Showing posts with label human rights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label human rights. Show all posts
Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi sentenced 18 months more
Burmese Nobel Prize awardee Aung San Suu Kyi received a sentence to serve 18 months of house arrest after the military found her “guilty” of violating her house arrest rules. The added punishment came after an American John Yettaw swam to her residence and stayed there for two days. Yettaw was sentenced to 7 years in jail for violation of Myanmar’s (Burma) immigration laws and trespassing into Aung’s home.
"British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said he was "saddened and angry" at the verdict and called the sentence "purely political." The European Union, Australia and France have also condemned the sentence." ---Voice of America (08/11/09, Bayron, H.)
Aung San, the 64 year old political detainee who was unjustly incarcerated for 14 years was returned to her home after the new verdict, originally for three years, was commuted by top general, Than Shwe to 18 month amidst domestic and international outcry in support of Aung San’s human rights and freedom.
In 1990, The lady political leader and heroine of democracy won the election under the National League for Democracy, but the abusive Burmese military did not allow her to govern. Aung San's recent sentence was considered a way to stop her from participating in the forthcoming elections. (Photo Credit: Totaloutnow x 2) =0=
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Alec Baldwin’s racist remark draws ire from Filipinos
It’s probably said in jest when American actor Alec Baldwin, a 51-year old divorcee remarked of having a Filipino mail-order bride. In the Late Show of David Letterman on May 12, the former husband of Kim Bassinger said, “I think about getting a Filipino mail order bride at this point or a Russian one. I don’t care, I’m 51.”
It seems to be a little issue. But the comment drew anger from Filipinos who have been maligned before, the most recent was HK columnist Chip Tsao saying that Filipinos are a nation of maids. Lawmaker Risa Hontiveros and Jean Enriquez, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking of Women-Asia Pacific were vocal in condemning Baldwin’s remarks.
They have reasons to be mad because the trafficking of women from the Philippines (many as mail-order brides,) has been one of the saddest facets in the lives of exploited people worldwide. In the Philipines alone, it is estimated that a staggering number of Filipino women and children, numbering between 20,000 and 100,000, are victimized by human smuggling.
In Baldwin's book "A promise to ourselves: A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce," the actor with co-author Mark Tabb (Martin Press, 224 pages) tells of a stormy divorce and his experience of having to deal with “parental alienation syndrome”--- digging into what is wrong with the divorce system in America. By writing the book, he seems someone who can be taken seriously.
But by joking on Filipinas and the Russians, he exposed his ignorance and insensitivity. He trivialized the suffering of impoverished people he doesn't know---those forced into marriage to strangers under very difficult circumstances. (Photo Credit: ctv.ca) =0=
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After Nicole, comes Vanessa, another Pinay cries “rape” against a US serviceman
The sensational rape case of Nicole against US marine Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith went into an abrupt end when the accuser turned back from her allegations, overturning the guilty verdict--- giving the alleged American rapist an acquittal. The public wasn’t completely sure of what happened, but there are those who suspect the US embassy in Manila had something to do with Nicole’s change of heart. Before the acquittal, Nicole was awarded about P100,000----as a compensatory damage given by Smith. The US serviceman didn't ask to bring back the cash upon his acquittal.
NIcole said it was in a fit of drunkenness that she had sex with Smith. She and the serviceman man went on separate ways after the acquittal, both leaving for the United States. That was a cumbersome sensational coverage of their legal battle in the Philippines which has some adverse ffect on how the country looks at crime, particularly rape--- those committed by foreigners.
After Nicole, comes Vanessa who also cries rape against another US serviceman. It’s too early to tell if this woman is telling the truth. Evidence to prove her case hasn’t been laid in the open. The 22-year old Pinay alleges that she was forced into having sex with the US serviceman in a plush Makati hotel on April 19, 2009. It’s reported she sought medico-legal examination after the incident.
Helped by Gabriela, a pro-woman human rights group, Vanessa is mulling on whether to charge her alleged attacker. Perhaps because of the outcome of Nicole’s rape case, Vanessa, hasn’t decided if she’ll pursue her accusations. Her ambivalence shows how a previous rape litigation like Nicole's has affected this case. (Photo Credit: Jsdart) =0=
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Child-bride divorces her 50 year old husband
In Saudi Arabia a judge permitted an 8 year-old girl to divorce her 50 year-old groom. The girl was forced into marriage in August 2008 after her father run into debts and got a $13,000 dowry for his daughter. The mother of the bride objected and sought annulment.
