Thursday, December 31, 2009
Mixed reactions greet lifting of martial law
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'Dilly-dallying'
"The President has been dilly-dallying not only in the peace process with the Moro fronts but also in the wage increase that the labor sector has been asking for," said Bobby Benito,Regional secretary of the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society.
Radio block timer killed in Cotabato City
A gunman shot and killed a peace advocate and anchor for a block time program on 21 January 2009 in Cotabato City . Cotabato City is approximately 699 nautical miles (1295 kms) from Manila .
Badrodin Abas was driving his family’s passenger multi-cab along Quezon Avenue corner Sinsuat Avenue in Cotabato City at around 9 p.m. when two men on board a motorcycle blocked his way. One of the men shot him in the head. Abas was hosting a block time program at the radio station dxCM – Radyo Ukay aired every Thursday.
The program Abas co-anchor hosted by Bobby Benito was funded by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), a network of Moro civil society organizations in Mindanao . Abas was the deputy secretary of the regional management committee of CBCS in Cotabato City, and also vice president of CBCS member United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD).
Block timing is a practice in the Philippine provinces where “blocks” of radio time are bought by individuals or groups for their program, which they then offer for sponsorship.
Although the police have yet to conclude their investigation, Cotabato City police chief Senior Supt. Willie Dangane told the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) in a phone interview that the killers mistook Abas for his younger brother.
“It was a case of mistaken identity. His younger brother has the same profile (body type) as Badrodin,” Dangane said in Filipino, adding that Abas’s younger brother usually drives the multi-cab Abas was driving.
Dangane was quoted in a GMANews.TV report as saying that the police are investigating reports that Abas’s brother was involved in a love triangle. Police said the younger brother had been receiving threats prior to the incident.
Dangane dismissed the possibility that Abas was killed because of his work as a block time announcer. “He is not a regular member of the tri-media here,” Dangane told CMFR.
Bobby Taguntong, an anchor at dxCM – Radyo Ukay, told CMFR that he and his colleagues have not heard of any problem or threat connected with Abas’s radio program. But he said Abas and his partner Bobby Benito usually discuss issues involving the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the situation of evacuees in Mindanao .
Rahib Kudto, chair of the CBCS regional management committee in Cotabato City and also chair of UNYPAD, called on the authorities to look for the perpetrators so that the real motive behind the killing could be established. “We are waiting for (the result of the) police (investigation) ,” he told CMFR.
Police have yet to interview the brother of Abas, Dangane said. GMANews.TV reported that the police are looking at a video of the shooting caught on a closed circuit TV camera.
According to Kudto, Abas previously worked for the local unit of the Department of Agriculture in Pikit, North Cotabato before joining the peace organizations. His hosting of CBCS’s block time program, Kudto said, is his first work in the media. Abas was not accredited by the Kapisanan ng Broadkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP, Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines ).
Seventy-seven journalists/ media practitioners have been killed in the line of duty since the restoration of democracy in 1986.
In 2008, six journalists/ media practitioners were killed because of their work.
Since 1986, 10 journalists have been killed in Region XII (SoCCSKSarGen) , which registered the most number of work-related killings along with Region III (Central Luzon). If killed in the line of duty, Abas would be the 11th killed in Region XII and the 78th killed in the Philippines since 1986. Most of the cases are unsolved.
January 27, 2009
Badrodin Abas was driving his family’s passenger multi-cab along Quezon Avenue corner Sinsuat Avenue in Cotabato City at around 9 p.m. when two men on board a motorcycle blocked his way. One of the men shot him in the head. Abas was hosting a block time program at the radio station dxCM – Radyo Ukay aired every Thursday.
The program Abas co-anchor hosted by Bobby Benito was funded by the Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society (CBCS), a network of Moro civil society organizations in Mindanao . Abas was the deputy secretary of the regional management committee of CBCS in Cotabato City, and also vice president of CBCS member United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD).
Block timing is a practice in the Philippine provinces where “blocks” of radio time are bought by individuals or groups for their program, which they then offer for sponsorship.
