrible act led to the massive land reform reversals with the cancellation of land titles all over the region. The group said around 173,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands in the region have been already converted for commercial purposes; leaving tens of thousands of supposed to be CARP beneficiaries landless.

In 1993, Pamalakaya, KMP and the Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentra) held a preliminary assessment of CARP from 1988 to 1993, and one of the striking results of program was revealed--- a total of 10,958 certificate of land transfers (CLTs), 9,133 EPs and 2,303 CLOAs were cancelled by DAR covering 32, 041 hectares of prime agricultural lands affecting over 22,000 CARP beneficiaries.

The groups said while farmlands belonging to farmers are perpetually targeted for landgrabbing and conversion under CARP, lands leased to foreign corporations like Dole and Del Monte Philippines remained untouched. It said foreign corporations managed to keep 220,000 hectares of agricultural lands because these lands were devoted to production of export crops. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 01:49 | link | comments |

Militants to Palace permanent rep to Geneva: “Liars go to hell”

The LEFT LEANING alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Sunday reminded Ms Erlinda Basilio, the Philippine government permanent representative to Geneva that liars don’t go to heaven but go straight to hell.

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap uttered the remark after Basilio relayed to the 8th Session of the United Nation’s Human Rights Council (UNHRC) that the report of UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston on the state of human rights in the country are inaccurate, highly selective, and biased.

Basilio made a scathing comment on Alston report and recommendations dismissing the UN special rapporteur as unduly selective, readily accepting information from specific leftist groups while easily dismissing information provided not only by government agencies but also from other human rights defenders and government critics who do not fall under the persuasion of Alston’s favored group- the Communist Party of the Philippines, the New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front.

“This Gloria second rate puppet and militarist lapdog is speaking like National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzalez or former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon Jr. or Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. Is she a Gonzalez, or an Esperon or an Ermita trapped in a woman’s body”” Hicap said.

In addressing Alston’s report to the 8th session of the UNHRC, Basilio said the UN special rapporteur readily accepted information from supporters of rebel groups while casually dismissing information provided by the government, and reminded Alston his favored group- the CPP was in the terror list of the United States and the European Union.

But Pamalakaya’s Hicap said the Jurassic red baiting, including the open attack of Basilio on Prof. Alston as a respected UN special rapporteur on extra judicial killings should fast track the request of various groups in and out of the Philippines to remove the country’s membership from the UN human rights group.

“The UNJRC should now delist the Philippines as member of its human rights council and facilitate the removal of permanent representative tag on Basilio. This woman government official is nothing like but a scheming political evil bitch that should be condemned by history like President Arroyo,” the fisherfolk leader said.

Meanwhile, Pamalakaya asked newly installed Commission on Human Rights (CHR) commissioner Leila de Lima to investigate members of the Philippine Navy who allegedly peppered a small fisherman with bullets in Tumalutap Island in Zamboanga province last Tuesday.

“We appeal to Commissioner de Lima to immediately undertake a full-blown investigation on the incident that involved Navy personnel under the Western Mindanao Command and probe other reported abuses and human rights violations perpetrated by the military in the province,” the group said.

Pamalakaya said the identity of victim is not yet revealed based on the latest report, adding that they are still waiting official report from Pamalakaya chapter in Zamboanga city regarding the incident. They just read the incident from breaking news of an online news magazine yesterday.

The report about the incident was narrated by Zamboanga City councilor Lilia Nuño. According to the councilor, aside from the killing of a fisherman, 14 of his colleagues were rounded up by government troops during the incident.

But Rear Admiral Emilio Marayag Jr, Naval Forces Western Command commander rebuked councilor Nuño’s claims, saying the nearest Navy patrol boat came to the island at the time of the incident was 29 kilometers.

But Pamalakaya said Marayag Jr.’s denial and obvious act of cover up is expected, saying the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines is always on the state of denial on extrajudicial killings and other forms of military abuses.

“When can you expect from Commander Marayag Jr.? Nothing but outright denial, nothing more, nothing less. We hope the CHR commissioner will take this case seriously with a fighting heart and resolve to unearth this cold-blooded murder of poor fisherman,” the militant leader added.

According to Pamalakaya, the victim of Navy men’s shooting rampage in Zamboanga is the 22nd fisherfolk victim of extra judicial killings from January 21, 2001 to June 5, 2008. Seven of the victims of political killings are regional and provincial leaders of the militant fisherfolk group.

The human rights group Karapatan said last year, there were 52 incidents of extrajudicial killings and arbitrary execution victimizing 69 people, 73 cases of illegal arrest and detention victimizing 280 political activists, 85 cases of threat, harassment and intimidation victimizing 2,194 leftwing activists.

