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HEARTS FOR SALE

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Two kids spend their afternoon selling heart-shaped flowers and red balloons to couples spending Valentine’s Day in Davao’s Rizal Park. (Kath M. Cortez/davaotoday.com)

Measles Epidemic: The Real Cause of Deaths

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The concomitant and worsening assaults (including extrajudicial killings) on fundamental human rights have subjected marginalized people to extreme physical, biological, psychological and social stress and have repeatedly been forced to be displaced from their land, homes, crops and other means of survival. Under these circumstances, infectious disease epidemics, like measles, and other serious health problems are bound to arise and worsen.

By ROMEO F. QUIJANO, M.D.
Bulatlat.com

The real underlying cause of deaths in the measles epidemic is the dysfunctional health care system brought about by chronic socio-economic underdevelopment characteristic of a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society, not the loss of vaccine confidence due to the “Dengvaxia scare”. Corporate hijacking of the health care system with the complicity of government, international institutions, mainstream medicine and various cohorts deprived the people of their right to health. Profit became the primary driving factor in addressing a public health problem, not public welfare as some health professionals still want to believe. Deregulation, privatization and liberalization, the hallmarks of corporate globalization, have practically wiped-out whatever remaining affordable basic needs and social services, especially health services, are available to the majority of the population. Worse, under the guise of economic development, big business juggernaut in mining, plantations, coal, dams and other environmentally destructive and socially disruptive mega-projects have devastated community-empowering and truly sustainable, poverty alleviating, health promoting and climate resilient initiatives. The concomitant and worsening assaults (including extrajudicial killings) on fundamental human rights have subjected marginalized people to extreme physical, biological, psychological and social stress and have repeatedly been forced to be displaced from their land, homes, crops and other means of survival. Under these circumstances, infectious disease epidemics, like measles, and other serious health problems are bound to arise and worsen.

Failure to understand the true nature and underlying cause of the problem leads to erroneous and misguided response, especially if vested interests come into play. Thus, the government, international institutions (e.g. WHO), mainstream medicine and many others immediately conclude that it was loss of confidence in vaccines due to irrational Dengvaxia scare and therefore the solution is providing more vaccines and exonerating the Dengvaxia vaccine. This short-sighted solution fits quite well with the interests of Big Pharma and their cohorts. If one looks carefully into the history of measles and similar infectious diseases and their corresponding vaccines, one would discover that vaccines are not quite the magic bullets that they are purported to be. Even before vaccines were introduced, deaths due to measles and similar diseases, have dropped drastically (estimated to be more than 90% decrease in mortality rates (1). Yet vaccination is taking the credit for the decline of many diseases, when scientific evidence show that the natural pattern for the diseases is decline in numbers and severity anyway. When the first measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, government officials and proponents of the vaccine assured the public that the vaccine would provide lifelong immunity and was without serious adverse effects. They further claimed that if enough percentage of the target population were immunized, all will be protected because of “herd immunity”. Official data in 1966 then showed that the morbidity incidence of measles have drastically dropped to 95%, claiming huge success of the vaccine. However, the official data was discovered later to be not credible. It turned out that the reason for the huge drop in measles morbidity rate was because many children who were vaccinated and later exhibited rash symptoms with high fever were not diagnosed as having measles because of the strong belief that if the child was vaccinated, then it could not be measles because the immunity was supposed to be lifetime (2). A prominent naturopath offered an explanation: “By calling the disease something else they are protecting their belief system, and the integrity of the theories around which they have built their actions, such as vaccination … All this is done to protect a system, and to help to save the public from having doubt as to the efficacy of methods”(3). Another scientist revealed that the vaccine gave rise to a more serious form of measles. “It is less well known to the general public that vaccinated children started developing an especially vicious form of measles, due to the altered host immune response caused by the deleterious effect of the measles vaccines. It resisted all orthodox treatment and carried a high mortality rate. It has become known as atypical measles”(4).

In the US, and much of the international community, despite repeated failure to realize the declared target of eliminating measles and repeated adjustment of vaccination coverage (68%-95%) to achieve the so-called “herd immunity”, and despite mounting evidence of serious adverse effects, the dominant reductionist paradigm of “safe” vaccine as a magic bullet to eliminate an infectious disease persisted and anyone who challenged that paradigm was immediately vilified and punished .

