Global Voices » Filipino

Philippines: Mass Movement and Pop Songs

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:18:42 +0000

Vencer Crisostomo looks at last year's mass movement high points in the Philippines through the lens of western pop songs.

Philippines: Revolutionary heritage

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:57:29 +0000

The Museo de Santisima Trinidad curator reviews Angela Stuart-Santiago’s Revolutionary Routes: Five Stories of Incarceration, Exile, Murder and Betrayal in Tayabas Province, 1891-1980. The book is a history of her family and the revolutionary struggles against the Spanish, American, and Japanese colonizers up to the early years of the Philippine republic. It is based on the memoir of her grandmother originally written in Spanish.

Philippines: Malong and Typhoon Sendong Evacuees

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 12:55:01 +0000

Journalist Keith Bacongco writes about how Typhoon Sendong evacuees in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao uses the malong, a traditional Muslim blanket, to cope with the disaster.

Philippines: Davao Tagalog

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 04:17:22 +0000

RM Bulesco blogs about what he calls “Davao Tagalog,” a mongrel language combing Cebuano, Tagalog, and other Filipino languages that is spoken in the southern Philippine city of Davao.

Philippines: Environment Disasters Linked to Mining, Logging Operations

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 06:06:33 +0000

While Typhoon Sendong (international name: Washi) flood victims were trying to cope with the massive scale of the death and destruction brought by the calamity, another series of flash floods and landslides ripped through the Philippines in the past three weeks.

Days after Sendong killed 1,257 people last December and left thousands missing and homeless, more floods hit many provinces including Cebu, Davao, Bukidnon, Maguindanao, Compostela Valley, Negros, Leyte and Aklan in the southern Philippines. A deadly landslide meanwhile hit the mining town of Pantukan in Mindanano island last week, leaving 31 dead and over a hundred missing.

As relief operations continue to pour in to flash flood and landslide victims, Filipino netizens also began to ask some questions. The country's tropical climate makes it no stranger to floods and landslides, but the extent of the recent devastation have left many pondering: What are the causes, especially with the increasing scale and frequency of such disasters? What can be done to prevent them or prepare for them in the future?

Antonio J. Ledesma, SJ, the Archbishop of Cagayan de Oro, said that logging and mining is one of the culprits behind the disaster:

Last January 2009, the city had already experienced severe flooding. Some old-time residents recalled that this phenomenon happens every forty years. But barely three years after that, Typhoon Sendong came with greater vengeance.

Illegal logging and irresponsible mining activities have contributed to the degradation of the environment and the siltation of the river bed. The erection of man-made structures may have also impeded the natural flow of the waters.

Cagayan De Oro City Flood Damage Map

Ateneo Physics Laboratories posts the flood damage map of Cagayan de Oro City.

Dugo at Panulat holds [fil] the Aquino government accountable for allowing big business to hold destructive logging and mining operations in the country:

Pinahihintulutan ng gobyerno ang pagmimina at pagtrotroso ng mga naghaharing korporasyon at ng kapatid nitong gahamang dayuhan. Pinahihintulutan ng gobyerno na gahasain ng magkapatid ang ating likas na yaman kapalit ng konting kita at pamumuhunan ng mga ito.

The government permits the mining and logging operations of the ruling corporations and their greedy foreign partners. The government permits the two to rape our natural resources in exchange for a little profit and investment.

Lisa Ito also points [fil] to the conversion of forests by transnational corporations into plantations for export crops:

Laganap din ang kumbersiyon ng kagubatan upang gawing plantasyon ng pinya, jatropha, saging, at iba pang export crops, ayon sa maka-kalikasang grupo na Panalipdan Mindanao. Ayon sa mga pag-aaral mula sa National Institute of Geological Sciences, ang CdO ay lalong nagiging bulnerable sa baha dahil sa kumbersyon ng 2,000 ektarya ng kagubatan sa Upper Pulangi Watershed upang gawing taniman ng pinya ng Del Monte Philippines—isa sa pinakamamaking exporter ng pinya sa buong mundo.

The conversion of forests into plantations for pineapples, jatropha (for biofuel), banana, and other export crops is also widespread, said the environmentalist group Panalipdan Mindanao. According to studies from the National Institute of Geological Sciences, Cagayan de Oro became more vulnerable to flooding because of the conversion of 2,000 hectares of forests in Upper Pulangi Watershed for the pineapple farms of Del Monte Philippines-one of the largest pineapple exporters in the whole world.