From January 21, 2001 to March 31,2008, Karapatan said 903 persons were summarily executed by the military, while there were 193 persons were abducted by state agents since the Arroyo government’s implementation of Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and Oplan Bantay Laya II. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 02:06 | link | comments |

Hacienda Luisita farmers till 1,600 hectares outside CARP

STRUGGLING FARM WORKERS in the sprawling 6,000 hectare Hacienda Luisita owned by former President Corazon Aquino are now cultivating more than 1,600 hectares of the hotly disputed sugar estate outside the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), according to the militant peasant alliance Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).

“The key to this success story is the determination of the Hacienda Luisita farmworkers to challenge and fight the Stock Distribution Option scheme legitimized by the bogus CARP in the parliament of streets, in the regular courts and in the court of public opinion,” KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos said in a press statement.

Ramos added: “CARP’s bankruptcy and built in institutional denial of land rights failed to stop Hacienda Luisita workers from struggling and asserting their rights to land. Now, despite all odds and political obstacles, the farm workers are not reaping the fruits of their hard labor and collective resistance.”

The news about Hacienda Luisita workers occupation and tilling of 1,600 hectares of the Aquino sugar estate was confirmed by Rene Galang, president of Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and chair of United Workers’ Labor Union (ULWU).

“The reports are true. We are now planting various crops in the 1,600 hectare occupied by farmworkers like rice and vegetables. We are encouraging more farmers to join and form themselves into cooperation units to be able to cover other hectares for their livelihood. Let us show the class power of the Filipino peasantry,” Galang added.

KMP and UMA agreed that twenty years of failure of CARP resulted to massive landlessness among the Filipino peasantry, and it is the compelling reason why injustice, hunger and poverty is still widespread in the countryside, and why this nation of 88.5 million Filipinos is confronting year-round rice crisis.




Farmers opposed to the extension of the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) staged a weeklong march that began from Southern Tagalog provinces and will end on June 10 in the National Capital Region to call for the passage of Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059, principally authored by the late Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin Beltran.

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap told political detractors of GARB and proponents of CARP extension that they should learn from the experience of Hacienda Luisita farmworkers and quit from misleading the farmers into believing that CARP is all their life.

The fisherfolk leader said fishpond workers are also the biggest victims of the twenty-year old land reform, when the government exempted over 800,000 hectares of fish ponds from the coverage of CARP denying the rights of fisherfolk organizations and cooperatives to own, manage or utilize these fish ponds and aquaculture areas.

“Proponents of this bogus land reform program failed to explain the real score behind thousands of cases of land reform reversals, compounded by confiscation of land titles, thousands of cases of land use conversions, across-the country land grabbing extravaganza and the unexplained P 143-B spent for CARP, which all happened in the 20 years of CARP,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

“Now GARB detractors have the guts to tell the farmers that CARP is meant for social justice despite the fact the CARP failed the tillers of this land over the last 20 years. The ring leaders of the pro-CARP syndicate in and out of Malacañang are obscuring the truth in the name of their respective political and material agenda,” Hicap added.
.
Anti-CARP rural groups said from 1994 up to 2007, about 1,302,375 hectares of prime agricultural lands have been placed by DAR under conversion and such terrible act led to the massive land reform reversals with the cancellation of land titles all over the region. The groups said around 173,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands in the region have been already converted for commercial purposes; leaving tens of thousands of supposed to be CARP beneficiaries landless.

In 1993, Pamalakaya, KMP and the Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentra) held a preliminary assessment of CARP from 1988 to 1993, and one of the striking results of program was revealed--- a total of 10,958 certificate of land transfers (CLTs), 9,133 EPs and 2,303 CLOAs were cancelled by DAR covering 32, 041 hectares of prime agricultural lands affecting over 22,000 CARP beneficiaries.

The groups said while farmlands belonging to farmers are perpetually targeted for landgrabbing and conversion under CARP, lands leased to foreign corporations like Dole and Del Monte Philippines remained untouched. It said foreign corporations managed to keep 220,000 hectares of agricultural lands because these lands were devoted to production of export crops. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 02:04 | link | comments |
garb vs carp

Marching farmers, fishermen proposed “emergency exit”
for PGMA

Around 1,000 farmers, fisherfolk and rural people from different provinces across Southern Tagalog region now on their second day of long march dubbed Lakbayan ng mga Magsasaka Para sa Lupa, Pagkain at Hustisyang Panlipunan proposed “emergency exit” for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, instead of emergency powers in dealing with the current economic crisis.

“President Arroyo and her economic and political policies, and the present social system she represents
are the root causes of all gigantic woes facing this nation of 88.5 million Filipinos. Her emergency exit
is necessary so we could start urgent and meaningful economic and socio-political reforms,” said the
activist peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).

KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos, one of the organizers of the weeklong rural people’s march
against the extension of the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform (CARP) program, and on the other hand, the passage of Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059, said instead of emergency powers, pro and anti-Arroyo lawmakers should support calls for Arroyo’s emergency exit in Malacañang.

For his part, Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) national chair
Fernando Hicap also echoed the KMP’s proposal for President Arroyo to undergo an emergency exit from
Palace, adding that the political and economic situation and public interest dictate the President’s
emergency departure from Malacañang.

“In the name of national interest and by the powers bested on the people by the 1987 Constitution,
Congress and other branches of the government must invoke the need for Arroyo’s emergency exit from
Malacañang,” Hicap added.

The KMP and Pamalakaya, together with allied groups Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa (UMA) and Amihan-National Federation of Peasant Women made the counter-proposal after pro-administration congressman Rep. Thomas Dumpit Jr. (2nd district, La Union) filed House Resolution 512 granting emergency powers to President Arroyo to be able to address the rice crisis and other problems in the most efficient and judicious manner.

“House Resolution 512 is offered to President Arroyo to further strengthen and legitimize the prevailing de
facto Martial Law across the country. It is a little bit funny that Malacañang is using a political starlet
from the North to achieve a wide range of dictatorial powers in aid of partisan politics in the House of
Representatives,” the rural-based groups said.

Lakbayan organizers said instead of granting President Arroyo emergency powers, Congress should junk the proposed extension of the bogus CARP and pave way for the passage of GARB or HB 3059.

“We don’t need emergency powers for Gloria. We need GARB or House Bill 3059. This is a matter of life and death to landless but struggling farmers all over the country. GARB is also fitting tribute to the late
Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran, the working class hero behind this landmark piece of
legislation on thoroughgoing agrarian reform and true-blue social justice,” they said.

The marchers are composed of farmers, fisherfolk, agricultural workers and peasant women from Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Quezon, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal. Lakbayan organizers added that the peasant and rural people marchers are expected to enter the National Capital Region (NCR) on June 8 and will hold a vigil in Baclaran Church on the same day. On June 9, the farmers will march from Baclaran to Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) National Office in Quezon City for an anti-CARP and pro-GARB solidarity night. On June 10, the farmers will march from DAR to Mendiola in Manila. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 12:00 | link | comments |

Anti-CARP farmers remind CBCP: There’s the GARB

FARMERS and other rural based groups opposed to the extension of the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) on Saturday reminded the influential Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) not all peasants in the country are supportive of the move to prolong the life of the soon-to-expire agrarian reform program in the country.

Five of the biggest rural groups across the country—the activist farmer group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), the agricultural workers union Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and the peasant women group Amihan-National Federation of Peasant Women cautioned the CBCP about its institutional support to House Bill 4077 which seeks to extend CARP for another five years.

“We would to remind the archbishops and bishops of the CBCP that not all farmers and rural people in the countryside are supportive of CARP extension, “the groups said in a press statement.

“ In fact, a snowballing mass support and rural wide favorable public opinion is gearing towards the replacement of CARP by GARB based on the outcome of church-led consultations and other forums where GARB and CARP extension are discussed and ranged against each other,” they said.

“Our leaders which participated in regional and sub-regional consultations called by the CBCP in preparation for the second staging of National Rural Congress sometime in July said a significant number of farmers and representatives of the rural sectors are inclined to support GARB and not the extension of the bankrupt and bogus CARP,” said Danilo Ramos, KMP secretary general.

Ramos said the mere fact that CARP extension was endorsed by Malacañang led by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is a political testimony that the proposed move to extend CARP is immoral and extremely corrupt.

“President Arroyo is the chief political representative of the landlord class in the Philippines. She will not endorse a measure that will hurt them and their local and foreign partners in crime,” the peasant leader said.


The anti-CARP farmers composed of ,000 peasant and fisherfolk activists belonging to Samahan ng Magbubukid ng Batangas (Sambat) ,Kalipunan ng Samahang Magbubukid sa Timog-Katagalugan (Kasama-TK), Pamalakaya-Southern Tagalog, and Haligi ng Batangueñong Anakdagat (Habagat) are now on their third day of long march from different Southern Tagalog to demand the passage of GARB principally authored by the late Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin Beltran.

The weeklong activity dubbed Lakbayan ng Mga Magsasaka Para sa Lupa, Pagkain at Hustisyang Panlipunan will pass the towns of Tagaytay, Silang, Dasmariñas, Imus and Bacoor from June 5 to June 7, while another contingent of farmers and fisherfolk from Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Quezon, Laguna and Rizal will merge with the marching farmers and fisherfolk from Batangas and Cavite on June 8 on their way to the National Capital Region.