The fact that vaccination does not confer lifetime immunity has been officially recognized but the solution was to give the vaccine repeatedly rather than explore other options of strengthening the immune system and improving the over-all health status of population groups through non-invasive, non-disruptive wholistic approaches. There is still a pachydermatous adherence to the flawed belief that vaccines are “safe” and without serious adverse effects, despite contrary scientific evidence.  Some scientists and concerned medical doctors and health professionals have in fact questioned the efficacy of several vaccines and have warned repeatedly on the significant risks associated with vaccination. In fact, numerous studies support these allegations of questionable efficacy, safety and unacceptable risks(5,6,7,8,9). Despite the fact that vaccines do stimulate the production of specific antibodies, vaccines may in fact be destroying the coordinated and total immune system response to an infection, contrary to what has been claimed that vaccines strengthen the immune system. Several published scientific studies have shown the adverse effects of various types of vaccines on the immune system of vaccinated individuals, especially infants and children(10,11,12,13). It has been demonstrated in laboratory studies, for example, that a vaccine can weaken or disrupt the immune system and this finding has been corroborated by clinical studies that showed an increase in the incidence of serious illnesses following vaccination of children(14,15,16). Many of these illnesses, such as various autoimmunity disorders, are not readily recognized and may manifest only much later and by then, the vaccine may not even be suspected as a causative factor. Furthermore, the inherent danger of injecting microbial protein fragments, DNA and other foreign materials into the human body, especially in children, is well documented in the scientific literature(17,18,7,8). All vaccines, contain such hazardous foreign fragments and materials. Just recently, more vaccine contaminants including heavy metal nano-particulates and others not previously known  have been discovered in MMR vaccine and 43 other vaccines investigated(19). Rigorous safety assessment, including adequate, double-blind, randomized, and true placebo-controlled clinical trials and an honest-to-goodness risk-benefit assessment, have never been done by the manufacturers or supposedly reputable institutions recommending the vaccines. Safety has always been based on flawed assumptions and corporate science, not on real science.

Official bodies, Big Pharma, mainstream medicine and cohorts tenaciously cling to the reductionist concept of eradicating an infectious disease with vaccines and even resort to fraud and unjust vilification of  few doctors and scientists who ask legitimate questions on the efficacy and safety of certain vaccines. An illustrative example is the US Center for Disease Control (CDC)/Institute of Medicine (IOM) assessment of studies looking into the association of MMR vaccine and autism(15). Among several studies available in the scientific literature relevant to the issue of MMR vaccine and autism, only 22 studies were selected to evaluate the risk of autism after the administration of MMR vaccine. Of the 22, only five were deemed qualified to contribute to the weight of evidence assessment and in all of these five “qualified” studies, the conclusion was that there was no evidence to show that MMR vaccine was associated with autism. The committee then concluded that “The evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between MMR vaccine and autism”. A closer scrutiny of the five “qualified” studies, however, reveals that all studies are stacked with authors with serious conflicts of interest and some are of questionable integrity. One senior author, who was an overseer of US Center for Disease Control-funded studies showing no evidence of MMR vaccine and autism connection, was accused of fraud and data manipulation and was criminally indicted in the US. In a related development, a CDC senior scientist revealed that the CDC manipulated results of a key study to show non-correlation between autism and MMR vaccine in Africa-Americans when in fact the opposite is true(20). The CDC, the WHO, mainstream medicine and Big Pharma continue to vigorously deny scientific evidence that points to the probable contribution of vaccines to the increasing incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders. Independent and reputable scientists who happen to just give a hint of this probable connection and who question the safety and efficacy of vaccines are unjustly vilified and persecuted.

The credibility of the CDC, WHO, public health authorities and mainstream health professionals have been seriously eroded because of corporatization, conflicts of interests, dishonesty, corruption and misrepresentation. People have good reasons to be wary of vaccines. Scare tactics and authoritarian intimidation with exaggerated claims of more deaths if they refuse vaccination will not help. Too much reliance on vaccines to address infectious diseases is not congruent with the current body of scientific knowledge about the immune system, microbial ecology and the intimate relationship of humans with the environment. It is time to rethink the reductionist, corporate driven vaccination dogma. (http://bulatlat.com)

References:

  1. Bystrianyk R. Vaccines and Disease: An investigative Report. November

18, 2002. http://www.whale.to/a/bystrianyk3.html.

  1. Suzanne Humphries, MD & Roman Bystrianyk. Dissolving Illusions: Disease, Vaccines, and the Forgotten History. CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2014.
  2. Chaitow, Leon. Vaccination and Immunisation: Dangers, Delusions and Alternatives (What Every

Parent Should Know). Cited in: https://thevaccinereaction.org/2016/04/the-story-of-measles-sharp-decline-2/.