Because there is no law in Saudi Arabia that rules on the marrying age, human rights groups pressure the Saudi government to enact a law to protect children in this situation.
“The 8-year-old girl's marriage was not the only one in the kingdom to receive attention in recent months. Saudi newspapers have highlighted several cases in which young girls were married off to much older men or young boys including a 15-year-old girl whose father, a death-row inmate, married her off to a cell mate.”---Yahoo.News.com/ AP (04/30/0, Al-Shalchi, H)
Upheld by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman stressed the right to a free and full consent in contracting marriage which is absent when the union involves a party that is too young to make such consent and informed decision.
Joining calls to end the practice of marriage by minors, the United States called such marriages as human rights violations. Undersecretary of state for political affairs William Burns said in a conference:
"Child marriage is, unfortunately, still common in much of Saudi Arabia and we have voiced our concern about this practice at the highest levels…We were encouraged by reports that the Justice Ministry had begun to review the legal age of marriage."----CNN.com (04/30/09, Jamjoom, M; Abedine, S)
Some Saudi officals are open to make laws aimed to protect the under-aged. The country’s legislature, the Shura Council, are deliberating to put into law a suggestion that 18 years should be minimum age for marriage. (Photo credit: tj_2000pk x 2) =0=
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The forgotten Reynaldo Galman & his disappeared mother Lina
Reynaldo Galman condemns the granting of executive clemency to the 10 imprisoned convicted killers who blame Rolando Galman, his father, as Ninoy's murderer. Joining the the family of Ninoy Aquino, he decries the fact that the brains behind the Aquino-Galman murders on August 21, 1983 remain undisclosed. He believes his father tagged by the Marcoses as a communist killer is just a fall guy in the blatant plot to kill Ninoy Aquino.
Barely an adolescent when the gruesome murders took place in the airport, son Reynaldo Galman could only recall his ordeal after his father was killed. He was only 10 years old when mother Lina Galman was abducted by unidentified men, never to be seen again after the airport murders investigation began. With only a sketchy memory of his parents to keep, Reynaldo lived the life of an orphan.
After more than two decades, many of the principal players who could have shed light on the heinous incident have died. They refused to tell the truth until the memory of the Filipinos has faded. President Gloria M. Arroyo thinks it’s now the ripe time to set free the incarcerated killers in spite of the unresolved questions surrounding the case.
The 10 soldiers of the Aviation Security Command (AVSECOM) part of the team tasked to provide security to Ninoy have stuck to the official Marcos story which portrayed Rolando Galman of Nueva Ecija as the killer. They insist the "hitman" broke the cordon of their very tight security. But the Aquinos, the Galmans, and the majority of the Filipinos who followed the investigation don’t believe this.
The ugly tail of injustice wags mockingly on Reynaldo Galman who lost a father. Like the Aquinos and the rest of the aggrieved Filipinos, he is one among the victims who waged the People Power in revulsion to the tarmac murders and government corruption. Yet this isn’t enough to make Arroyo desist from favoring the convicted military men in her discretionary clemency. She probably doesn't know Reynaldo Galman and the rest of the Filipinos have been affected by the murders. Her political nemesis, Pres. Cory Aquino, the widow of Ninoy, aged and ailing, is mum over the pardon.
As one can see, life isn't fair even on Ninoy Aquino whose towering life could have changed the course of the country’s governance. For giving his life, the martyred Marcos rival has been admired, but it didn't take long before people forget his sacrifice. A number of his friends have abandoned his cause. Politics have a way of leading leaders like Gloria Arroyo to choose the low road against certain individuals---like Aquino who till his death insisted that “Filipinos are worth dying for.”
There are people who lie without conscience, condone moral aberrancy, and inflict incalculable cruelty on others. In the guise of handing down social justice, they welcome public apathy and forgetfulness, so that no one bothers to question. Expediency and rationalization have been part of how politics work in the country. (Photo Credits: Hoy_Sushi; Britt01)=0=
RELATED BLOG: "Pardon and (In)justice: Ninoy’s killers freed" Posted by mesiamd at 3/05/2009
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WB-funded road contracts & the US State Department’s charges of graft and corruption.