In Manila, the peasant and fisher marchers will hold rallies in Makati City, Department of National Defense (DND) and Department of Agrarian Reform on June 9. On June 10, farmers will march from DAR to Mendiola Bridge.

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap told detractors of GARB and proponents of CARP extension that CARP beneficiaries themselves were victims of the twenty year old bogus agrarian reform program.

“Proponents of this bogus land reform program failed to explain the real score behind thousands of cases of land reform reversals, compounded by confiscation of land titles, thousands of cases of land use conversions, across-the country land grabbing extravaganza and the unexplained P 143-B spent for CARP, which all happened in the 20 years of CARP,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

“Now GARB detractors have the guts to tell the farmers that CARP is meant for social justice despite the fact the CARP failed the tillers of this land over the last 20 years. The ring leaders of the pro-CARP syndicate in and out of Malacañang are obscuring the truth in the name of their respective political and material agenda,” Hicap added.
.
They said from 1994 up to 2007, about 1,302,375 hectares of prime agricultural lands have been placed by DAR under conversion and such terrible act led to the massive land reform reversals with the cancellation of land titles all over the region. The group said around 173,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands in the region have been already converted for commercial purposes; leaving tens of thousands of supposed to be CARP beneficiaries landless.

In 1993, Pamalakaya, KMP and the Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentra) held a preliminary assessment of CARP from 1988 to 1993, and one of the striking results of program was revealed--- a total of 10,958 certificate of land transfers (CLTs), 9,133 EPs and 2,303 CLOAs were cancelled by DAR covering 32, 041 hectares of prime agricultural lands affecting over 22,000 CARP beneficiaries.

The groups said while farmlands belonging to farmers are perpetually targeted for landgrabbing and conversion under CARP, lands leased to foreign corporations like Dole and Del Monte Philippines remained untouched. It said foreign corporations managed to keep 220,000 hectares of agricultural lands because these lands were devoted to production of export crops. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 11:56 | link | comments |
garb vs carp

Marching farmers, fishermen proposed “emergency exit” for PGMA

AROUND 1,000 farmers, fisherfolk and rural people from different provinces across Southern Tagalog region now on their second day of long march dubbed Lakbayan ng mga Magsasaka Para sa Lupa, Pagkain at Hustisyang Panlipunan proposed “emergency exit” for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, instead of emergency powers in dealing with the current economic crisis.

“President Arroyo and her economic and political policies, and the present social system she represents are the root causes of all gigantic woes facing this nation of 88.5 million Filipinos. Her emergency exit is necessary so we could start urgent and meaningful economic and socio-political reforms,” said the activist peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP).

KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos, one of the organizers of the weeklong rural people’s march against the extension of the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform (CARP) program, and on the other hand, the passage of Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059, said instead of emergency powers, pro and anti-Arroyo lawmakers should support calls for Arroyo’s emergency exit in Malacañang.

For his part, Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) national chair Fernando Hicap also echoed the KMP’s proposal for President Arroyo to undergo an emergency exit from Palace, adding that the political and economic situation and public interest dictate the President’s emergency departure from Malacañang.

“In the name of national interest and by the powers bested on the people by the 1987 Constitution, Congress and other branches of the government must invoke the need for Arroyo’s emergency exit from Malacañang,” Hicap added.

The KMP and Pamalakaya, together with allied groups Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa (UMA) and Amihan-National Federation of Peasant Women made the counter-proposal after pro-administration congressman Rep. Thomas Dumpit Jr. (2nd district, La Union) filed House Resolution 512 granting emergency powers to President Arroyo to be able to address the rice crisis and other problems in the most efficient and judicious manner.

“House Resolution 512 is offered to President Arroyo to further strengthen and legitimize the prevailing de facto Martial Law across the country. It is a little bit funny that Malacañang is using a political starlet from the North to achieve a wide range of dictatorial powers in aid of partisan politics in the House of Representatives,” the rural-based groups said.

Lakbayan organizers said instead of granting President Arroyo emergency powers, Congress should junk the proposed extension of the bogus CARP and pave way for the passage of GARB or HB 3059.

“We don’t need emergency powers for Gloria. We need GARB or House Bill 3059. This is a matter of life and death to landless but struggling farmers all over the country. GARB is also fitting tribute to the late Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran, the working class hero behind this landmark piece of legislation on thoroughgoing agrarian reform and true-blue social justice,” they said.