  1. Bystrianyk R, Humphries S. Vaccines: a peek beneath the hood. International Medical Council on Vaccination Nov. 12, 2013
  2. Crepeaux G, Eidi H, David MO, Baba-Amer Y, Tzavara E, Giros B, Authier FJ, Exley C, Shaw CA, Cadusseau J and Gerardi RK. Non-linear dose-response of aluminium hydroxide adjuvant particles: Selective low dose neurotoxicity. 2016:Toxicology 375(2017);48-57.
  3. Trost B, Lucchese G, Stufano A, Bickis M, Kusalik A and Darja Kanduc D. No human protein is exempt from bacterial motifs, not even one. Self/Nonself 1:4, 328-334; Oct-Dec 2010.
  4. Koyama K and Deisher TA. Spontaneous Integration of Human DNA Fragments into Host Genome. Sound Choice Pharmaceutical Institute, Seattle, WA. https://www.scribd.com/document/341942388/DNA-Contaminants-in-Vaccines-Can-Integrate-Into-Childrens-Genes.
  5. Palevsky LB. Aluminum and Vaccine Ingredients:What Do We Know? What Don’t We Know? http://www.nvic.org/Doctors-Corner/Lawrence-Palevsky/Aluminum-and-Vaccine-Ingredients.aspx.
  6. Li YBoraschi D. Endotoxin contamination: a key element in the interpretation of nanosafety studies. Nanomedicine (Lond). 2016 Feb;11(3):269-87. doi: 10.2217/nnm.15.196. Epub 2016 Jan 20.
  7. Stratton K, Wilson CB and McCormick MC, Editors. Immunization Safety Review: Multiple Immunizations and Immune Dysfunction. Immunization Safety Review Committee, Board on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Institute of Medicine. National Academy Press. Washington, D.C.2002.
  8. Neustaedter R. Vaccines and Immune System Damage. http://icpa4kids.org/HPA-Articles/vaccines-and-immune-system-damage/All-Pages.html.
  9. Nakayama, T., Urano, T., Osano, M., et al. Long-term regulation of interferon production by lymphocytes from children inoculated with live measles virus vaccine. Journal of Infectious Diseases 1988; 158:1386-1390.
  10. Jaber, L., Shohat, M., Mimouni, M. Infectious episodes following diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus vaccination: a preliminary observation in infants. Clinical Pediatrics 1988; 27:491-494.
  11. Humphries, S., & Bystrianyk, R. (2013). Dissolving illusions: Disease, vaccines and the forgotten history.
  12. Institute of Medicine. 2012. Adverse Effects of Vaccines: Evidence and Causality. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/13164
  13. Institute of Medicine. 2013. The childhood immunization schedule and safety: Stakeholder concerns, scientific evidence, and future studies.Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
  14. Potential Biohazards of Recombinant DNA Molecules. Committee Report on Recombinant DNA Molecules. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. USA 71 (1974).
  15. Lee H-C, Yen Y-T, Chen W-Y, Wu-Hsieh BA, Wu S-C (2011) Dengue Type 4 Live-Attenuated Vaccine Viruses Passaged in Vero Cells Affect Genetic Stability and Dengue-Induced Hemorrhaging in Mice. PLoS ONE 6(10): e25800. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025800.
  16. Gatti AM, Montanari S (2016) New Quality-Control Investigations on Vaccines: Micro- and Nanocontamination. Int J Vaccines Vaccin 4(1):0072
  17. Hooker, B. Measles-mumps-rubella vaccination timing and autism among young african american boys: a reanalysis of CDC data Translational Neurodegeneration 2014, 3:16 http://www.translationalneurodegeneration.com/content/3/1/16.

 

Dr. Romeo Quijano is a toxocologist and a retired professor of the UP Manila College of Medicine Dept of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

The post Measles Epidemic: The Real Cause of Deaths appeared first on Bulatlat.

Fuel prices cheaper than in 2018 if not for TRAIN

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Research group IBON said that the fuel prices would be cheaper now than in 2018 without the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) law. The group said that TRAIN’s additional excise taxes have prevented Filipinos from feeling the benefits of lower global oil prices. Filipinos face even higher prices with the implementation of the second tranche of fuel excise taxes this year.

IBON said that since TRAIN was implemented the price per liter in Metro Manila of diesel has increased Php4.94, of gasoline by an average of Php2.99 and of kerosene by Php6.18.