For some weeks now, World Bank (WB) tells us of the corruptive practice which rigs the bidding of the foreign bank-funded road projects in the Philippines. Instead of being thankful to the international lending institution for giving important leads to curb corruption, some of our government officials have been defensive.
Without tangible effort to find out the truth, supporters of the Arroyo government thought of filing a “diplomatic protest.” As if to way lay the investigation, Sen. Santiago pompously crowed over “court evidence” and insisted on the foreign bank officials to feed the senate investigation with all the details of the allegation. WB officials in turn told our government investigators they couldn’t do the job for us. Careful not to trample on our national “pride,” they said it wasn’t the foreign bank’s duty. Yes, why then couldn't we have our investigation without the help of an outsider like the foreign bank?
Jose Miguel Arroyo, the husband of Pres. Gloria Arroyo, was at the center of the WB scandal. Santiago, an Arroyo ally, behaved as though it was WB’s interest over our own national interest that criminal wrong-doing be proven. The foot-dragging that followed demonstrated the lack of resolve to get into the bottom of the case. The inquiry led by Sen. Miriam D. Santiago was haphazard, diversionary and inutile.
If only to heighten our shame and incompetence, the US State Department, on a separate issue of human rights, called on our government to exert more in stopping graft and corruption. In its “Country Reports on Human Rights Practices in 2008,” released last February 25, 2009, the department disclosed corruption in government agencies and the judiciary was among the reasons why basic human rights continued to be violated in the Philippines.
“'The law provides criminal penalties for official corruption; however, the government did not implement the law effectively, and officials often engaged in corrupt practices with impunity,' the report says."---Inquirer (02/28,/09, Dizon, N; Burgunio, TJ)
What they are saying about us is consistently embarrassing, but many of us choose to keep the usual silence. Malacanang Press secretary Cerge Remonde tries to be “smart” by dismissing the accusations as merely perceptions and therefore not rooted on reality.
“Corruption is really more…perception than reality. This perception is making us more aware and more conscious of the problem. More people become vigilant in watching graft and corruption,” Remonde told a news conference at the Palace on Friday."---PDI, (02/27/9, Guinto, J.)
Others like Remonde in government are defensive by pointing that even USA and other countries have shares of the same problem. Apologists for the country say the Philippines isn’t the only one. They try to downplay the stark contrast in how other countries respond to stop graft and corruption.(Photo Credit: Animationcomics) =0=
RELATED BLOG: "Corruption scandals hurting Filipinos under Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo" Posted by mesiamd at 1/29/2009
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90% of RP crimes are solved in less than 1 year: a lie that can make you cry?
When I read that Philippine National Police (PNP) Director General Jesus Versoza on Thursday announced that about 90% of crimes in the country had been solved in less than year, I thought it was a typo error. But I made sure I was not reading it wrong.
“In a press conference after a closed door command conference with key PNP officials, Verzosa said that of the 62,148 crime incidents reported in 11 months, 89.43 percent have been solved."----Inquirer, (12/17/08, Kwok, A)
I was convinced that this is inconsistent to the crime profile of the country that I know. What does “solving a crime” mean to the PNP director? What are the “crime incidents” is he referring to? In my book solving a crime means investigating a case, recognizing the criminal, ascertaining his complicity, bringing him to court, having him serve jail time if guilty, and rehabilitating him to be a responsible citizen before he is released from jail. The process definitely takes longer than a year.
The PNP director is probably lying. I couldn’t comprehend how a top government official has that gall to misinform the public at the expense of himself, the military, and the country. The motto of the police is service, honor and justice. Is he the corruption that has run wild in the military service?
HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES IN THE PHILIPPINES
One can discern the hard reality from personal experience or by doing a little reading. Many crimes go unreported. I know there are many journalists being killed without resolution of their cases. They are part of a large group of crime victims that range from a gamut of circumstances---from simple robbery to mass murder. The US State Department report on the human rights record of the Philippines in 2006, had the following was reported:
“During the year there were a number of arbitrary, unlawful, and extrajudicial killings apparently by elements of the security services and of political killings, including killings of journalists, by a variety of actors. Many of these killings went unsolved and unpunished, contributing to a climate of impunity, despite intensified government efforts during the year to investigate and prosecute these cases.