The marchers are composed of farmers, fisherfolk, agricultural workers and peasant women from Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Quezon, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal. Lakbayan organizers added that the peasant and rural people marchers are expected to enter the National Capital Region (NCR) on June 8 and will hold a vigil in Baclaran Church on the same day. On June 9, the farmers will march from Baclaran to Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) National Office in Quezon City for an anti-CARP and pro-GARB solidarity night. On June 10, the farmers will march from DAR to Mendiola in Manila. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 05:53 | link | comments |
garb vs carp

CHR asked to investigate Navy men over killing of fisherfolk in Zambo

THE LEFT-LEANING alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Friday asked newly installed Commission on Human Rights (CHR) commissioner Leila de Lima to investigate members of the Philippine Navy who allegedly peppered a small fisherman in Tumalutap Island in Zamboanga province last Tuesday.

“We appeal to Commissioner de Lima to immediately undertake a full-blown investigation on the incident that involved Navy personnel under the Western Mindanao Command and probe other reported abuses and human rights violations perpetrated by the military in the province,” Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said in a press statement.

The militant leader said the identity of victim is not yet revealed based on the latest report, adding that they are still waiting official report from Pamalakaya chapter in Zamboanga city regarding the incident. They just read the incident from breaking news of an online news magazine yesterday.

The report about the incident was narrated by Zamboanga City councilor Lilia Nuño. According to the councilor, aside from the killing of a fisherman, 14 of his colleagues were rounded up by government troops during the incident.

But Rear Admiral Emilio Marayag Jr, Naval Forces Western Command commander rebuked councilor Nuño’s claims, saying the nearest Navy patrol boat came to the island at the time of the incident was 29 kilometers.

But Pamalakaya’s Hicap said Marayag Jr.’s denial and obvious act of cover up is expected, saying the entire Armed Forces of the Philippines is always on the state of denial on extrajudicial killings and other forms of military abuses.

“When can you expect from Commander Marayag Jr.? Nothing but outright denial, nothing more, nothing less. We hope the CHR commissioner will take this case seriously with a fighting heart and resolve to unearth this cold-blooded murder of poor fisherman,” the militant leader added.

According to Pamalakaya, the victim of Navy men’s shooting rampage in Zamboanga is the 22nd fisherfolk victim of extra judicial killings from January 21, 2001 to June 5, 2008. Seven of the victims of political killings are regional and provincial leaders of the militant fisherfolk group.

The human rights group Karapatan said last year, there were 52 incidents of extrajudicial killings and arbitrary execution victimizing 69 people, 73 cases of illegal arrest and detention victimizing 280 political activists, 85 cases of threat, harassment and intimidation victimizing 2,194 leftwing activists.

From January 21, 2001 to March 31,2008, Karapatan said 903 persons were summarily executed by the military, while there were 193 persons were abducted by state agents since the Arroyo government’s implementation of Oplan Bantay Laya 1 and Oplan Bantay Laya II. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 10:02 | link | comments |
human rights

Farmers began week long march against CARP extension

Farmers opposed to the extension of the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) today started their weeklong march to call for the passage of Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059, principally authored by the late Anakpawis party list Rep. Crispin Beltran.

Some 1,000 peasant and fisherfolk activists belonging to Samahan ng Magbubukid ng Batangas (Sambat) and Haligi ng Batangueñong Anakdagat (Habagat), affiliates of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) and Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) from different towns of Batangas province assembled in Nasugbu this morning before marching to Barangay Kaylaway, a village serving as boundary between Batangas and Cavite provinces.

The weeklong activity dubbed Lakbayan ng Mga Magsasaka Para sa Lupa, Pagkain at Hustisyang Panlipunan will pass the towns of Tagaytay, Silang, Dasmariñas, Imus and Bacoor from June 5 to June 7, while another contingent of farmers and fisherfolk from Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Quezon, Laguna and Rizal will merge with the marching farmers and fisherfolk from Batangas and Cavite on June 8 on their way to the National Capital Region.

In Manila, the peasant and fisher marchers will hold rallies in Makati City, Department of National Defense (DND) and Department of Agrarian Reform on June 9. On June 10, farmers will march from DAR to Mendiola Bridge.

Five of the biggest rural based groups--- the Anakpawis party list, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and Amihan- National Federation of Peasant Women, in cooperation with Kasama-TK and Pamalakaya-Southern Tagalog will spearhead the week long march.

“For millions of farmers and rural people, CARP is equivalent to 20-years of social injustice and extreme massacre of peasant land rights. It is nothing but a token symbol of land reform. It is about time to bury this shotgun piece of legislation six feet under,” KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos said in a press statement.

“As far as truth and justice seeking farmers are concerned, the death of CARP is the new beginning for GARB, a landmark piece of legislation that will entail a thoroughgoing and justice driven agrarian reform program in the country. The free distribution of land to landless farmers is the corner stone of GARB which is a million times superior to the bankrupt character and orientation of CARP and CARP extension,” Ramos added.