Comparing average fuel prices in end-December 2017 before TRAIN and in early February 2019 shows that pump prices have risen from Php36.35 to Php41.29 for diesel, Php47.85 to Php50.84 for every liter of gasoline, and Php41.09 to Php47.27 for kerosene, the group noted.

The price of petroleum products has been changing due to changes in the Mean of Platts Singapore (MOPS) prices and in the peso–dollar exchange rate. MOPS for gasoline prices has had a net increase of US$8.10/barrel and a net increase of US$9.21/barrel for diesel during the same period. The peso meanwhile depreciated against the US dollar by P1.89 also in the same period.

Overall movements in global oil prices and the peso-dollar exchange rate since end-2018 mean that pump prices should only be Php36.25 per liter for diesel and Php46.75 for gasoline if not for TRAIN. Diesel would be Php0.10 per liter cheaper and gasoline Php1.10 cheaper if not for TRAIN’s additional excise taxes.

IBON said that TRAIN’s additional fuel excise taxes and the VAT on these make fuel more expensive on top of adverse movements in global prices and foreign exchange. To date, Filipinos are paying an additional Php5.04 for every liter of diesel, an average of Php4.09 for every liter of gasoline, and Php4.48 for kerosene because of TRAIN.

Consumption taxes under TRAIN drove up inflation at the onset of 2018, which further strained the already low incomes of poor Filipinos. IBON estimates that this eroded the income of the poorest 60% of households by anywhere between Php3,300 to Php7,300 in 2018.

IBON said that as the 2019 midterm elections campaign begins, many Filipinos may choose to vote for candidates who will reverse the ill effects of Duterte’s TRAIN.  Candidates should include the repeal of this regressive tax reform package in their major campaign agendas. This could start with the suspension of consumption taxes on sensitive products like oil, said the group. ###

 

A Valentine Message to All Lovers

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From the wellspring of a select corner of the soul, a subjective disturbance — however unwilled it may be — may flow via the aqueduct of verbal expression into the domain of the tongue.

QUESTION EVERYTHING | Ang problema kay Jose Maria Sison

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Introduksiyon sa aklat na ‘Strengthen the People’s Struggle against Imperialism and Reaction’ na binasa noong Pebrero 8, 2019, UP Diliman, Solair

Ang problema kay Jose Maria Sison ay naglatag siya ng mataas na pamantayan kung paano suriin ang pulitikal na kalagayan ng bansa. Pagkatapos mo siyang basahin, tatatak sa iyo ang kanyang kumprehensibo at matalas na gagap sa pulitika. Bilang mga aktibista, binabasa at inaalam natin ang sinasabi ng maraming tao, kabilang ang mga tinatawag nating intelektuwal at political analyst. Marami sa kanila ay may matalinong paghahabi ng mga pangyayari, armado ng samu’t saring datos, at interesante ang sinusulong na diskurso. Pero parang kulang ang mensahe, parang hindi natutumbok ang kabuuan at hindi nadidiin kung ano ang dapat gawin. Sa madaling salita, hindi sila tulad ni Jose Maria Sison na kung paano sa kanyang mga sulatin ay binabasag ang dominanteng naratibo at kasing halaga nito’y naghahain ng progresibong alternatibo.

Ang problema kay Jose Maria Sison ay pinakita niya na posible ang maging teorista nang hindi kailangang maging kumplikado. Sabi ng ilang kritiko, simplistiko ang mga pormulasyon ni Jose Maria Sison. Maaaring simple, oo; pero simplistiko, hindi. Dahil malalim ang hugot ng kanyang pag-iisip at nakabatay sa teorya ang kanyang inaabanteng pananaw. Pero ang artikulasyon ng mga punto ay madaling maunawaan kahit ng mga karaniwang mamababasa na hindi pamilyar sa wika ng akademya. Kaya masasabing mabisa ang kanyang paraan. Uso ngayon ang pagbabawas ng mga bagay na hindi natin kailangan (decluttering) na pinasikat ng tinatawag na #KonMari. Pero hindi si #KonMari kundi ang ehemplo ni #JoseMari ang pwede nating gabay. Na sa pagsusulat ay winawaksi ang sobra-sobrang mabulaklaking mga salita at iniiwasan ang mga pagsusuring lumilika ng kalituhan sa halip na makapaglinaw ng mga usapin. Sumulat upang magpukaw, makapag-organisa, at magpakilos. Sabi ni #KonMari, spark joy. Ayon naman kay #JoseMari, spark a revolution.

