Massacre of indigenous - the AFP did it again in Abra!

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Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, Italy 13/03/2014

Freddie Ligiw, Abra indigenous murdered in Abra province

Freddie Ligiw, Eddie Ligiw and their father Licuben Ligiw went missing since March 2 and found dead in a shallow grave near their farm hut on March 8. They were in fetal position and piled one after the other. All of them were tied -up and Freddie was gagged. Media reports quoted military officials saying that the three victims were killed by the NPA and Freddie was a former member of the group who surrendered last March 2011.

The claims of the military was belied by the numerous tell-tale boot-prints on the soil, though slightly obscured by prints of bare foots but not completely cancelled.

US Army combat boot prints

The rights group Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) also denied that the three were victims of the NPA. “We do not subscribe to the AFP’s claim that the massacre was perpetrated by the NPA,” said Audrey Beltran, deputy secretary general of CHRA.

Beltran observed that the NPA has been gaining broader support from the Cordillera peoples. “ It is a well known fact: The NPA will not massacre civilians as this would result to losing their so-called mass base, apart from being known of their strict adherence to International Humanitarian Law,” said Beltran.

The group accused the 41st Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army as behind the killings. On February 19, the 41st IB conducted a military operation in the area and took Freddie  with them to serve as a guide in the military operation against the NPA. The CHRA claimed that Freddie was due to file a human rights violation report about his ordeal on March 4.

 Rebel executions is a worn-out lie of the AFP, meant to overshadow the fact that the AFP is victimizing unarmed civilians under its counter-insurgency program Oplan Bayanihan,” added Piya Macliing Malayao, spokesperson of Katutubong Mamamayan ng Pilipinas (KAMP).

An indigenous leader herself, Malayao stressed that the three victims were civilians who were active in community struggles. The Ligiw’s belongs to the Tingguian and Binodngan tribe and members of Anakbayan and the local peasant group Kastan.

 Vencer Crisostomo, Anakbayan chairperson, condemned the killing. “Given the recent attacks in the mainstream media by members of the military against Anakbayan, there is clearly only one group in the entire country with an interest in assassinating our members,”

For his part, Anakbayan USA National Chairperson Yves Nibungco said, “The murder of Freddie and his family is part of a disturbing trend of state-sponsored violence against activists since Aquino came into power in 2009.”

JUSTICE FOR FERMIN, EDDIE AND LICUBEN LIGIW

MAKE 41SY IB OF THE FASCIST AFP PAY FOR THEIR CRIMES IN ABRA!

DRIVE THE MILITARY OUT OF THE VILLAGES!

OUST THE KILLER BS AQUINO REGIME!

Remembering Bud Dajo

Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, Italy 11/03/2014

The first battle at Bud Dajo happened during the final days of General Leonard Wood's term as governor of the Moro Province  fought by the United States Army against native Moros in March 1906, during the Moro Rebellion phase of the Philippine–American War and was a counter insurgency action. While fighting was limited to ground action on Jolo Island in the Sulu Archipelago,

It was characterized by an overwhelming superiority in firepower by the Americans who were inderior in numbers and the moros while superior in numbers were armed only with spears and bladed hand weapons called kris or kalis and barungs. The description of the engagement as a battle is disputed because of both the overwhelming firepower of the attackers and the lopsided casualties. The conflict, especially the final phase of the battle, is also known as the Moro Crater Massacre

During this battle, 790 men and officers, under the command of Colonel J.W. Duncan, assaulted the volcanic crater of Bud Dajo (Tausūg:Būd Dahu), which was populated by 800 to 1000 Moro villagers, including women and children. Theposition held by the Moros was "the strongest which hostiles in the Philippines have ever defended against American assault.".  Although the battle was a victory for the American forces, it was also an unmitigated public relations disaster. It was the bloodiest of any engagement of the Moro Rebellion, with only six of the hundreds of Moro coming out of the battle alive  Estimates of American casualties range from fifteen  to twenty-one killed and seventy-five wounded.

Wood's term was a time of great reform. Some of these reforms, including the abolition of slavery and the imposition of the cedula - a registration poll tax - were less than popular with his Moro subjects. The cedula was especially unpopular, since the Moros interpreted it as a form of tribute, and Moro participation in the cedula was very low even after 30 years of American occupation. These reforms, coupled with the general resentment of foreign Christian occupiers, created a tense and hostile atmosphere during Wood's tenure, and the heaviest and bloodiest fighting during the American occupation of Mindanao and Sulu took place under his watch.