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap told detractors of GARB and proponents of CARP extension that CARP beneficiaries themselves were victims of the twenty year old bogus agrarian reform program.

“Proponents of this bogus land reform program failed to explain the real score behind thousands of cases of land reform reversals, compounded by confiscation of land titles, thousands of cases of land use conversions, across-the country land grabbing extravaganza and the unexplained P 143-B spent for CARP, which all happened in the 20 years of CARP,” the Pamalakaya leader added.

“Now GARB detractors have the guts to tell the farmers that CARP is meant for social justice despite the fact the CARP failed the tillers of this land over the last 20 years. The ring leaders of the pro-CARP syndicate in and out of Malacañang are obscuring the truth in the name of their respective political and material agenda,” Hicap added.
.
They said from 1994 up to 2007, about 1,302,375 hectares of prime agricultural lands have been placed by DAR under conversion and such terrible act led to the massive land reform reversals with the cancellation of land titles all over the region. The group said around 173,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands in the region have been already converted for commercial purposes; leaving tens of thousands of supposed to be CARP beneficiaries landless.

In 1993, Pamalakaya, KMP and the Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentra) held a preliminary assessment of CARP from 1988 to 1993, and one of the striking results of program was revealed--- a total of 10,958 certificate of land transfers (CLTs), 9,133 EPs and 2,303 CLOAs were cancelled by DAR covering 32, 041 hectares of prime agricultural lands affecting over 22,000 CARP beneficiaries.

The groups said while farmlands belonging to farmers are perpetually targeted for landgrabbing and conversion under CARP, lands leased to foreign corporations like Dole and Del Monte Philippines remained untouched. It said foreign corporations managed to keep 220,000 hectares of agricultural lands because these lands were devoted to production of export crops. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 10:00 | link | comments |
garb vs carp

Farmers, fishers smell fertilizer
fund scam part II in P 1,500 cash aid to farmers

Leftwing militants belonging to Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and Amihan-National Federation of Peasant Women on Thursday dismissed the P 1,500 fertilizer subsidy the government will give to every Filipino farmer as spin off of the P 728 million fertilizer scan in 2004.

“It is another fertilizer scam in the tradition of the P 728 million fertilizer scam in 2004. This is fertilizer scam part 2 in the making,” the groups said in a press statement.

Malacañang yesterday announced farmers will be given a fertilizer subsidy amounting to P 1,500 to help them buy fertilizer. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the fertilizer subsidy to be given to farmers was part of the P 43.5 B program aimed at boosting rice production in the country, which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced at the food summit on April 14.

Ermita said the Department of Agriculture (DA) will take charge of the fertilizer subsidy program and coupons will be distributed to farmers to claim the P 1,500 fertilizer fund. Of this amount, P 1,000 will come from DA, while the remaining P 500 will come from local government units.

“This government is using and invoking the name of the Filipino farmers to justify the mass withdrawal of taxpayers’ money and satisfy their eternal thirst for high crimes of corruption. This fertilizer scam part 2 is bigger, bolder and extremely shameless compared to the P 728 million fertilizer scam ransacked by the corrupt regime in 2004 to fund the presidential ambition of President Arroyo,” KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos said in a press statement.

Ramos, one of the complainants in the plunder case filed by KMP, Pamalakaya and Amihan on June 2004 against President Arroyo, former DA Secretary Luisito Lorenzo and DA undersecretary Jocelyn “Jocjoc” Bolante, said the Macapagal-Arroyo government is merely engaged in propaganda blitzkrieg to score a favorable public opinion for the highly politically isolated government.

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap agreed with Ramos saying the second stage of the
P 728 million fertilizer scam is very predictable, saying the government is preparing the stage for the massive release of billions of taxpayers’ money in preparation for the 2010 national elections.

“The government is trying to hit two birds with one stone in connection with the sudden and all-out release of billions of people’s money. It wants to score points in the propaganda department and at the same time make sure money are available in time for the electoral derby in 2010,” Hicap added.

Pamalakaya theorized that the P 43.5 B agricultural fund is more intended for the 2010 presidential, senatorial and local elections, where Malacañang is expected to finance the electoral stints of hardcore pro-Arroyo politicians from the national down to the local levels.

“Malacañang merely brokered the news to Palace ally politicians that there is enough money for them in the 2010 elections. It is President Arroyo like telling pro-administration politicians and 2010 wannabes that stick with me through thick and tin and you will be rewarded with millions of cash bonanza,” the group said.

The finance department said it would source out the P 43.6 B from the windfall tax revenues the government collects from high petroleum prices, where it would get at least P 18.6 billion in taxpayers money. Other sources will come from foreign aid and loans.