Members of the security services committed acts of physical and psychological abuse on suspects and detainees, and there were instances of torture. Arbitrary or warrantless arrests and detentions were common. Trials were delayed and procedures were prolonged. Prisoners awaiting trial and those already convicted were often held under primitive conditions.
Corruption was a problem in all the institutions making up the criminal justice system, including police, prosecutorial, and judicial organs. During a brief "state of emergency" in February, there was some attempted interference in freedom of the press and in the right of assembly.
In addition to the killings mentioned above, leftwing and human rights activists were often subject to harassment by local security forces. Problems such as violence against women and abuse of children, child prostitution, trafficking in persons, child labor, and ineffective enforcement of worker rights were common." --- www.state.gov/ (US State Department) Philippines: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices-2006 Released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (03/06/07)
77% OF PRISONERS ARE VICTIMS OF JUDICIAL ERRORThe report about prisoners in the Philippines is telling. Raymond Narag, a law student served 7 years in detention for murder which he never committed. He later worked as consultant on prison reform in the Philippine Supreme Court (SC.) According to him, 3 out of 4 prisoners (77%) in the Philippines are victims of judicial error. The average pre-sentencing detention is 3.2 years. Jailbirds are forced to plead guilty to escape hardships in detention in favor of being in the National Penitentiary where the conditions are better.
"Inmates are dying in our city jails at an alarming rate. They are suffering from boils, tuberculosis, chicken pox and other simple but highly communicable diseases. In the Quezon City Jail alone, there are two to five deaths per month. The sad fact is that they are dying before being sentenced." ---Raymond Narag
Quezon City Jail was built for only 815 detainees. Now, it houses about 3,400 inmates. This means that each prisoner has 0.28 sq2 m of living space which is way below the 3 sq2 m per person the United Nations considers the minimum standard for the treatment of prisoners." ---PIME; www.asia.news.it (10/22/04, Evangelista, S)
PERSONAL EXPERIENCEI have no reason to believe that the data above have drastically changed for the better this year. I haven't heard of any evidence to the contrary. Instead, I recall my dead brother Henry who died from vehicular injuries without retribution on those who sold fake drugs that caused his demise. He was left in Naga City jail for hours without medical attention on a wrong assumption that his stupor was due to drunkenness, not from the brain damage from his injury. At least one doctor in Bicol Medical Center was complicit in peddling the counterfeit medicine.
I remember my friend’s mom, a widow who was stabbed by a robber while walking home after a day’s work in a Quezon City bakery. The sole witness of her slay was himself a victim of unsolved political disappearance, a case unrelated to the murder. My first cousin Orly was killed in a traffic accident in Manila by a hit-and-run driver. No one went to jail for these crimes. They were among at least 10 people I knew who died; their cases remained cold for more than a decade. I don’t know of a single heinous crime in the Philippines that had been solved. So can you see why I don’t believe General Versoza? How about you?(Photo Credits: www.bardu.net; ronaldhackson; www.bardu.net; planetradio; planetradio; ace_kupal)
RELATED BLOGS: "Journalist killings continue" Posted by mesiamd at 12/09/08; " Another gruesome journalist’s slay" Posted by mesiamd at 11/17/2008; "When they start telling us we're unworthy of help" Posted by mesiamd at 12/16/2008; " On Philippine Corruption And Our Being Inure To It" Posted by myty555 at 12/16/2008; "Rising Road Accidents" Posted by mesiamd at 10/27/2008
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Journalist killings continue
The death toll of journalists being killed in the Philippines continues to rise. On the early hours of December 9, 2008, Muriel Leanilo, a tabloid columnist of “Bagong Balita” was slain by an unidentified gunman who walked away from the site of the crime in Aurora, Boulevard, Quezon City. The motive of the killing wasn’t known.Following the shooting death of another journalist less than a month ago, Leanilo was rushed at Quirino Memorial Medical Center but was pronounced dead on arrival. His companion, Christina Valldolid, was seriously hurt. A taxi driver who saw the murder said the assailant walked away after the incident.