Environmentalists have pointed out that a geo-hazard analysis conducted by the University of the Philippines confirmed the role of state neglect in the Sendong tragedy. Youth activists have been very vocal about President Noynoy Aquino's veto of a P5 billion disaster preparedness allocation in the past year that could have helped lessened the impact of the floods:

We reiterate that it is the Aquino regime which is a man-made disaster, turning the unavoidable reality of heavy rains into a tragedy: First, because Noynoy himself removed the funding for disaster preparedness in the 2011 national budget. Not a single centavo in the P5 billion ‘Calamity Fund’ went to preparing Northern Mindanao, or any other part of the country for that matter, for natural disasters. Second, because he continues to allow massive, ‘legal’ logging by mining, agricultural, timber, and real estate corporations.

A MindaNews photo shows the logs brought down by the floods to Iligan City from logging sites.

Politika 2013 meanwhile exposes the efforts by big business publicists to confuse the issue and steer the discussion away from the linking of large-scale mining and logging to the calamities:

Aside from sweepingly labeling all critics as leftists, the pro-mining and logging publicity offensive likewise attempts to confuse and dishes out lies:

“The Mines and Geosciences Bureau has confirmed that there are no large-scale mining operations in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan…,” CMP President Philip Romualdez said in a statement.

Of course, the mining operations are located in the very wide watersheds beyond the boundaries of both Cagayan de Oro and Iligan.

Meanwhile, Philippine Wood Producers Association (PWPA) deputy executive director Maila R. Vasquez denied the presence of commercial logging operations in northern Mindanao…

So where did the thousands of cut logs that destroyed houses and now littering the coastline and clogging the rivers come from?

Dr. Giovanni Tapang listed 7 ways to reduce disaster risks in the country, including adequate disaster preparations. One of his recommendations is the emulation of socialist Cuba's storm preparations.

Various groups called on the Aquino government to punish those accountable for the disaster. Photo Credits: Karlos Manlupig

Dean Tony La Viña suggests 10 things that should be done after Sendong. He counsels against distractions and blame games, but at the same time calls for holding those responsible accountable:

Although this is certainly not the time for blame games, accountability must be exacted. In other countries, notably in Japan, officials take themselves out of the equation by resigning and taking responsibility. Unfortunately, we do not have that tradition here. And so I welcome the task forces created by the President to investigate what happened, although I would have preferred an independent commission to do this job to have more objective findings. Nevertheless when they finish, I hope they will file the appropriate criminal, civil and administrative cases against accountable officials. I would especially want charged those officials who abetted the activities that exacerbated the disaster, or those which had the information and the power to prevent it (but negligently did not do so).

Philippines: Manhunt for ‘Human Rights Violator' Goes Online

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 15:51:26 +0000

The efforts to catch Major General Jovito Palparan have gone online after an arrest warrant was finally issued against the alleged human rights violator in the Philippines. Human rights victims, witnesses, families, and their supporters have called for a public manhunt of Palparan after his failed attempt to escape the country and subsequent hiding from the authorities.

Notorious as the “The Butcher,” Palparan has been charged with the kidnapping and serious illegal detention of University of the Philippines student activists Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno.

Palparan is also infamous for the rise of cases of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and other human rights abuses in every province where he was assigned under the regime of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Human rights groups have documented at least 1,206 extrajudicial killings, 206 enforced disappearances, and 2,059 illegal arrests and detention under the past administration.

Netizens have been encouraged to help the mothers of the two missing activists attain justice by posting the “Wanted: Palparan” poster released by the human rights groups Karapatan, Desaparecidos, and Hustisya on blogs, Facebook pages, and other social media. Here is a video that the same groups have uploaded online:

The mothers of Cadapan and Empeno said that the arrest order of Palparan signals a new beginning in the quest to hold human rights violators accountable and ending impunity in the country, which continues to hold sway under the new administration of Noynoy Aquino.

Such impunity is wrought by the brazen commission of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other forms of human rights violations under the Macapagal-Arroyo regime. Such violations continue with impunity to this date under the Aquino administration, which has been remiss in pursuing justice for the victims and has sustained the same kind of counter-insurgency measure which terrorizes and wantonly violates human rights.

Mindanao-based journalist Karlos Manlupig remembers his own encounters with Palparan and the fear the latter roused during the May 2010 elections in Davao, Southern Mindanao.