Photo by Kodao Productions

Ang problema kay Jose Maria Sison ay consistent ang kanyang tinuturo mula dekada sisenta hanggang sa kasalukuyan. Sabi ulit ng ilang kritiko, paulit-ulit na lang ang mga sinusulat ni Jose Maria Sison. Totoo, ang daloy ng kanyang mga pundamental na argumento ay hindi nagbago. Subalit ang esensiya naman ng mga bagay-bagay ay hindi rin naman nagbago. Ang sitwasyon natin noon ay totoo pa rin para sa kasalukuyan. Kahit naman yung ilang mga iskolar ay naglagay lang ng palamuti sa kanilang mga sinusulat at nilangkapan ng mga postmodernistang tingin pero ang laman naman ay ampaw. Madaling gawin ni Jose Maria Sison ang ginagawa ng mga pulitiko at iba pang apologist ng sistema na pabagu-bago at urung-sulong ang pag-unawa sa nangyayari sa bansa; pero kung ang mga aklat ni Jose Maria Sison ang batayan, mas pinili niyang tukuyin ang katotohanan at isiwalat ang kabulukan ng sistema. At hindi rin naman totoong paulit-ulit ang kanyang mga sinusulat. Nakaangkla ang kanyang argumento sa partikular at kongkretong kalagayan, sa umiinog at pumipihit na sitwasyon, sa mga posibilidad na pwedeng pabilisin o hulmahin ng mga taong lumalaban. Ang imperyalismong kanyang sinuri noong 1960s ay patuloy niyang kinukundena ngayon subalit nakatuon sa partikular na layuning pampulitika na magkaiba noon at ngayon. Maaaring noon, ang suri sa imperyalismo ay nasa balangkas kung paano magsilbi sa kampanyang rektipikasyon; at ngayon naman ay kung paano higit na palakasin (resurgence) ang kilusang masa.

Ang problema kay Jose Maria Sison ay hinahanap ang kanyang boses at interbensiyon bilang pantapat sa mga atake ni Rodrigo Duterte. Bukod sa dati niyang estudyante si Digong, humahataw ang kanyang mga banat at epektibong antidote ito sa mga lasong pinapakalat ng pangulo at ng Malakanyang. Kaya niyang hubaran ang mga pagpopostura’t kasinungalingan ng rehimen. Madali niyang nauugnay ang krisis ng kasalukuyan sa mga sumusulpot na iskandalo at kung paano dapat ito hamunin ng kilusang mapagpalaya.

Ang problema kay Jose Maria Sison ay nilinaw niya ang kawastuhan ng pakikibaka kahit sa panahong walang lantarang banta ng diktadurya sa bansa. Si Duterte, walang pagpapanggap na siya ay diktador, maka-Marcos, at kriminal. Pero ang kanyang sinundan ay nagpakilalang demokratiko at kumikilala sa karapatang pantao. Makatwiran pa ba ang pambansang demokratikong linya ng pakikibaka sa panahong may espasyo diumano ang mga progresibong pwersa sa paghubog ng demokrasya sa bansa? Sa librong ito na naglalaman ng mga artikulong sinulat noong 2014 at 2015, tinukoy ni Jose Maria Sison ang patuloy na pag-iral ng isang sistemang kontra-manggagawa, kontra-magsasaka, at kontra-maralita. Bilang tagapangulo ng International League of Peoples’ Struggle, inaral ni Jose Maria Sison ang relasyon ng mga bansa, ang mga kontradiksiyon sa sistema ng kapitalismo, at ang epekto nito sa pulitika ng bansa. Kaya mainam itong gabay upang higit na maunawaan ang nangyayari ngayon sa Venezuela, ang pivot to Asia ng Estados Unidos, ang pag-angat ng Tsina bilang superpower, ang dinaanang proseso ng usapang pangkapayapaan, ang buod ng kasaysayan ng mahabang pakikibaka sa bansa, at ang iba’t ibang manipestasyon ng krisis sa ekonomiya.

Ang problema kay Jose Maria Sison, ngayon higit kailanman, ang kanyang mga sulatin ay sandata ng mamamayan laban sa reaksyon at gabay sa pagpapatuloy ng rebolusyon sa bansa.

