Transparency in peace negotiations

Those who are familiar with peace negotiations could understand the nature of talks being held there. Important but confidential, these are only two of the important considerations.
Any point being brought up or agreed upon bears impact to people —the respective constituencies of each negotiating party.
In the case of the government negotiating peace with the Moro [...]

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GMA, Esperon, Razon respondents in first writ of amparo petition in Mindanao

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Armed Forces Chief of  Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon and Philippine National Police chief Avelino Razon and three other military officials are respondents in the first petition for writ of amparo in Mindanao.
The petition was filed by Bebelita Bustamante of Paquibato district, whose only son, 21-year old Luicito, disappeared on October 27.
The [...]

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Chief Justice says writ of amparo may be filed any time, any day

Any time, any day.
Chief Justice Reynato Puno wants the public to know that any time or any day, relatives of missing persons can petition the judge for a writ of amparo, a measure intended to protect the missing person from becoming a victim of extrajudicial killings or a desaparecido (disappeared or victim of enforced disappearance).
The writ is [...]

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Juicy incentives await barangay officials

 Juicy economic benefits await winners of Monday’s barangay elections, officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said.
Rodolfo Razul, DILG regional director for Southeastern Mindanao, said economic perks are among the drawing points why the number of candidates for the barangay polls has increased.
In 1991, when governance was devolved to the local [...]

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Fewer voters trooped to polls in Davao City

Police reported a generally peaceful election here, citing only one election-related violence as of midday. 
But there was a “very” low voter turnout, prompting  Mayor Rodrigo Duterte to say Dabwenos lack interest in their barangay government.
“It makes me sad because people do not realize the importance of the barangay elections. This unit of government plays a crucial role [...]

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Blogging for freedom in Burma

It is an inspiring thing to do and probably one that could become a worthy study of the usefulness of blogs.
BBC reported on how Burma cyber-dissidents crack censorship to report on the protests and definance of saffron-robed monks in the military ruled country.
I’m sure some of them are inside Burma right now, but [...]

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All eyes on Burma’s monk power

No other country in South East Asia interests me more than Burma. My interest is keener now with what is unfolding.
We have learned of tens of thousands of monks’ recent peaceful street protests challenging the decades old rule of the military junta. The internet brought us images and stories about the events.
Many see the development [...]

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Son of the hills of Tralala

Many things kept me busy in the past few days. Evidently, I have not updated this blog regularly. That doesn’t mean, however, that I have a drought of stories or issues and concerns to blog about. I assure you there are hundreds of stories worth writing for news and for tell-tale sake.
After our MindaNews team [...]

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Thinking ‘out of the box’ in Mindanao

Thinking out of the box should be easier in Mindanao.
Here, you will be forced to choose to be open-minded, to be culturally-sensitive, and to keep in mind a collective viewpoint rather than just a small village “I” or “mine” outlook.
Everyday will be an exposure to various learning experiences including in unlikely places. (more…)

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Me and Customs Security

I was asked to attend the dialogue between the media and the business community on reporting corporate social responsibility on Wedensday at the Marco Polo.
It was organized by Newsbreak. Since I have to come in late after filing my share of news stories of the day, I planned to enter the session hall, which was [...]

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Preventing Fr. Bossi’s I shall return

Fr. Giancarlo Bossi won’t be reassigned to Mindanao, at least not yet, the head of his missionary group said in a report posted Sunday at the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines website.

Fr. Gian Battista Zanchi, superior general of the Pontifical Foreign Missions (PIME) said Bossi won’t be assigned to Mindanao even if the Italian [...]

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Mayor Duterte, his anti-hoodlum unit and the child advocates

City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has stood pat on his plan to form a police unit that will deal with hoodlums including youth offenders and “those who bring shame to the city” amid criticisms coming from groups advocating children’s rights. Calling some of the NGOS as “groups that just make money and show up [...]

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