Cold-blooded slaughter has been a common occurrence in the Philippines. The administration of Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo appears helpless in stopping the crimes which earn bad reputation for the country. Apologists of the government can’t say that the unsatisfactory national human rights and freedom records are "perceptions" only. There is an obvious lack of justice. Unhalted murders suggest political instability which may worsen in time. (Photo Credit: Campino Castillejo)=0=
RELATED BLOGS: “Another gruesome journalist’s slay” Posted by mesiamd at 11/17/2008; "RP’s 2008 Press Freedom Rank: 142nd out of 173 nations," Posted by mesiamd at 10/26/2008; "Deteriorating Human Rights Record: another journalist shot dead in Camarines Sur," posted by mesiamd at 08/16/08.)
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Radio Broadcaster Leonilo Mila of Samar, shot dead
In another depressing news, Leonilo Mila, a radio personality in Northern Samar reportedly died of gunshot wounds inflicted by unidentified men on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 outside his office in San Roque, Napares, Barangay Zone 3. Mila reportedly died on site of the shooting with wounds from a 45-caliber pistol on his torso, legs, and head.
The announcer of Radio Natin had been known for his expressed opposition against taxation leveled by the National People’s Army (NPA) on villagers in the area, an angle of the senseless killing the local police is investigating. No suspects to this day is in custody. ---Inqurer (12/03/08, Kwok, Abigail)
The brazenness and brutality of this killing again reminds the government and the people of the dangerous path the country is taking. Without a sincere effort by the government and the citizenry to curb these murders and ferret out justice, living in the Philippines will be at one’s own peril. (Photo Credit: Backroad+drifter)=0=
RELATED BLOGS:RELATED BLOGS: Another gruesome journalist’s slay Posted by mesiamd at 11/17/2008; "RP’s 2008 Press Freedom Rank: 142nd out of 173 nations," Posted by mesiamd at 10/26/2008; "Deteriorating Human Rights Record: another journalist shot dead in Camarines Sur," posted by mesiamd at 08/16/08.)
UPDATE: “The horrific pattern of antagonism and violence against journalists in the Philippines is a disgrace and must end,” said the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ Asia-Pacific) said in a reaction to the death of Aristeo Padrigao, a staunched critic of illegal logging in Mindanao.
Calling for justice, IFJ, bewails the helplessness of RP to stop the killings which have claimed the lives of 61 journalists since 2001 according to the Nuational Union of Jounrnalists in the Philippines NUJP. Inquirer (11/18/08, Kwok, A)
Another gruesome journalist’s slay
Barely a month after Reporters Without Border lowered RP’s freedom index from 128th to 142nd this year, another journalist, has been reportedly slained in Gingoong City, Misamis Oriental. Radio Natin commentator Aristeo Padrigao, a hard-hitting critic of Mayor Ruthy Guingona, died of gunshot wound inflicted by a motorcycle-riding assailant according the provincial police chief Catalino Rodriguez.
"The Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) said the Philippines has become the 'most dangerous place for journalists next to Iraq and the most murderous place in the world for journalists.' "---GMANewsTV (11/17/08, Jacinto, A)
Mostly unresolved, more than 50 Filipino journalists have been killed since 2001 and greater than 800 civilians have died or went missing under suspicious circumstances. The public is angered and frustrated. The 7th journalist to die in 2008, Padrigao casts strong doubts on Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo’s capacity to stave off the deteriorating human rights record of the Philippines. =0=
RELATED BLOGS: "RP’s 2008 Press Freedom Rank: 142nd out of 173 nations," Posted by mesiamd at 10/26/2008; "Deteriorating Human Rights Record: another journalist shot dead in Camarines Sur," posted by mesiamd at 08/16/08.)
UPDATE:“The horrific pattern of antagonism and violence against journalists in the Philippines is a disgrace and must end,” said the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ Asia-Pacific) said in a reaction to the death of Aristeo Padrigao, a staunched critic of illegal logging in Mindanao. Calling for justice, IfJ, bewails the helplessness of RP to stop the killings which have claimed the lives of 61 journalists since 2001 according to the Nuational Union of Jounrnalists in the Philippines NUJP).Inquirer (11/18/08, Kwok, A)
RP’s 2008 Press Freedom Rank: 142nd out of 173 nations
The Reporters Without Borders' Annual Worldwide Press Freedom Index for 2008 had the Philippines ranked 142nd out of 173 countries in the order of decreasing press freedom. This is a sharp drop from number 128 in the previous year, indicating the continued deterioration of press freedom in the country.High in the index list are Iceland, Luxembourg, and Norway which share 1st place. Countries like Turkmenistan (171st), North Korea (172nd), and Eritrea (173rd) are in the bottom heap. Corruption, according to the international watchdog, is mainly to blame for the decline of press freedom which “eats away democracies...”