Although the police have yet to conclude their investigation, Cotabato City police chief Senior Supt. Willie Dangane told the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) in a phone interview that the killers mistook Abas for his younger brother.
“It was a case of mistaken identity. His younger brother has the same profile (body type) as Badrodin,” Dangane said in Filipino, adding that Abas’s younger brother usually drives the multi-cab Abas was driving.
Dangane was quoted in a GMANews.TV report as saying that the police are investigating reports that Abas’s brother was involved in a love triangle. Police said the younger brother had been receiving threats prior to the incident.
Dangane dismissed the possibility that Abas was killed because of his work as a block time announcer. “He is not a regular member of the tri-media here,” Dangane told CMFR.
Bobby Taguntong, an anchor at dxCM – Radyo Ukay, told CMFR that he and his colleagues have not heard of any problem or threat connected with Abas’s radio program. But he said Abas and his partner Bobby Benito usually discuss issues involving the peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the situation of evacuees in Mindanao .
Rahib Kudto, chair of the CBCS regional management committee in Cotabato City and also chair of UNYPAD, called on the authorities to look for the perpetrators so that the real motive behind the killing could be established. “We are waiting for (the result of the) police (investigation) ,” he told CMFR.
Police have yet to interview the brother of Abas, Dangane said. GMANews.TV reported that the police are looking at a video of the shooting caught on a closed circuit TV camera.
According to Kudto, Abas previously worked for the local unit of the Department of Agriculture in Pikit, North Cotabato before joining the peace organizations. His hosting of CBCS’s block time program, Kudto said, is his first work in the media. Abas was not accredited by the Kapisanan ng Broadkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP, Association of Broadcasters of the Philippines ).
Seventy-seven journalists/ media practitioners have been killed in the line of duty since the restoration of democracy in 1986.
In 2008, six journalists/ media practitioners were killed because of their work.
Since 1986, 10 journalists have been killed in Region XII (SoCCSKSarGen) , which registered the most number of work-related killings along with Region III (Central Luzon). If killed in the line of duty, Abas would be the 11th killed in Region XII and the 78th killed in the Philippines since 1986. Most of the cases are unsolved.
January 27, 2009
My Opinion on the Peace process
The government had been pushing on disarmament, demobilization and reintegration as a new framework for the talks in the event it goes back to the negotiating table with the MILF, a proposal that the Moro group has consistently opposed.
Bobby Benito, Executive Director of the Bangsamoro Center for JustPeace warned "even if the best people are named as government negotiators, talks will not prosper unless they start off where they stopped.”
He added that whoever the President appoints as negotiators for the government, it will “not make sense” unless they do not enjoy the full backing of all parts of the government.
He claimed the President sought only to try and keep international opinion on her side by suggesting the peace process was still ongoing, “but the truth is she does not have any intention of resolving the conflict."
The new wave of evacuations was triggered by an attack on Christmas Eve by MILF rebels.
Romy Elusfa
Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project
Bobby Benito, Executive Director of the Bangsamoro Center for JustPeace warned "even if the best people are named as government negotiators, talks will not prosper unless they start off where they stopped.”
He added that whoever the President appoints as negotiators for the government, it will “not make sense” unless they do not enjoy the full backing of all parts of the government.
He claimed the President sought only to try and keep international opinion on her side by suggesting the peace process was still ongoing, “but the truth is she does not have any intention of resolving the conflict."
The new wave of evacuations was triggered by an attack on Christmas Eve by MILF rebels.
Romy Elusfa
Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project
BCJP condemned in strongest terms the kidnapping of a Sri Lankan national
KIDAPAWAN CITY -- A Moro-led non-government organization in Cotabato City has condemned in strongest terms the kidnapping of a Sri Lankan national peace worker and urged his captors to release him unconditionally.
In a press statement, the Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace in the Philippines (BCJP) Inc. said Sri Lankan national Umar Jaleel "has fallen victim to the very violence he has been trying to deter."
Around nine gunmen forcibly took Jaleel, 36, a staff member of the Non-Violent Peace Force (NPF), from Mutur, Sri Lanka. Jaleel arrived in Lamitan City in Basilan province four months ago.