The Moro rebels of Bud Dajo were "the rag-tag-and-bobtail remnants of two or three revolts, the black sheep of a dozen folds, rebels against the poll tax, die-hards against the American occupation, outlaws recognizing no datu and condemned by the stable elements among the Moros themselves

Bud Dajo lies 6 miles (10 km) from the city of Jolo and is an extinct volcano, 2,100 feet (640 m) above sea level, steep, conical, and has thickly forested slopes. Only three major paths lead up the mountain, and the thick growth kept the Americans from cutting new paths. However, there were many minor paths, known only to the Moros, which would allow them to resupply even if the main paths were blocked. The crater at the summit is 1,800 yards in circumference and easily defended. The mountain itself is eleven miles (18 km) in circumference, making a siege difficult.

Over the months that followed, the Bud Dajo rebels were joined by various armed groups, bringing the population of the crater up to several hundred. Water was plentiful, and the rebels began farming rice and potatoes. Scott sent the Sultan of Sulu and other high ranking datus to ask the rebels to return to their homes, but the rebels refused. Wood ordered an attack in February 1906, but Scott convinced him to rescind the order, arguing that the opposition of the surrounding datus would keep the rebels isolated. Scott was worried that an attack on Bud Dajo would reveal just how easily defended it was, encouraging repeats of the standoff in the future. Unfortunately, the Bud Dajo rebels were emboldened by the American inaction, and began raiding nearby Moro settlements for cattle. Although the datus of Jolo continued to condemn the rebels, there began to develop popular support of a general uprising among the Moro commoners of Jolo

On March 2, 1906, Wood ordered Colonel J.W. Duncan of the 6th Infantry Regiment (stationed at Zamboanga, the provincial capital) to lead an expedition against Bud Dajo. Duncan and Companies K and M took the transport Wright to Jolo. Governor Scott sent three friendly datus up the mountain to ask the Bud Dajo Moros to disarm and disband, or at least send their women and children to the valley. They denied these requests, and Scott ordered Duncan to begin the assault.

The assault force consisted of “272 men of the 6th Infantry, 211 [dismounted] men of the 4th Cavalry, 68 men of the 28th Artillery Battery, 51 Sulu Constabulary, 110 men of the 19th Infantry and 6 sailors from the gunboat Pampanga.”  The battle began on March 5, as mountain guns fired 40 rounds of shrapnel into the crater.  On March 6, Wood and Bliss arrived, but left Duncan in direct command. Captain Reeves, the acting governor of the District of Sulu, made one last attempt to negotiate with the rebels.  He failed, and the Americans drew up into three columns and proceeded up the three main mountain paths. The columns were under the command of Major Bundy, Captain Rivers, and Captain Lawton. The going was tough, with the troops ascending a 60% slope, using machetes to clear the path. At 0700, March 7, Major Bundy's detachment encountered a barricade blocking the path, 500 feet (150 m) below the summit. Snipers picked off Moro defenders, and the barricade was shelled with rifle grenades. The barricade was then assaulted in a bayonet charge. The Moros staged a strong defense, then charged with kris (the traditional wavy-edged sword of the Moros) and spear. 200 Moros died in this engagement, and Major Bundy's detachment suffered heavy casualties. Captain Rivers' detachment also encountered a barricade, and took it after several hours of fighting, during which Rivers himself was severely wounded by a spear. Captain Lawton's detachment advanced up a poor path, so steep in places that the Americans proceeded on hands and knees. They were harassed by Moros hurling boulders and occasionally rushing to attack hand-to-hand with krises. Lawton finally took the defensive trenches on the crater rim by storm.

The Moros retreated into the crater, and fighting continued until nightfall. During the night, the Americans hauled mountain guns to the crater's edge with block and tackle. At daybreak, the American guns (both the mountain guns and the guns of the Pampanga) opened up on the Moros' fortifications in the crater. The Moros, armed with krises and spears, refused to surrender and held their positions. Some of the defenders rushed the Americans and were cut down. The Americans charged the surviving Moros with fixed bayonets, and the Moros fought back with their kalis, barung, improvised grenades made with black powder and seashells. The defenders were wiped out. Out of the estimated 800 to 1,000 Moros at Bud Dajo, only 6 survived. Corpses were piled five deep, and many of the bodies were wounded multiple times. According to Hurley, American casualties were 21 killed, 75 wounded. Lane lists them at 18 killed, 52 wounded.  Hagedorn says simply that “one-fourth of the troops actively engaged have been killed or wounded.” By any estimate, Bud Dajo was the bloodiest engagement of the Moro Rebellion.