Sec. Cerge Remonde, chief of the presidential management staff, thinks this is just a matter perception not reality--- even if from year 2001 more than 50 journalists have been murdered in the Philippines. Another 800 civilians disappeared (desaparecidos) or died from premeditated killings. The perpetrators of these crimes including those done by the military remained unpunished. (See my blog entitled “Deteriorating Human Rights Record: another journalist shot dead in Camarines Sur, 08/16/08.) Remonde says press freedom is very lively, aggressive and free in the country, but he didn’t look into the dangers which cause journalists to die on the job. Such distorted pronouncements on the plight of journalists and media men (Inquirer, 10/25/08, Burgonio, TJ) aggravates the lack of trust and cynicism of Filipinos towards government authority. Some sectors dismiss Remonde’s statement as a lie, part of the reasons why human rights don’t improve in the country. (pkj_jason) Photo Credit:=0=
Corrosive Love, Disfiguring Revenge
In some cultures, like in Pakistan, some boys whose proposals for marriage are rejected take revenge by throwing acid to their object of love. In some cases, the reason for the acid throwing is simple as a parent who doesn’t want a girl-child. It’s mind-bending to realize that this tragic incidents still occur in the 21st century.The resultant irreversible chemical burn and its hypopigmented scars are as disfiguring as one sees the face of Najaf Sultana, 16, who went through 15 plastic surgeries since she was 5 years old to lessen cicatrization. It is with the help of a humanitarian group called Depilex Smileagain Foundation in Lahore. The group lists 240 girls like Najaf who are provided rehabilitative emotional and physical assistance to overcome such inhumane treatment of women. (PCredit:AP/Morenatti,E)=0=
Deteriorating Human Rights Record: another journalist shot dead in Camarines Sur
As the Philippines struggles to shed off the label of being the most dangerous place for journalists next to Iraq, Ronaldo Julia another media person in Bicol died of gunshot wounds in Magarao, Camarines Sur. The hideous killing occurred Friday, Aug 15, 2008, barely two weeks after radio anchorman Dennis Cuesta of Radio Mindanao Network and Martin Roxas, a commentator in Panay Island were shot dead.A writer of the “Weekly Informer” and broadcaster of Naga and Legazpi, Ronaldo Julia was gunned down on his way home at 11 pm. He died before doctors in a nearby city hospital could treat him.
Since 2001, more than 50 journalists were murdered; another 800 civilians disappeared (desaparecidos) or died from premeditated killings. In most cases, the killers which include those from the military, remained unpunished. Despite Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo’s promises, the murders escalate with increasing viciousness. Exasperated citizens including journalists in local and international media condemn these. They demand justice through effective prosecution under the law. Pres. Arroyo, the Justice Department and the police must not wear a blind eye on these killings that clearly point to a deteriorating human rights record of the country. =0=
Beijing Olympics & China’s Human Rights Record
A nation of 1.3 billion people welcomes the world as it hosts the Beijing Olympics which started on 08/08/08. (Photo Credit: AP) Beaming with national pride, China pulls out a rousing 3 ½ -hour program of pageantry and fireworks to usher in the onset of competitions. It’s an occasion to show its best, after its modern transformation since the communists came to power in 1949. In regions ravaged by the earthquake in May which killed 70,000 people and rendered close to 5 million people homeless, the people in the countryside and city took time to revel on the glitter of the moment, congregating in villages to watch the spectacular event in TV. About 70 world leaders which include Russia’s Vladimir Putin, France’s Nicholas Sakorzy and Philippines’ Gloria M. Arroyo came to greet Chinese President Hu Jintao. More than 100,000 security personnel were deployed to assure the orderly conduct of the spectacle which was viewed by the largest audience ever: 2.3 billion people worldwide.
Costing about $70 billion, the sporting event has been hounded by political and environmental concerns in spite of government officials' diplomatic maneuvers and efforts to curb air pollution. Beijing still has the smoggy haze that concerns athletes. The city is moderately polluted (air pollution index of 94 vs. WHO's recommended level of <52.) Participants raise environmental concerns and fret over the heat and humidity which may affect their performance in the games.