He was sent to Basilan to carry out the mission of Non-Violent Peace Force to conduct human rights seminars in the city.
"Jaleel has fallen victim to the very violence he has been trying to deter. We readily lend our moral support and prayers as we continue to move mountains and hound the heavens for his safety and early release," said BCJP executive director Bobby Benito.
The group has also appealed to the military and other law enforcement agencies to exhaust all peaceful means to release Jaleel from his captors.
"We also call on religious leaders from both Christian and Islam faiths to extend whatever possible support to Jaleel for his safe return to the community," the BCJP statement read.
Benito said Jaleel's group is among BCJP's partner organizations in Basilan.
Benito is a member of the Board of Advisory of the Non-Violent Peace Force in the Philippines.
"The BCJP is one of the many groups in the Philippines that requested the presence of Non-Violent Peace Force, especially in Mindanao," he said.
The Non-Violent Peace Force, according to Benito, has contributed to increased security for local peace advocates and their families and greater safety and empowerment of local civil society in dealing with conflict management. (MCM)
In a press statement, the Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace in the Philippines (BCJP) Inc. said Sri Lankan national Umar Jaleel "has fallen victim to the very violence he has been trying to deter."
Around nine gunmen forcibly took Jaleel, 36, a staff member of the Non-Violent Peace Force (NPF), from Mutur, Sri Lanka. Jaleel arrived in Lamitan City in Basilan province four months ago.
He was sent to Basilan to carry out the mission of Non-Violent Peace Force to conduct human rights seminars in the city.
"Jaleel has fallen victim to the very violence he has been trying to deter. We readily lend our moral support and prayers as we continue to move mountains and hound the heavens for his safety and early release," said BCJP executive director Bobby Benito.
The group has also appealed to the military and other law enforcement agencies to exhaust all peaceful means to release Jaleel from his captors.
"We also call on religious leaders from both Christian and Islam faiths to extend whatever possible support to Jaleel for his safe return to the community," the BCJP statement read.
Benito said Jaleel's group is among BCJP's partner organizations in Basilan.
Benito is a member of the Board of Advisory of the Non-Violent Peace Force in the Philippines.
"The BCJP is one of the many groups in the Philippines that requested the presence of Non-Violent Peace Force, especially in Mindanao," he said.
The Non-Violent Peace Force, according to Benito, has contributed to increased security for local peace advocates and their families and greater safety and empowerment of local civil society in dealing with conflict management. (MCM)
Stop kidnapping volunteers
Stop kidnapping volunteers
Bobby Benito, director of the Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace, appealed to the kidnappers to release Umar and the other aid workers that are being held captive in Basilan and Sulu.
Benito reminded the kidnappers that Umar is a non-combatant and is in Mindanao to help its people affected by the ongoing war between the military and Moro rebels.
Meanwhile, Umar’s group based in Cotabato City has declined to give a statement in the kidnapping.
The group said they would have to discuss matters internally first before making statements.
It said the peace group is currently talking with other related agencies. -- With reports from Queenie Casimiro, ABS-CBN Zamboanga and radio dzMM
as of 02/18/2009 1:53 AM
Bobby Benito, director of the Bangsamoro Center for Just Peace, appealed to the kidnappers to release Umar and the other aid workers that are being held captive in Basilan and Sulu.
Benito reminded the kidnappers that Umar is a non-combatant and is in Mindanao to help its people affected by the ongoing war between the military and Moro rebels.
Meanwhile, Umar’s group based in Cotabato City has declined to give a statement in the kidnapping.
The group said they would have to discuss matters internally first before making statements.
It said the peace group is currently talking with other related agencies. -- With reports from Queenie Casimiro, ABS-CBN Zamboanga and radio dzMM
as of 02/18/2009 1:53 AM
The expected signing of the MOA bet. the MILF& GRP in Malaysia on the issue of AD could have been a recompense for the 10 year long negotiation
January 8, 2008
While prospective presidentiables are busily getting airtime, Muslim townsfolk in the South — farmers, deportees, refugees, domestic helpers and vendors remain voiceless as they fear for renewed clashes in 2008 which will lead to more migration in Luzon.