Ang problema kay Jose Maria Sison ay patuloy siyang kinamumuhian ng naghaharing uri. At ang librong ito, kasama ang iba pang inilulunsad sa araw na ito, ay patunay kung bakit hanggang sa kasalukuyan at kahit sa edad na 80, siya ay nananatiling isang haligi at mahalagang boses ng rebolusyon sa Pilipinas. (https://www.bulatlat.com)

Mong Palatino is a Filipino activist and former legislator. Email: mongpalatino@gmail.com

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How Myanmar indigenous peoples defend their rights over natural resources

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kalibutan

By CLEMENTE BAUTISTA
Kalibutan

Last January I had the opportunity to visit Myanmar through a community-exchange and solidarity mission between Philippines and Myanmar groups. I first participated in the workshop organized by Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN) in Salween Peace Park in Papun District, Karen State. Then I was one of the resource persons in the 4th National Meeting of Myanmar Mining Watch Network (MMWN) in Tuanggyi City, Shan State. In both activities, I shared the people’s movement in the Philippines in relation to big corporate mining and engagement of environmental groups in the peace negotiation.

Indigenous people asserting their territories, protecting their natural wealth

In December 18, 2018, the Karen people formally declared the establishment of the Salween Peace Park, a 5,485-square kilometer forest park in Hpapun District, Karen State. The area has a wealth of natural resources, high biodiversity, unique ecological landscape and rich cultural heritage of Karen, one of the biggest indigenous people groups in Myanmar.

A member of KESAN explains the principles and objectives of Salween Peace Park to Philippine Katribu’s Beverly Longid (right) . In the background is the park’s map and Salween’s Welcome Arch. (Photo by Enteng Bautista / Kalikasan)

The peace park is an expression and integration of Karen people’s right to self-determination, natural resource management, environmental protection, and good governance. This is an effort by different institutions led by KESAN and representatives of indigenous people groups in the area. They were able to get the Karen National Union (KNU) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) as partners in the Salween Peace Park which for 70 years have been asserting their own independent state from the Burmese government.

Karen Peace Park
The Salween Peace Park is crisscrossed by rivers and contains different ecological systems. (Photo courtesy of Kalikasan / Bulatlat)

In the park, areas are classified for different uses and limitations. There are areas home to wildlife and endemic species. These are off-limits to human settlements or production activities.

Forest areas are classified for different uses such as agroforest, communal, or protected. Destructive projects like large dam and large-scale mining are prohibited in the park.

While the peace park ensures the ecological conservation and people-centered resource management, it is still facing great challenges and grave threats.

Targeted as dam site, mining tenement

Known for its rich natural resources for power generation and mineral extraction, the Burmese government identified the area for commercial mineral extraction and site of mega-dam project. The communities inside the Salween Peace Park have opposed the large-scale gold mining there.

Communities have been vocal in fighting the large-scale mining proposed by the Burma government and local officials. As of now, the communities are keeping at bay the Burmese government and corporate mining in exploiting their park.

The Karen people also have been campaigning for more than a decade against the construction of the 1,365 MegaWatt Hatgyi Dam which is being pushed by the Burmese government along with Thai and Chinese companies. If the project pushed through, it will result to the displacement of tens of thousands of indigenous peoples and flooding of communities and ecosystems along the Salween River. Until now, the dam proponents are failing to overcome the opposition of the people in the project area.

To impose these destructive projects, the Burmese government continues to deploy military to the Karen State and the Salween Peace Park. There are now more than 300 Burmese military detachments in Karen State, 80 of which are in the Salween Peace Park.

This has resulted in several armed encounters between the KNLA and the Burmese army. In communities which are near Burmese military detachment, residents find it hard to live in peace. Numerous human rights violations by Burmese military against Karen people were recorded.

Forest, biodiversity and people lives harmoniously inside the Salween Peace Park where Karen people are free in practicing their indigenous culture and traditions. (Photo by Enteng Bautista)

Myanmar Mining Watch Network (MMNW), people’s unity to defend their mineral resources

MMWN is a national coalition of grassroots organizations from mining-affected areas representing different ethnicity, including Kachin, Kuki, Karen, Karenni, Chin, Ta’arng, Mon, Arakan and Shan in Myanmar.

During their meeting last January 14-16, 2018, I was able to share the mining situation and lessons and victories of people’s struggle against large-scale mining and resource plunder in the Philippines. I found out that there are a lot of similarities in the situation and struggle of both countries.

Large-scale mining in Myanmar and the Philippines have resulted to wholesale land-grabbing, massive environmental destruction, widespread human rights violations, and fast natural resource depletion. Large-scale mining projects are being promoted and protected by both national governments. They used the military to force the entry and operations of the mining companies in peasant and indigenous communities.

The MMWN is a collective effort of the people to unify their struggle and coordinate their campaigns. Same with Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan) and Philippine groups, MMWN calls for a radical change in the mining policy of the Burmese government. Primary demand in their campaign is the respect for land rights and the right to self-determination of the indigenous people.