Student activists, as a joke, refer to Palparan as Tito Palpy and usually use it to scare some kasamas [fellow activists] when they go home late, “Hala ka, naa baya si Tito Palpy diha sa gawas sa gate. Ginahulat ka [Beware, Tito Palpy is just there outside the gate. Waiting for you].”

University of the Philippines Student Regent Krissy Conti notes that the arrest of Palparan would bring peace to the minds of many UP students engaged in social work.

Palparan et al’s arrest and detention in ordinary jails would give us a little peace of mind as we continue to conduct field work, immerse in communities, and serve the people where we can find them – the same way Karen and Sherlyn did. We have no bounty to offer, but to those who can bring in the men who terrorized the countryside have our deepest gratitude.

Ellen Torsedillas meanwhile recalls in her blog how former President Arroyo awarded Palparan despite the controversies surrounding the figure.

In her sixth State-of-the-Nation address on July 24, 2006, Gloria Arroyo, amidst cries of parents of University of the Philippines Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño and relatives of Manuel Merino, a farmer, Gloria Arroyo lavished praises on one of the most feared and hated generals – then Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, commander of the 7th Infantry Division in central Luzon, where many of the extra-judicial killings happened.

Philippines: Happy Rizal Day Twitter Trend Draws Criticism

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 15:34:16 +0000

#Happy Rizal Day became a trending topic on Twitter on December 30, 2011, a holiday commemorating the death anniversary of the Philippines' national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. While this could be taken positively that many still remember Rizal, some have criticized the use of the saying “Happy Rizal Day” to commemorate the day of his death.

Inday Kayla laments how some Filipino social media users have mistaken Rizal Day as the national hero's birthday. She posts a portion of her Twitter timeline to underscore her frustration:

The worst, those were just a few. Seeing their tweets makes me faint, it breaks my heart. I’m pretty sure, your AP/PH teacher feels the same thing, too. And Rizal feels a lot more pain than we do. Truth be told, many Filipinos have disregarded the true meaning of this day, the martyrdom of Dr. Jose P. Rizal.

In Between Columns finds it ironic that Filipinos would greet each other “Happy Rizal Day” on the day he was shot to death by the Spanish colonizers:

To me, saying “#Happy Rizal Day” only means the present Twitter generation vaguely remembers Rizal as a Philippine hero. They don’t anymore recall that December 30, 1896 was the day the Guardia Civil shot him to death…

It seems Filipino during the time of Twitter and other forms of social media are more content with mere exchanges of “Happy Rizal Day” to commemorate our country’s historic turning points.

El Lobo Filipino also shares the same sentiment:

Several of these “greeters” told me that they are celebrating his heroism and what he’s done for the country. I told them that if that’s the case, then the greetings would have been more appropriate on Rizal’s birth date - June 19. And this year, the country did celebrate the hero’s 150th birthday.

Daniel de la Rosa meanwhile calls for the shifting of Rizal Day from December 30 to the national hero’s birthday on June 19:

Well, one could argue December 30 is the day of his martyrdom, which inspired the revolution to greater fervor and was a fitting climax to his life. I would think June 19 would serve that too and affirm the greatness of a Filipino who rose to such heights. On a practical note, June 19 is the start of the school year in the Philippines, and you can weave all sorts of classroom projects around Rizal’s life.

Philippines: Typhoon Sendong and Social Media

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:35:30 +0000

Typhoon Sendong (international name: Washi) victims, their families, and friends, in the Philippines are using social media to look for missing victims, coordinate and document relief efforts, and record image and accounts of the destruction.

The flash floods caused by the typhoon in the cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in Northern Mindanao and Negros Oriental caused the deaths of 1,257 people, according to government data. Over 45,000 homes have been damaged, leaving thousands homeless.

Flood victims have utilized Facebook to help search for their missing loved ones. Photos and profiles of missing relatives and friends continue to be posted in the Facebook pages Sendong Missing Persons and Missing Persons of CDO and Iligan.

The Sendong Missing Persons page has since gathered 1,787 likes and 5,341 conversations as of this writing. The administrators, however, have advised the users of the page to coordinate with authorities and not rely on Facebook alone in finding their loved ones.