Muslims quietly mark the Islamic New Year today, January 8, but many are apprehensive of a failed peace talks between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) if the impasse on the consensus points on territory is not resolved.
There are an estimated 8–10 million Muslims in the Philippines, more than 50 percent of whom are outside the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Sulu remains to be the poorest province, according to National Statistics Office (NSO) statistics.
The Norwegian Internal Displacement Monitoring Center reports that armed incidents have displaced between 119,600 and 139,600 people in Mindanao between January and September 2007. Major offensives have been launched by government in Central Mindanao in 2000 and in Buliok in 2003.
Manila hosts the largest migrant Muslim populace of Muslim vendors and traders in major malls and markets, who escaped the poverty in the South. Thousands are abroad in the Middle East.
In poor Central Mindanao, an armed group, the MILF, with a sizeable presence in the region, remains to be an organized insurgent group. “Address the Moro problem and you address the negative image of the Philippines,” said one political analyst.
“Business confidence in the Philippines will take a nosedive if the government fails to return to the agreed consensus points of the MILF,” said Trade Secretary Ishak Mastura of the ARMM. The consensus points include territoritial delineation which the government panel will subject to constitutional processes.
Current national investments in the Southern Mindanao region, hosting Muslim communities, include mining and agriculture.
Simultaneous rallies in Muslim–concentrated areas in Marawi City and Cotabato City were launched since Monday. A rally attended by an estimated 20,000 people was launched in Cotabato City yesterday to demand a peace settlement by the GRP–MILF peace talks.
“The expected signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the MILF and GRP in Kuala Lumpur on the issue of ancestral domain could have been a recompense for the ten–year long negotiation between the MILF and the GRP that commenced in July of 1997. The stance of the GRP in nonconforming to the agreed consensus points, a clear manifestation of the feebleness of the GRP to bestow strong political will for the realization of the peace accord,” said Abdulbasit (Bobby) Benito of the Consortium of the Bangsamoro Civil Society.
Lacs Dalidig, chairman of the Multi–Sectoral Movement for Peace and Development of Marawi City called on residents to organize public pressure on Malacañan to “deliver on its promise for a settlement of one of the longest conflicts in the Asian region.”
Meanwhile, Muslim women are urged to participate in peace processes in a forum in Marawi City facilitated by former United Nations (UN) gender expert Aurora De Dios of Miriam College’s Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) on the theme Women, Peace and Security.
“Muslim women are not seen and heard. It is important to hear them for genuine peace,” former chairperson of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), De Dios said. UN Resolution 1325 guarantees women’s participation in the peace processes.
The women participants passed a recommendation endorsing female representation in the GRP–MILF Peace Talks within the Government Negotiating Panel and the MILF Negotiating Panel. They also recommended for a Muslim female to be in top brass of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).
One of the forum participants was former government panel member Emily Marohombsar, former president of the Mindanao State University who is willing to accept the endorsement if formalized before government. Former Senator Santanina Rasul will carry the endorsement to Malacañan.
The lone Muslim lady elected to the Senate, Rasul spoke of the critical role of women in interfaith dialogue as they are “natural leaders, nurturers, carers.” A success story she shared was the Sulu Womens Group, which for the past five years has organized a radio program that promotes peace by tackling the daily concerns of women.
A local woman organizer encouraged women to be pro–active and vigilant in the peace process. “We are much affected when there is war. We are the house keepers and economic managers, healers, rehabilitation workers,” said Dipunudun Maruhom of the Gender and Development Advocates.
“Islam respects gender equality. The Quran upholds women’s political and civic participation. Women have a stake in the peace process,” said former Dean Hamid Barra, a resource person on Islam and Women’s Rights.
Action–plans included celebrating Muslim women’s role during Women’s Month in March, Peace research to include Muslim children’s rights, Module on Gender, Islam, Peace and Women, Forum on a Gender Element in the GRP–MILF Peace Process, educating Muslim women on their rights, among others
While prospective presidentiables are busily getting airtime, Muslim townsfolk in the South — farmers, deportees, refugees, domestic helpers and vendors remain voiceless as they fear for renewed clashes in 2008 which will lead to more migration in Luzon.