Myanmar Mining Watch Network (MMNW), people’s unity to defend their mineral resources

MMWN is a national coalition of grassroots organizations from mining-affected areas representing different ethnicity, including Kachin, Kuki, Karen, Karenni, Chin, Ta’arng, Mon, Arakan and Shan in Myanmar.

During their meeting last January 14-16, 2018, I was able to share the mining situation and lessons and victories of people’s struggle against large-scale mining and resource plunder in the Philippines. I found out that there are a lot of similarities in the situation and struggle of both countries.

Large-scale mining in Myanmar and the Philippines have resulted to wholesale land-grabbing, massive environmental destruction, widespread human rights violations, and fast natural resource depletion. Large-scale mining projects are being promoted and protected by both national governments. They used the military to force the entry and operations of the mining companies in peasant and indigenous communities.

The MMWN is a collective effort of the people to unify their struggle and coordinate their campaigns. Same with Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan) and Philippine groups, MMWN calls for a radical change in the mining policy of the Burmese government. Primary demand in their campaign is the respect for land rights and the right to self-determination of the indigenous people.

International solidarity in Southeast Asia Region

The community exchange between the Philippines and Myanmar is part of an effort to strengthen the solidarity between people organizations in Southeast Asia Region. It is an initiative of Kalikasan, International Movement for Self Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL)  and the international coalition Yes to Life No to Mining Network (YLNM). We have partnered with KESAN and MMWN to realize the solidarity activities.

The idea of exchange came up and was planned during the two mining workshops organized both by the International People’s Conference on Mining (IPCM) and YLNM during the Asia-Europe People’s Forum in Ghent, Belgium in September 30, 2018. Then, on another workshop during the Thematic Social Forum on Mining and Extractives in Johannesburg, South Africa in November 12, 2018.

The exchange provided the venue to learn from the experiences and lessons of the struggle of grassroots organizations and communities affected by extractive projects. At the same time we know the exchange will identify emblematic cases of successful initiatives of communities in relation to their resistance to large-scale mining and management of their natural resources. The MMWN and the Salween Peace Park are examples of emblematic cases.

On April 2019, it will be the turn of people’s organizations in Myanmar to send their leaders and representatives to the celebration of Cordillera Day. It is national commemoration of the death anniversary of Macli-ing Dulag, a great tribal leader in the 1980’s which led the indigenous people Igorots in defending their lands, rights and resources against the World Bank funded Chico Dam project. They successfully stopped the project and continue their tradition of resistance.

In the heroism of Macli-ing, in the spirit of the resistance of the Karen and Igorot people, we will continue to strengthen the solidarity between the people of the Philippines and Myanmar.

Clemente Bautista is the national coordinator of the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment in the Philippines. For comments, email him at secretariat@kalikasan.net.

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International media groups, personalities hit arrest of Maria Ressa

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International media groups and personalities added their voice to the outcry against the arrest of Rappler CEO and executive editor Maria Ressa.

Below are their tweets.

 

 

At the UP Fair where Ressa is set to talk on press freedom on the night of her arrest, students and the audience expressed their support for Maria Ressa.

 

The College Editors Guild of the Philippines led the lighting of phones in solidarity with Ressa and in condemnation of her arrest.

Maria Ressa trended on Twitter worldwide at the time of her arrest around 5pm and, with  #DefendPressFreedom, became trending topics on Twitter in the Philippines from the time of her arrest  until midnight. Filipino journalists also used the call #HoldtheLine.

The cyber libel charge was the latest in a string of cases filed by the government against Rappler and Ressa since last year.

Aside from cyber libel, Rappler and Ressa were slapped with tax evasion charges earlier.

A year ago, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked Rappler’s incorporation papers, citing its alleged violation of the constitutional restriction on foreign ownership of mass media, which Rappler has already denied.

Rappler said that the latest attempt to intimidate them will not succeed.

 

 

 

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Media groups, lawyers, artists condemn arrest of journalist Maria Ressa

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“The arrest of Rappler CEO Maria Ressa on the clearly manipulated charge of cyber libel is a shameless act of persecution by a bully government,” said the National Directorate of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) in its statement.

At around 5pm today, National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents arrived at the Rappler headquarters and served the arrest warrant to Ressa and reporter Reynaldo Santos Jr. over an article published by Rappler titled “CJ using SUVs of controversial businessman.”

Various media groups and journalists saw the arrest of Ressa as “a clear attack on press freedom.”