As noted earlier in Global Voices Online, blogs and social media networks have also been used to mobilize assistance for relief operations for the victims of Typhoon Sendong. Accounts of these efforts are also beginning to be posted online:

@mindanaoan @IamPinkEm my husband told me a story while they were distributing food at canitoan earlier today,wen evacuees receive food they would say “salamat au sir ha [thank you very much, sir], merry christmas” my husband said its heart warming for them to be greeted merry christmas by ppl hu lost everything

Various images and accounts of the destruction have continuously found their way online. In Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental, Foundation University video manager Mark Anthony Besario was able to capture the devastation brought by rampaging flood waters and posted this online in YouTube.

Pinoy Dog-Lover shares stories of how dogs saved humans during the disaster. One account is set in Iligan City:

Before the furious flood waters swept through their village, [the dogs] Aspins Loloy and Jackie immediately woke up their humans — scratching the door and barking loudly. Because of the dogs’ warning, Marrietta and her family were able to get to safety. They lost their home, but unlike most families affected by the flood, their family is still complete.

Ryan Chua uploads a photo of the devastation in Brgy. (village) Macasandig, Cagayan de Oro:

LiaAndanarYu comments on a photo of the same community: “There once was a home here. Kennedy Pacana of Tibasak, CDO owned that home. Then came Sendong”

Philippines: “Occupy” Protests Overcome Police Brutality

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:41:20 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.

Protesters in the Philippines have attempted to ‘occupy' the historic Mendiola Bridge near the Presidential Palace by staging a campout protest against budget cuts and poverty. Police used batons and water from fire trucks to violently disperse the assembly yet thousands continue to gather around Mendiola day after day to make a strong statement in front of President Noynoy Aquino's own doorsteps.

Six students were arrested but subsequently released after the flimsy charges filed against them by the police were dismissed by the prosecutor's office. Scores of other protesters have been critically injured by the brutal dispersals.

Prevented by the police from camping near the Palace, protesters put up tents in Plaza Miranda in Quiapo the first night, subsequently in Bustillos Church a block away from Mendiola, and most recently in the Liwasang Bonifacio shrine. Today, December 10, International Human Rights Day, is the last day of the campout protest.

The call for those who are “fed up with the status quo and united in a common hope for a better present and future” to “take action” and occupy Mendiola by more than 100 groups was first posted online on www.campoutph.com:

We can no longer stand a twisted social set-up that robs the majority of our people of a decent life and basic social services. We can no longer stand a social system that produces immense wealth for foreign interests and a few as the people, who toil all their lives, are increasingly pushed deeper into hunger, poverty and injustice.

Highlighting the theme “sawang-sawa na tayo (we are fed up),” the campout protest tackled a broad range of issues from the Aquino administration's budget cuts for education and social services, nonstop oil and basic commodities price hikes, land reform, migrant issues, urban poor demolitions, and persistent human rights violations.

'Campout' march blocked by police. Photo from @androzarate

Videos by student and youth leaders, academics, artists, activists, and other campout supporters expressing their disenchantment with the system and enjoining others to join the protest have also circulated online:

The people are fed up with poverty. All sectors of society have a responsibility to end this. I am Axel Pinpin as an activist of the peasant movement and a poet. Each one of us has a responsibility to continue to awaken the people about their real conditions. Everyone is invited to the people's campout which will start on December 6.

Hundreds of students from various state universities held various protest actions in the islands of Panay and Guimaras while almost a thousand students in Iloilo City braved the rain for a march-rally in solidarity with the Occupy Mendiola protests.

Iloilo City students brave the rain in solidarity with Occupy Mendiola. Image by author.

The Occupy Mendiola campout protest is inspired by the “Arab Spring” popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, the General Strikes in Europe, and the now global “Occupy” protest movement.

Updates on the continuing ‘occupations' can also be checked on Facebook or through the hashtags #sawangsawa and #campoutph on Twitter.

Fed up with the system

Student Regent Krissy Conti of the country's national university, the University of the Philippines, explains the historic significance of Mendiola as the campout site:

Mendiola, at the foot of the seat of political and economic power in the Philippines, has historically been a protest area. A campout in Mendiola against the prevailing system of government, like the Occupy movement in Wall Street against corporate greed, has the “power of place”. We were there last September, last May and the year before, in December. Why has President Aquino closed down the area to activists this time, permit or no permit?

Politika2013 pointed out the irony of the brutal dispersals a few days before human rights day:

But the police, in the name of security of the present Palace occupant, do not want protesters to exercise their democratic rights in Mendiola. So they blocked the marchers before they could even approach this symbol of the Filipino people‘s struggle for democracy.