During the Second Battle of Bud Dajo, in December 1911, General “Black Jack” Pershing (the third and final military governor of the Moro Province) did succeed in besieging Bud Dajo, by cutting a lateral trail which encircled the mountain, 300 yards downhill from the crater rim. This cut off the Moros in the crater from the hidden mountainside paths. However, the tactical situation facing Pershing in 1911 was far different from that facing Wood in 1906.

Source: Wikipedia

Is scarcity of money the real root of crisis?

Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, Italy 09/03/2014

  
Definitely not. In fact, BS Aquino has boasted that Philippines has plenty of it. But then, why are Filipinos so poor that more than ten percent of Filipinos are forced to migrtate out of the country, an absurd situation in a country which is supposed to have so money that the politicians are even squandering it in useless projects instead of using it for better purposes.

If we look closer to what really is happening, we will realize that there are indeed money. And plenty of it. The problem is not lack of money. The problem is the distribution of wealth. Money are in the hands of a very few and the majority receives only crumbs, so to speak.

In the recent issure of Forbes Magazine, they listed the 50 richest people in the world and not surprising the names of Henry Sy, Andrew Tan, Enrique Razon and George Ty are included. They are valued in billions of dollars.They are also among the proponents of  among the main proponents and benefactors of the MANILA BAY RECLAMATION which will destroy the environment and natural ecosystem of the bay. It will also destroy the sources of food, livelihood and people’s homes living at the shorelines. Their only concern is how to enrich themselves and extract profit at the expense of the workers and the people.

Also, in keeping pace with the bulwark of Philippine politics which is the oligarchs, the Philippine government create laws and policies ensuring rich profits for the few rich families (including the family of the president himself), again, at the expense of the majority of the people.

To make things worst, because the majority of our politicians also have money-oriented minds, they indulge in the vice of corruption. Whatever money was intended for the benefits of the people, it is wasted through misuse of public funds. Public utilities, in the foremost, powert, education and health facilities are privatized, thus our children remains poorly educated, our health services are in shambles and unattainable to the poor, and the prices of services and prime needs are beyond reach of ordinary citizens.

The Filipinos has, by now, learned or learning the truth. It now depends on the people to decide and act to end the absurd economic situation of the Flilipino familes.We even knmow by now that not even the elections can be relied to bring forth the change for better. Elections could and are being rigged by those in the higher ups.

It is now time to raise our fist and get rid of the parasites that run our society and government. The government is putting most of the money in strengthening the military. They will not readily give up their position in their pigsty. But if we believe in democracy, then let us fight for our rights, for rights are not served on silver and gold platters, We have to struggle and fight for it. With our lives, if necessary.

NPA fighter Vanessa released from hospital detention

Vanessa delos Reyes, NPA guerilla fighter captured after sustaining spine injuries in an encountert and was placed under hospital arrest was granted temporary release by court bail, raises her fist in salute (Photo: Davao Today)

Vanessa delos Reyes, New People’s Army guerilla fighter wounded in action in 2011 and was placed under hospital detention for three years, was granted a temporary release by court bail on Friday, March 7, 2014. Family, school friends and cause oriented groups campaigned for her release.

Is the Philippines really one of the best place for women?

Rome Migrante Blogspot
Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, Italy 07/03/2014

According the 2013 Global Gender Gap Index, the Philippines ranks 5^th as the world’s best place for women outranking UK, France and the US.

It is one of the BS Aquino boasts along with the rising economic growth which he claims to be the results of his excellent governance.

It is so extraordinary that it must given a second look.

Quoting the recent Executive Summary by the Center for Women’s Resources (CWR),

  

-  such “inclusive growth” as elusive since despite the declaration of growth, they still experience unemployment, price surges, lack of social services,  and disasters that aggravate the violence  they experience everyday. Such condition of women is the effect of the Aquino government’s adherence to the neoliberal framework of development that favors the local and foreign businesses over national interest. So despite ranking fifth in the latest Global Gender Gap Index, Filipino women still bear the brunt of exploitation and oppression.

 -  -  -

With the intensified crisis and violence, comes the resistance from women and the people. The state answers such assertion with repression and human rights violations. There have been 152 victims of extrajudicial killings under the Aquino administration, 18 of them were women. Some of those who fight against anti-people policies are harassed and detained.  As of August last year, there have been 34 women political prisoners in various jails in the country.

Assertion may result to repression. But such repression will result to more assertion from the people who desire for a transformed society, for a better Philippines. Women are a major force in making the transformation of society a reality

http://cwrweb.org/situation-of-filipino-women-amidst-crisis-and-disaster

For the Filipino Women, International Women’s Day is not a day for celebrations. It is a day to demonstrate their resistance. It is a day to voice out their pain, just another day of protest and struggle.