Muslims quietly mark the Islamic New Year today, January 8, but many are apprehensive of a failed peace talks between government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) if the impasse on the consensus points on territory is not resolved.
There are an estimated 8–10 million Muslims in the Philippines, more than 50 percent of whom are outside the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Sulu remains to be the poorest province, according to National Statistics Office (NSO) statistics.
The Norwegian Internal Displacement Monitoring Center reports that armed incidents have displaced between 119,600 and 139,600 people in Mindanao between January and September 2007. Major offensives have been launched by government in Central Mindanao in 2000 and in Buliok in 2003.
Manila hosts the largest migrant Muslim populace of Muslim vendors and traders in major malls and markets, who escaped the poverty in the South. Thousands are abroad in the Middle East.
In poor Central Mindanao, an armed group, the MILF, with a sizeable presence in the region, remains to be an organized insurgent group. “Address the Moro problem and you address the negative image of the Philippines,” said one political analyst.
“Business confidence in the Philippines will take a nosedive if the government fails to return to the agreed consensus points of the MILF,” said Trade Secretary Ishak Mastura of the ARMM. The consensus points include territoritial delineation which the government panel will subject to constitutional processes.
Current national investments in the Southern Mindanao region, hosting Muslim communities, include mining and agriculture.
Simultaneous rallies in Muslim–concentrated areas in Marawi City and Cotabato City were launched since Monday. A rally attended by an estimated 20,000 people was launched in Cotabato City yesterday to demand a peace settlement by the GRP–MILF peace talks.
“The expected signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the MILF and GRP in Kuala Lumpur on the issue of ancestral domain could have been a recompense for the ten–year long negotiation between the MILF and the GRP that commenced in July of 1997. The stance of the GRP in nonconforming to the agreed consensus points, a clear manifestation of the feebleness of the GRP to bestow strong political will for the realization of the peace accord,” said Abdulbasit (Bobby) Benito of the Consortium of the Bangsamoro Civil Society.
Lacs Dalidig, chairman of the Multi–Sectoral Movement for Peace and Development of Marawi City called on residents to organize public pressure on Malacañan to “deliver on its promise for a settlement of one of the longest conflicts in the Asian region.”
Meanwhile, Muslim women are urged to participate in peace processes in a forum in Marawi City facilitated by former United Nations (UN) gender expert Aurora De Dios of Miriam College’s Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) on the theme Women, Peace and Security.
“Muslim women are not seen and heard. It is important to hear them for genuine peace,” former chairperson of the National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW), De Dios said. UN Resolution 1325 guarantees women’s participation in the peace processes.
The women participants passed a recommendation endorsing female representation in the GRP–MILF Peace Talks within the Government Negotiating Panel and the MILF Negotiating Panel. They also recommended for a Muslim female to be in top brass of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).
One of the forum participants was former government panel member Emily Marohombsar, former president of the Mindanao State University who is willing to accept the endorsement if formalized before government. Former Senator Santanina Rasul will carry the endorsement to Malacañan.
The lone Muslim lady elected to the Senate, Rasul spoke of the critical role of women in interfaith dialogue as they are “natural leaders, nurturers, carers.” A success story she shared was the Sulu Womens Group, which for the past five years has organized a radio program that promotes peace by tackling the daily concerns of women.
A local woman organizer encouraged women to be pro–active and vigilant in the peace process. “We are much affected when there is war. We are the house keepers and economic managers, healers, rehabilitation workers,” said Dipunudun Maruhom of the Gender and Development Advocates.
“Islam respects gender equality. The Quran upholds women’s political and civic participation. Women have a stake in the peace process,” said former Dean Hamid Barra, a resource person on Islam and Women’s Rights.
Action–plans included celebrating Muslim women’s role during Women’s Month in March, Peace research to include Muslim children’s rights, Module on Gender, Islam, Peace and Women, Forum on a Gender Element in the GRP–MILF Peace Process, educating Muslim women on their rights, among others
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