This scene evoked memories of the dispersal of protest actions participated by the colleagues and supporters of Noynoy’s parents during the dark Marcos years from the early 70s to the 80s.

New Philippine Revolution criticized the violent dispersal as an expression of the Aquino administration's paranoia and total disregard of democratic precepts:

I don't see anything wrong with allowing students to encamp at Mendiola, spend their Christmas there or just literally make the entire bridge their home. Malacanang is several meters away. An encampment at Mendiola will not even affect security at the palace.

IN the UNited States, hundreds of thousand of people have been allowed to express themselves, hence, this creeping movement called Occupy Wall Street. In times like these, where people are hungry and millions more are jobless, suppressing these democratically protected actions are downright stupid.

Blogger Terry Ridon cites “5 reasons why you should join #campoutph”:

5. Your school budget has been cut. AGAIN. AND AGAIN… 4. You love riding the MRT and LRT… 3. Your father was a farmer. And your lolo was a farmer… 2. You/Mom/Dad/Bro/Sis/Everyone is an OFW… and 1. You feel that there is truly something wrong with the system.

A Radical's Nut counters the dismissals by the Aquino administration of the growing “Occupy” movement in the country:

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in October that there is no basis for a similar movement as the administration is “siding with the poorest of the poor”. Government, he said, strives for “inclusive growth”.

Nothing can be farther from the truth. In its December 6 editorial, the Philippine Daily Inquirer noted that the combined income of the richest 1% of the families (185,000) is equivalent to the poorest 30% (5.5 million). Aquino, like Arroyo, belongs to this 1% that monopolizes the country’s wealth.

Economic policies favor the ruling elite to which both Aquino and Arroyo belong. They use political power to prevent the redistribution of social wealth and accumulate more. The most glaring example is the Hacienda Luisita, which has been controlled by the family of the landlord President for more than half a century through deception and violence. Today, Aquino wants compensation from farmers his family has exploited to the hilt for decades before they can get the lands they have always owned.

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.

Philippines: Former President Arrested

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:44:04 +0000

Dramatic attempts by former Philippine President and current congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to escape the country have sparked public outrage on Twitter and other social networking sites.

Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo have attempted to leave the country several times these past few days, claiming she was only seeking medical treatment abroad. These attempts were blocked, reportedly because the Arroyos were under investigation for plunder, human rights violations, and electoral fraud controversies under her term as president. Arroyo was president from 2001 to 2010.

The Noynoy Aquino government's failure to prosecute Arroyo even after more than 500 days in office has been blamed for the former president's almost successful attempts to flee the country.

A warrant of arrest for “electoral sabotage” has been issued against Arroyo after the Philippine Supreme Court has ruled that she must be allowed to travel overseas because no charges have been filed against her. Here are some of the reactions on Twitter:

@teddycasino: It is with utmost joy that we welcome the issuance of a warrant of arrest against GMA. Since 2005 we have been trying to make her account for her cheating, stealing and lying ways. This is a vindication of our efforts. But the work has just begun. There is the difficult legal battle ahead and more cases that have to be filed in court. We laud the COMELEC, DOJ and Pasay RTC for their swift and decisive action. (author's note: Comelec is election agency, DOJ is Department of Justice)

@hgcastillo: I wonder what GMA is feeling right now…

@KikoHubilla: GMA is trying to leave the country to avoid all the accusations against her.

@gibbscadiz: the outcome was good–arroyo charged–but the getting there was as ad hoc, incompetent, amateurish as it could get; nothing to be proud of.

@monsieurearl: Ikulong na yan si GMA! Walang awa awa!

@monsieurearl: GMA should be jailed! No mercy!

@NielZapanta: Whenever there's a flash news about #arroyoarrest, it looks like a teleserye. Abangan ang susunod na kabanata….

@NielZapanta: Whenever there's a flash news about #arroyoarrest, it looks like a soap opera. Watch out for the next episode…

@w3ncy: #itlognitopacio saved by this afternoon's developments on the CGMA arrest.

@carloshconde: Today was not political will in action. It was desperation, w/ govt fully aware that there would be hell to pay if Arroyo managed to leave.

The hashtag #ArroyoArrest has been trending on Twitter worldwide after Arroyo's arrest warrant has been served Friday evening. The hashtag #itlognitopacio also trended after the Arroyos' legal counsel Ferdinand Topacio wagered that he will have one of his testicles removed if the Arroyos do not return from overseas.