The world seems not ready to forget China’s poor human rights records. From various places worldwide protests have erupted against China’s domestic repressive policies. Critics and political activists condemn China’s supply of arms to the genocidal regime of Darfur. The Chinese government hasn't opened a meaningful dialogue with the Dalai Lama to resolve Tibet's autonomy and desire for self-rule. In a speech which irks Chinese officials, US Pres. George W. Bush said the people of China deserve to enjoy basic liberty, the natural right of very human being.
In spite of government measures to curb pollution, Beijing still has the smoggy haze that concerns athletes. The city is moderately polluted prompting participants to complain over the heat and humidity which may affect their performance in the games. The Olympic organizers are closely monitoring the air safety and weather to determine if competitions need to be rescheduled.As Beijing Olympics play on, we can’t ignore the positive forces of peace, friendship, understanding and goodwill that propel the holding of the games. Yet, behind the sublime intentions of nations, there are political, social, economic, and environmental concerns which stick out as urgent challenges for the people of the world to tackle.=0=
Sizing Up GMA's SONA: What The US Ambassador Wants To Hear Versus What The People Feel
More than a week before Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's (GMA) State of the Nation Address (SONA,) there was this type of conditioning the government wanted for its people. The pompous military, 6,000 strong, hammered peace on the people's mind even if according to them, there was no threat of disturbance. In a bewildering display of “respect for human rights,” police officers, in their scary gears and numbers, agreed to go on a human rights seminar. At the same time they assured the SONA will be a peaceful event.But barely a week before the speech, there are pictures of armed military men here and there, in full-battle regalia, readying for something that one could only guess as preparedness for mayhem. (Photo Credit: Malaya/SalvadorR) The story has turned symbolically worrisome. The government is fully aware of the people's widespread antipathy towards GMA, the most unpopular president since 1986.
There are reports of NPA ‘sparrows” who’d try to bring chaos at the SONA on July 30, 2008, giving advance warnings to anti-government protesters of what to expect if they venture out in the streets. Superficially, people can’t tiss apart truth, genuine public concern, and military scare tactics.
In a rather awkward statement, US Ambassador Kristie Kenney in Manila says she wants to hear GMA speak on the successes of her economic policies and the government’s in-roads in the peace process in Mindanao. The ambassador puts a positive spin on GMA’s SONA, but what she says doesn’t jibe with what the Filipinos are thinking.
"I think the President has made a lot of economic reforms and the Philippine economy has been doing well. I'm hoping she'll tell us more that she's continuing on that important point of her program."
“We are hopeful and eager to see a comprehensive peace agreement in Mindanao. I think that will be so important for all citizens of the Philippines, for economic growth, and we are ready to continue to be a dedicated partner in that search," Kenney said. Malaya (07/24/08, DeVera,E.)
Her remark seems a cheap shot at diplomatic correctness which most likely doesn’t reflect the Filipino sentiment at the moment. For sure Filipinos don’t want words that they can’t nibble especially if these words fall short of truth. They want a concrete plan of action which they can bring to their sleep: a solution to the hunger they’re facing. The people ask for accountability, a panacea for the rising prices of fuel and groceries, and they demand a resolution to the unsolved government corruption scandals---problems which simply don’t go away and leave the people numb in despair. =0=
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GMA's SONA & Her 6,000 Policemen
“Super Task Force Kapayapaan” (Peace) is the military’s grand plan for Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's (GMA) 8th State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 30, 2008. Part of the event’s preparation is a human rights seminar for the 6,000 police officers who’ll keep the peace and order of Manila during the president’s speech. Although there’s no serious threat of turbulence, the military couldn’t take any chances. The government is poised to mobilize a gargantuan display of security: a good number of men summoned from other regions of the country, to key points of the metropolis--- a move only GMA and her supporters could exactly explain why.
But one can guess what’s in the poor people’s mind. These security forces and their intimidating gears will guard protest landmarks of the past such as the Batasan Pambansa, EDSA Shrine, Legarda, Bustillos, J.P Laurel, Claro M. Recto, Liwasang Bonifacio, Mediola Bridge, Malacanang Palace, and the US Embassy. The presence of 6,000 troops acts both ways--- as protection and intimidation. As the chance of mayhem rises with discontent, the need to show military force ever increases.