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 09:59 | link | comments |
corruption

P 2 billion cash aid to 4 million Meralco customers: “The grandmother of all band aid solution”, militants say

Leftwing militants belonging to Anakpawis party list and the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) on Wednesday described the P 2 billion power subsidy program offered by Malacañang to Manila Electric Company’s 4 million lifeline consumers as “the grandmother of all band aid solution”.

“This is the grandmother of all band aid solution and an across-the-country insult to the collective intelligence and national interest of the people. This is nothing but a super roadshow presentation that intends to promote begging as a way of life,” Anakpawis secretary general Cherry Clemente said in a press statement.

“Let me remind this corrupt, puppet and brutal regime of Mrs. Arroyo that the Filipino people are not begging for alms. They want clear cut solutions to high power rates, not one-time subsidy of P 500 in order to cope up with their power bills,” Clemente added.

The Anakpawis party list official said President Arroyo has been rejecting sound and viable solutions that would substantially reduce power rates like the removal of 12 percent expanded value added tax and other regressive taxes on power and petroleum products, the repeal of the Energy and Power Industry Reform Act (Epira) and the nationalization of power and oil industry.

“They are not helping the poor. The P 500 one-time subsidy is nothing but a trivial approach to the worsening problem of high power cost. Mrs. Arroyo and her company of bureaucrat capitalists are just taking us again into another high and bumpy roller coaster ride,” Clemente lamented.

For his part, Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap said the release of P 2 billion subsidy to Meralco’s 4 million lifeline users or families consuming less than 100 kilowatt hours of electricity monthly was a de facto electioneering aimed to gain support of not less 12 million voters in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

“Malacañang knew that almost 80 percent of the voters in Metro Manila and nearby provinces like Laguna, Rizal, Cavite and Bulacan are anti-Arroyo. And these anti-Arroyo voters are being serviced by Meralco,” Hicap said.

The Pamalakaya leader added: “For Palace propagandists, the best way to win their hearts and minds is to engage in populist politics, and one way of doing it concretely is to take the issue of high power by offering cash subsidies to poor electric consumers.”

Hicap said this calculated political move of Malacañang is one of the best kept secrets of President Arroyo, adding that the populist approach is being used at this early like the P 2 billion cash aid for Meralco’s lifeline users in preparation for the 2010 national elections.

“Everybody is wondering why the Arroyo government has suddenly become so aggressive in releasing billions of taxpayers’ money. In this particular concern, the Palace political strategists want to accomplish a number of things---- de facto electioneering, corruption of state funds and rally the people in its war against the Lopez clan by exploiting the very valid issue of high power cost,” Pamalakaya said.

Pamalakaya and Anakpawis said the P 2-B subsidy for power will be used by Malacañang as a rallying point to justify succeeding releases of taxpayers money amounting to as much as P 93.6 billion. The militant groups learned that President Arroyo and the Department of Finance was planning to release over 90 billion pesos in total aid package, which was approved by President Arroyo last week, and that includes the P 2 billion in outright cash transfers, according to Department of Finance (DoF) secretary Margarito Teves. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 03:27 | link | comments |
oil and power

Farmers to stage week long march against CARP and CARP extension

NOT LESS  than 1,500 farmers, fisherfolk, agricultural workers and peasant women from Southern Tagalog provinces---- Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Quezon, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite and Rizal will stage a week long peasant march to dramatize their opposition against the proposal to extend the 20-year old Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP).

Five of the biggest rural based groups--- the Anakpawis party list, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) and Amihan- National Federation of Peasant Women, in cooperation with Kasama-TK and Pamalakaya-Southern Tagalog will spearhead the “Lakbayan ng mga Magsasaka Para sa Lupa” which will call for the rejection of CARP and its extension.

Instead organizers of the week long peasant march that will start on June 5 in various protest centers across Southern Tagalog region , will endorse for legislation the passage of alternative bill known as Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill (GARB) or House Bill 3059 principally authored by the late Anakpawis Rep. Crispin Beltran and co-authored by Bayan Muna party list Reps. Satur Ocampo and Teodoro Casiño, and Gabriela party list lawmakers Liza Maza and Luzviminda Ilagan.

Lakbayan organizers added that the peasant and rural people marchers are expected to enter the National Capital Region (NCR) on June 8 and will hold a vigil in Baclaran Church on the same day. On June 9, the farmers will march from Baclaran to Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) National Office in Quezon City for an anti-CARP and pro-GARB solidarity night. On June 10, the farmers will march from DAR to Mendiola in Manila to demand the rejection of CARP extension, and the passage of HB 3059.

