As former secretary general of Karapatan Southern Mindanao, I am being accused by Gen. Antonio Parlade and the Armed Forces of the Philippines as a member of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
PHABS buses will continue to operate despite end of school year
There is no order from the city government to stop the implementation of the Peak Hours Augmentation Bus Services (PHABS) in the city.
Duterte draws flak on his remarks on his private parts
“If God gave me a small penis, I would have cut it in front of the altar. ‘Son of a b***h, is this all you have given me?'”
Groups demand justice for killed farmers
MANILA – Groups from different sectors gathered on April 10 in Chino Roces bridge (former Mendiola brige) to demand justice to the killing of farmers in Negros as well as the whole country.
The day was set as national and global day of action against the killing of farmers.
Antonio “Ka Tonying” Flores, Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) chairperson said this was the first time that such action protesting the killings of farmers was organized against President Duterte’s administration.
“This is a clear message from the national and international communities that they are fed up with the gross human rights violations perpetrated by the US-Duterte regime against its own people,” said Flores in a statement.
Simultaneous protest will also be held on April 12 in four areas in Negros Island.
In the US, protests were held on April 8. The MALAYA: US Movement Against Killings and Dictatorship and for Democracy in the Philippines protested inside the Hart US Senate Building and in front of the Capitol building in Washington DC.
Protest was also in Sydney Australia on April 9. Groups such as Philippines Australia Union Link (PAUL), Migrante Australia, and Movement Against Tyranny (MAT) – Australia held the protest in the Philippine Consulate.
The same protest are also being held in various countries called by the International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines (ICHRP).
In Negros Island, where the 14 farmers were killed on March 30, simultaneous protest actions will be held in 4 areas of the Island on April 12.
According to human rights group Karapatan 205 farmers were already killed under the Duterte administration. The latest victims were the 14 farmers in Negros Oriental who were killed in what they call as “as a result of the well-orchestrated and broad Synchronized Enhanced Managing of Police Operations (Sempo)/ Oplan Sauron operation by state security forces.”
Photos by CARLO MANALANSAN
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Court summons served to 2 tech companies over cyber-attacks vs alternative news
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA — A court summon has been served today, April 11, to two tech companies facing a civil complaint before a Quezon City court over the cyber-attacks against several alternative news agencies in the Philippines.
National Union of Peoples’ Lawyer spokesperson Josalee Deinla told Bulatlat that the two tech companies namely IP Converge and Suniway Group of Companies are expected to submit their respective answers to the filed complaint in 15 days.
After this, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 220 will schedule the pre-trial, Deinla added.
On March 29, marking the 25th year since the first ever internet connection in the Philippines, four alternative news agencies filed a civil complaint over the relentless cyber-attacks in the form of Distributed Denial of Service.
Sweden-based Qurium Media Foundation, as stated on its digital forensic report, was able to unmask and trace the real IP addresses behind the cyber-attacks, which was allegedly carried out via the infrastructure of the two tech companies.
Bulatlat, through its publisher Alipato Media Center, is among the four plaintiffs in the civil complaint. (bulatlat.com)
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Hocus pocus? Groups assail gov’t findings on ‘low’ poverty rate
“Setting a high standard indicates the government having a high level of ambition for poverty eradication. Conversely, setting a low standard indicates low targets for dealing with the poverty situation.”
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
bulatlat.com
MANILA — Various progressive groups assailed the recently-released 2018 findings of the Philippine Statistics Authority, stating that the poverty threshold for a Filipino family of five is only P10,481 or about $200 a month.
In a statement, Kadamay president Gloria Arellano said President Rodrigo Duterte’s poverty reduction strategy is to either to kill the poor or wipe them out by magic.
On Wednesday, April 10, PSA officials announced in a media briefing that the number of poor families fell from 22.2 percent in 2015 to 16.1 last year.
This, of course, has been lauded by no less than the Malacanang.
However, independent thinktank Ibon Foundation, in a press release, said that the very low official poverty line “gives a misleading picture of the conditions of millions of poor Filipinos and hinders the country’s anti-poverty efforts.”
The group added that the estimated daily per capita poverty threshold P69.50 and daily per capita subsistence or food threshold of only P48.60 “do not meet decent minimum standards for food, shelter, transportation, utilities, health care and education.”
Such findings, Ibon added, also did not reflect the rising costs of shelter, transportation, and public utilities such as water and electricity.
“This is what they mean when they said that poverty has been reduced. Even the simplest worker and urban poor may not be considered poor given the very low poverty threshold,” Arellano said.
In its statement, Ibon said a more accurate picture of how Filipinos are faring is that at least 11 million families are getting P15,000 or less, while 13.6 million are receiving P18,000 or less.
Ibon pointed out that the choice of official poverty lines is a “political one.”
The independent thinktank said, “setting a high standard indicates the government having a high level of ambition for poverty eradication. Conversely, setting a low standard indicates low targets for dealing with the poverty situation.” (bulatlat.com)
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