The country struggles to show its commitment to protect people’s freedom in the wake of economic uncertainty, unresolved killings and unchecked human rights violations. In near oblivion, the sensational Kuratong Baleleng case remained a bloody crime puzzle since 1995. Amidst denials, police officers were accused of the brutal killing of 11 suspected thieves. There was the unsolved “rub-out” of 3 RCBC bank “robbers” in Tanauan, Batangas in May, 2008.The police Traffic Management Group killed three suspected car robbers in an alleged shoot-out in Ortigas in 2005. Bubby Dacer’s family hadn’t stopped pointing on Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the then chief of the Presidential Anti-Crime Commission thought to be the brains behind the murder.
The US Department of State found in 1999 that the Filipino security forces were responsible for extra-judicial killings, torture, violence, disappearances, intimidations, and abusive arrests. The Commission of Human Rights (CHR) chief Leila de Lima summed up the outrageous record saying, ”the police is the #1 violator of human rights.” She recognized the importance of an unrelenting campaign against injustice when she affirmed the role of CHR:
“For as long as necessary, we will continue to issue these statements on violations specific to law enforcement agents, such as illegal arrests, arbitrary detentions, excessive use of force, EJKs (extra-judicial killings) and even the indiscriminate parading of suspects to the media, a practice which, I must note with much chagrin, has not stopped.” Inquirer (07/15/08, Papa, A)
Sadly, the poor record of human rights isn’t the only issue the Filipinos must fight for. With Pres. Gloria M. Arroyo delivering SONA, the public doesn’t expect anything decisively new to bring relief to their problems. Instead, the people anticipate her repeat appeals for calm and resilience, beside her trusted military defenders, in the midst of worsening economic conditions. The public feels unease and disappointment for the promised “strong republic” which GMA hasn't delivered. The Filipinos seem feeble and tired in their complaints. They’re busy lining up for rice, seeking work, and dreaming where they would go in case the worst of the tempest come. In contrast to the costly SONA the government is preparing for, the people are feeling the pinch of spending for mass actions, protests, and rallies---many may not even have cash to buy gasoline for a ride to EDSA.
The burgeoning hardness of the day can only make them stretch their optimism. They hope the window of opportunity to solve their problems hasn’t been totally shut tight. =0=
Heard From The Underbush
"Gusto nilang maging commercial endorser, eh ang papangit naman nila, [They want to be commercial endorsers but they are so ugly],''
-Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago denounces politicians who endorse consumer products. She condemns this advertising as a form of early election campaign. PDI (06/17/08, Cabacungan, G.)
“We hope the government would undertake mitigating programs because there might be further rise in unemployment as a result of the rising power cost in the country.”
-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) spokesman Alex Aguilar reacting to the National Statistics Office (NSO) report which shows the rise of unemployment to 8% in April, 2008 from 7.4 of April last year. Philstar (06/18/08, Jaymalin, M)
"I assure [students] that in 2009 we will prioritize this (the construction of more comfort rooms in public schools.)"
-DepEd Secretary Jesli Lapus tells the audience of a Manila morning show, "Umagang Kay Ganda." how he'll solve the problem of filthy toilets in public schools. According to the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (based on DepEd's records,) 51 elementary pupils share one toilet bowl. In high school, it's even worse -- 102 students share one toilet bowl. ABS-CBN Online (06/17/08)
"I appealed, I cajoled, I threatened by telephone…These people do not have an ideology. This is pure banditry."
-Sen Loren Legarda says on her role in gaining the release of reporter Ces Drilon et al who were held hostage by Islamic militants in Mindanao. ABS-CBN Online/AFP (06/18/08.)
“That will drain more our finances. Now at 20 percent, we are bothered financially,”
-Rustico Jimenez, M.D., president of the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, saying that it is too much to increase senior citizen hospital discount from 20% to 30%. Inquirer (06/17/08, Alave, KL.)
“Even if cases have been filed against some alleged perpetrators of summary executions, justice remains elusive and the possibility of getting genuine justice remains unsure. This is because forensic investigations of human rights violations are not done with due diligence, either because of unwillingness to do so, or because of incompetence to do good investigations,”
-Dr. Aurora Parong, Amnesty International (Philippine section director,) bewails the lack of justice in the Philippines. Manila Times (06/17/08, Apanay, IK.)
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