They condemned the arrest for being preposterous for many reasons: (1) Ressa was was served a warrant as office hours ended and when courts closed, effectively preventing her from posting bail; (2) she was charged with a cybercrime act years ago allegedly committed but filed only now; (3) the alleged offense committed happened before the cybercrime law was passed; (4) the investigation on the case was closed last year by the NBI because of lack of basis but was transmitted now to the Department of Justice; and, (5) Pasay night court judge refused to accept bail despite having the powers to do so.

Ressa arrived at the NBI before 8pm. NUJP called on “freedom-loving journalists and citizens to gather at the NBI” to condemn the arrest of Ressa.

The Philippine Center for Photojournalism (PCP) linked Ressa’s arrest to Rappler’s critical voice on the administration.

“That the Duterte administration chose to selectively apply the law to a media outfit that has been critical of its governance is an indication of the lengths it will go to silence criticism,” said the PCP in its statement.

Maria Ressa and #DefendPressFreedom became trending topics on Twitter in the Philippines. Journalists were also campaigning with the call #HoldtheLine.

 

Arrest made after office hours

Rappler relayed what transpired during Ressa’s arrest in their statement.

“At least 4 agents and lawyers from the NBI’s Cybercrime Division came to serve the warrant signed by Manila RTC Presiding Judge Rainelda H. Estacio-Montesa. The warrant dated February 12, 2019 was served close to 5 pm today, when courts were about to close.

A complaint was filed by businessman Wilfredo Keng 5 years after a story was published on May 29, 2012, or months before the Cybercrime Law was enacted. Our story said former chief justice Renato Corona used a vehicle registered under the name of Mr. Keng, who, based on intelligence reports and previously published stories, had alleged links to illegal drugs and human trafficking. We called Mr. Keng and got his side before the story was published.

The filing of the case is preposterous and baseless. No less than NBI Cybercrime Division chief Manuel Eduarte closed an investigation in February 2018 after finding no basis to proceed, given that the one-year prescriptive period had lapsed. Eight days later, however, the NBI revived the case, and filed it with the Department of Justice on the basis of a theory they call continuous publication.”

Rappler also revealed that Ressa was accused of cyber libel allegedly because she was the editor of the story that was published; but also said Ressa was not the editor.

Rappler said they will not be intimidated by this new attack on their organization.

“We are not intimidated. No amount of legal cases, black propaganda, and lies can silence Filipino journalists who continue to hold the line. These legal acrobatics show how far the government will go to silence journalists, including the pettiness of forcing me to spend the night in jail,” Ressa said.

Aside from cyber libel, Rappler and Ressa are facing tax evasion charges. A year ago, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked Rappler’s incorporation papers, citing its alleged violation of the constitutional restriction on foreign ownership of mass media, which Rappler has already denied.

 

Censorship, prior restraint, harassment

Human rights lawyer and senatorial candidate Atty. Neri Colmenares denounced Ressa’s arrest as harassment.

“Arresting someone who is not in hiding, at a time when it would be difficult to post bail, smacks of harassment. If Rappler were all praises for the government she would not have been arrested this way. The DOJ might have even dismissed the complaint against her,” said Colmenares.

Another human rights lawyer and senatorial candidate Atty. Chel Diokno criticized Ressa’ arrest.

“As a human rights lawyer, as a Filipino, I condemn the Duterte administration’s heavy-handed attempt to arrest Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.”

National Union of People’s Lawyers President Atty. Edre Olalia said Ressa’s arrest is censorship and prior restraint.

“Stripped of its legal trappings and judicial clothing, this arrest over questionable charges that have been excavated are essentially undisguised attacks on press freedom and speech.

Together with orchestrated cyber attacks and subtle blackmail on multimedia, this is not only effective censorship but practically prior restraint,” said Olalia.

 

Defending press freedom

“The arrest clearly intends to shame Ressa. But the shame lies squarely with this vindictive government,” said #BabaeAko in a statement.

The group also found ironic that the NBI has been tasked with the arrest as the agency had earlier recommended the dismissal of the cyber libel charge.

“A democracy cannot exist without a free press. As our journalists fight to defend press freedom, we call on Filipinos to hold the line with them,” urged the group.

LODI Arts and Media alliance also called for the defense of press freedom.

“Nobody believes for a single moment the concocted charges of tax evasion and foreign ownership. The truth is, the onion-skinned tyrant Duterte simply wants to shut down and punish both Maria and Rappler,” said LODI in its statement.

“We call on media and the public to defend press freedom and our right to freely report on, criticize and hold the president accountable,” the group concluded in its statement.

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