Photo- GABRIELA Dennis M. Sabangan-EPA 

Capitalists enrich themselves at the expense of worker’ rights

Rome, Italy 06/03/2014

Forbes Billionaires List 2014 03.04

The recent issue of Forbed Magazine featuring the 2014 50 most richest attracted the attention of Trade Union Rights observers and workers’groups. They have observed that among the most richest listed are among  those at  the forefront of violating workers and people’s rights.

And no doubt, they are right, according to Defend Jobs Pghilippines. Among the mentioned top  billionaires of the world  are also top plunderers of people’s resources and violators of economic, social, cultural, civil and political rights.

 Henry Sy, the King of Contractualization, a policy which lowered the wages, cuts off benefits and systematically prohibiting workers to join or organize unions and enjoy collective bargaining agreement benefits, therefore extracting huge profits from the sweat and hardwork of millions of workers.

Henry Sy, Andrew Tan, Enrique Razon and George Ty are among the main proponents and benefactors of the MANILA BAY RECLAMATION which will destroy the environment and natural ecosystem of the bay. It will also destroy the sources of food, livelihood and people’s homes living at the shorelines.

 “George Ty’s only concern is how to enrich himself and extract profit. He doesn’t care about us. For more than a decade, we’ve been writing him and calling for a negotiation but he always refuses to take heed to our demands. That is the reason why he landed number 7 in the Forbes Most Richest Filipinos with a networth of $2.3 billion. Big part of George Ty’s networth comes from our hardwork. From the workers who toil day and night in the factory. George Ty and Toyota are enjoying the fruits of our labor while we the workers and our families are suffering for a longest time since 2001” stressed  Ed Cubelo, President of Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation Workers Association (TMPCWA)

TMPCWA has been struggling for almost 13 years against the illegal and unjust dismissal of 237 Toyota workers and against union busting and contractualization.  An International Labor Organization Recommendation was issued on November 2012 urging the Philippine government for steps to have an honorable settlement between TPMCWA and Toyota management headed by George Ty. Yet, the business tycoon who also owns Metrobank and Global Business Power refused to settle with TMPCWA.

Mario Maldonado, leader of Nagkakaisang Manggagawa stressed that in their  Print Town/Inquirery in Mamplasan, Binan, Laguna factor workers are victims of illegal dismissal and contractualization. Print Town is a company within the INQUIRER GROUP OF COMPANIES, owned by Marixi Rufino Prieto—FORBE S’ #40 richest Filipina in 2008 with a net worth of $30 million. Many workers in the production take home less than P125 a day for more than 8 to 12 hours of work. He said that this is the main explanation why businessmen are getting richer and richer.  

Crazed weather conditions and the corporate greed for money

Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Rome, ItAly 01/03/2014

(Downloaded internet image)

Destructive climate changes happened in the last 150 years, because we have thickened the layers of gases in the atmosphere and because of this heat from the sun gets trapped instead of being bounced back to space leading to global warming. The trapped heat of the sun influence the sea and the wind or the aspects of climate. Climate changes are natural in millions of years but in the last 100 years we have warmed up the planet faster than ever, now reaching dangerous level.

All because of human greed. The increasing need for energy globally has apparently also lead energy producers to a “fossil fuel addiction”, with coal energy becoming the single biggest source of carbon emissions globally. Thirty percent of global carbon emissions come from coal power plants. the world has been warned as early as 1865 of increasing carbon levels in the atmosphere but the “business as usual trajectory” of still using fossil fuels continuous to this day.

Industrial carbon emissions (downloaded phoyo)

The various commitments by countries like the Kyoto Protocol signed by UN member countries in 1997 has failed. Canada withdrew from being a party to the protocol in 2012 while the United States signed it in 1995 but has yet to ratify it. The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency study shows that the 2012 estimates put China in the top spot with annual emissions of 9,860,000 in thousands of CO2 tons while the United States is second with 5,190,000.

And if that is still not enough, we continue to complicate matters with uncontrolled deforestations to satisfy the large scale loggers’ greed for money. Forests are great purifiers of air. Data from 2002 shows that only 20 percent left of forests is left in the Philièppines alone, only 3 percent of it are virgin forests. Only 4.3 percent of corals are left in good condition and the same study shows that 90 percent of fish stock are depleted.

The effects are global. The United States has suffered severe hurricane and other climate changes, and so is Europe. We have rrecvently sampled the effects of global climate changes.

It is high time to think of changing our orientation from love of money to love of humanity and nature.