Monday, September 29, 2003
Massacre of youth organizers in Mindanao, Philippines
The Philippine human rights organization Karapatan has accused the military to be behind the gruesome abduction and murder of four youth leaders in Maco, Compostela Valley on the island of Mindanao. The military's attempts to implicate the organizations of the youths in the torture and killing of their own kin makes them only more suspicious, especially since they admitted monitoring progressive youth leaders.
Appalling it is yet human rights organizations are not surprised. Amnesty International's 2003 report mentions that "at least 28 members of opposition groups critical of government policies were reported to have been killed by government forces since early 2001. Four members of the Bayan Muna political party remained "disappeared" and were feared to have been killed. In many cases the authorities claimed that those killed were members or sympathizers of the NPA." One of the specific cases the AI report mentions is that of Beng Hernandez, a human rights worker and journalist from nearby Davao City, who was killed in April of last year.
Appalling it is yet human rights organizations are not surprised. Amnesty International's 2003 report mentions that "at least 28 members of opposition groups critical of government policies were reported to have been killed by government forces since early 2001. Four members of the Bayan Muna political party remained "disappeared" and were feared to have been killed. In many cases the authorities claimed that those killed were members or sympathizers of the NPA." One of the specific cases the AI report mentions is that of Beng Hernandez, a human rights worker and journalist from nearby Davao City, who was killed in April of last year.
Tuesday, September 23, 2003
Martial Law Diary
My friend and veteran Filipino activist Ka Dan Vizmanos launched his second book last Saturday January 20 in Popular Bookstore, Quezon City. "Martial Law Diary and other papers" contains his personal accounts, observations and comments on significant events during the early stages of martial law (1973-1974). Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend the launching but according to the report in Bulatlat.com and the article in Sunday's Philippine Daily Inquirer it was quite an event. Also check out the picture of Dan and his grandchildren on the Inquirer's frontpage.
I haven't read the book yet but according to Alexander Martin Remollino's review in Bulatlat.com it should be required reading for the young generations of Filipinos who don't have the slightest idea of what it was like during the dark years of martial law.
Friday, September 12, 2003
About the blog
I decided to start my own blog today. Not because it is cool these days but because I'd like to share some stuff with others on the web every so often. I called it Pipol Power because I'm working with NGOs and people's organizations in the Philippines. People Power (spelled pipol power in pilipino) refers to the way the Philippine people deposed of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 and the Estrada presidency in 2001. You can find my personal account of People Power II (in Dutch) on the website of Wereldwijd.