20-years of injustice

“For millions of farmers and rural people, CARP is equivalent to 20-years of social injustice and extreme massacre of peasant land rights. It is nothing but a token symbol of land reform. It is about time to bury this shotgun piece of legislation six feet under,” KMP secretary general Danilo Ramos said in a press statement.

“As far as truth and justice seeking farmers are concerned, the death of CARP is the new beginning for GARB, a landmark piece of legislation that will entail a thoroughgoing and justice driven agrarian reform program in the country. The free distribution of land to landless farmers is the corner stone of GARB which is a million times superior to the bankrupt character and orientation of CARP and CARP extension,” Ramos added.

Reply to detractors

Pamalakaya national chair Fernando Hicap told detractors of GARB and proponents of CARP extension that CARP beneficiaries themselves were victims of the twenty year old bogus agrarian reform program. “ Proponents of this bogus land reform program failed to explain the real score behind thousands of cases of land reform reversals, compounded by confiscation of land titles, thousands of cases of land use conversions, across-the country land grabbing extravaganza and the unexplained P 143-B spent for CARP, which all happened in the 20 years of CARP,” the Pamalakaya leader added.



“Now GARB detractors have the guts to tell the farmers that CARP is meant for social justice despite the fact the CARP failed the tillers of this land over the last 20 years. The ring leaders of the pro-CARP syndicate in and out of Malacañang are obscuring the truth in the name of their respective political and material agenda,” Hicap added.

KMP’s Ramos and Pamalakaya’s Hicap cited at least 7 big cases in Southern Tagalog where CARP beneficiaries including fishermen were eased out from their farmlands to give way to land use conversion projects undertaken by big landlords, private developers and the government.

• 10,000 farmers and fisherfolk beneficiaries, all CARP beneficiaries are still in landlocked battle against Fil-Estate, the Manila South Coast Development Corporation and SM of Henry Sy over 8,650 hectares of prime agricultural lands, which private developers intend to develop into a major eco-tourism hub in Hacienda Looc, Nasugbu in Batangas. The Department of Agrarian Reform cancelled their Certificate of Land Ownership Awards (CLOAs) and Emancipation Patents (EPs) to pave way for land use conversion.

• The CLOAs of CARP beneficiaries were revoked by DAR in Hacienda Roxas in Nasugbu, Batangas covering 7,183 hectares of sugar lands to give way to eco-tourism, residential and commercial projects to be funded by foreign and local investors.

• In Hacienda Puyat in Batangas, some 1,800 hectares of land were denied to supposed CARP beneficiaries to pave way for the construction of golf courses and other eco-tourism projects.

• The DAR allowed the exemption and conversion of 10,000 hectares of sugar lands to livestock farms, poultry farms, fishponds in Hacienda Zobel in Calatagan, Batangas, and also gave the right to the Ayala clan to landgrab an additional 2,000 hectares of foreshore land to deny agrarian claims of farmers and fishermen in 19 out of Calatagan’s 24 barangays.

• In Carmen and Silang towns, DAR approved the conversion of 2,500 hectares of land into golf courses and residential areas by the Ayala land group of companies, denying farmer beneficiaries of their rights to utilize prime agricultural lands which they tilled for generations.

• In Aguinaldo Estate, Tartaria, Silang in Cavite, 2,000 farming families were displaced from their farmlands, after DAR gave the go signal for investors to convert the 197-hectare estate to commercial subdivision and a high-end golf course.

• The DAR also facilitated the conversion of 7,100 hectare Hacienda Yulo in Canluibang, Laguna into an array of subdivisions and golf courses, and victimized 457 families, whose CLOAs were cancelled by the agrarian reform agency.

They said from 1994 up to 2007, about 1,302,375 hectares of prime agricultural lands have been placed by DAR under conversion and such terrible act led to the massive land reform reversals with the cancellation of land titles all over the region. The group said around 173,000 hectares of prime agricultural lands in the region have been already converted for commercial purposes; leaving tens of thousands of supposed to be CARP beneficiaries landless.

In 1993, Pamalakaya, KMP and the Sentro Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo (Sentra) held a preliminary assessment of CARP from 1988 to 1993, and one of the striking results of program was revealed--- a total of 10,958 certificate of land transfers (CLTs), 9,133 EPs and 2,303 CLOAs were cancelled by DAR covering 32, 041 hectares of prime agricultural lands affecting over 22,000 CARP beneficiaries.

The groups said while farmlands belonging to farmers are perpetually targeted for landgrabbing and conversion under CARP, lands leased to foreign corporations like Dole and Del Monte Philippines remained untouched. It said foreign corporations managed to keep 220,000 hectares of agricultural lands because these lands were devoted to production of export crops. #

posted by: GerryCorpuz at 03:26 | link | comments |

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