Thumbnail used is from Twitpic page of @HecklerForever. Photo is from TV reporter Jove Francisco

Philippines: Hillary Clinton visit met with protest

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 23:42:11 +0000

United States State Secretary Hillary Clinton's November 15-16 visit to the Philippine capital Manila was met with protests against the ‘continuing U.S. stranglehold over the Philippine economy, military, politics and foreign relations.'

Philippines: Tributes for Murdered Italian Missionary

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:11:59 +0000

Father Fausto Tentorio was an Italian missionary serving indigenous communities in the hinterlands of the southern Philippine island of Mindanao. His cold-blooded murder, allegedly by state forces, has drawn widespread indignation and tributes for the well-loved missionary.

A lone gunman shot Fr. Fausto, fondly called Fr. Pops by those who knew him, in broad daylight at the garage of the Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish Church Convent, Arakan Valley, North Cotabato on October 17, 2011.

Fr. Pops was the head of the said parish as well as a member of the Pontifical Institute of Foreign Missions (PIME). He is the 54th victim of extrajudicial killing under the Noynoy Aquino regime.

Different social sectors have condemned the killing. Tributes by several Church groups are collected in the justiceforfatherpops.com website. The Visayas Clergy Discernment Group describes Fr. Pops:

As a rural missionary and as an anti-mining advocate, he helped and worked with the indigenous peoples in opposing the operation of large-scale plantations and mining which would harm them. As a human rights advocate, he joined in calling for justice for slain human rights workers and farmers in Central Mindanao in 2002.

Fr. Pops' opposition to mining and support for indigenous peoples' organizations has been cited by his colleagues as the reason for his killing:

The strong and visible presence of the 57th Infantry Battalion in Arakan was not able to prevent the threat on Fr. Fausto’s life and security. It has unmasked the hypocrisy of the Aquino soldiers’ claim as human rights defenders. Fr. Fausto’s assassin killed him in broad daylight in his parish grounds without fear.

Fr. Peter Geremia from PIME recalls the day Fr. Pops died:

October 17 as I was travelling from Columbio to Kidapawan a close friend called “Fr. Pops was shot!” I thought he was still alive but soon a nurse from the hospital texted” Fr.Pops is already dead, DOA, dead on arrival.” I rushed to the funeraria in Arakan and saw his body…

At the spot where he was shot, I saw the blood under the car. He was about to enter the car and he was holding his cellphone when suddenly
he met the executioner. Many shots, but soundless, nobody heard the shots. The executioner invisible, even though many people were nearby. He disappeared on a motorcycle…

Fr. Pops himself wrote of his narrow escape from death in 2003 at the hands of the Philippines Army-sponsored paramilitary Bagani Command. His account can be read online in the PIME Philippines blog:

“Will you kill him?” One of the Bagani replied “No, we will just arrest him and bring him to our superior!” Worried of the possible consequences, the people denied to them that I was there. They told me and my companions to stay quiet in the house and hide there because the Bagani were looking for me. We decided to listen to their advice because to try to run would have been too dangerous. We did not know how many of them were there, and where they were hiding.

The Philippine Army denies knowledge of the existence of the Bagani paramilitary group and instead accused the communist-led New People's Army of masterminding the assassination because of Fr. Tentorio's alleged betrayal of the rebel movement.

Fr. Pop's cold-blooded murder has drawn parallels with the killing of another Italian missionary, Fr. Tullio Favali 26 years ago. Fr. Pops is the third Italian PIME missionary killed in Mindanao.

In 1985 when the Marcos dictatorship was at its most desperate at clinging to power, an anticommunist paramilitary group called Tadtad led by Norberto Manero killed the Italian priest Fr. Tullio Favali, PIME, on April 15, 1985.

On October 24, more than 15,000 mourners came to Kidapawan City in Mindanao to pay their last respects to Fr. Pops. Photos of the funeral march, mass and burial, which has been transformed into a big protest are shared online at Arkibong Bayan.

The following video tributes to Fr. Pops show the appreciation and love of the masses of the hinterlands of Mindanao that he served, the masses whose thoughts and voices can seldom find their way to social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook:

Overview of Occupy Southeast Asia

Mong Palatino — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 12:21:33 +0000

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.

‘Occupy’ protests are also spreading in Southeast Asia. Inspired by the global ‘Occupy’ movement, assemblies were organized this month in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore.

Malaysia

The organizers have been actively using the social media to popularize their events. Occupy Dataran in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia aims to create a new movement to explore the true meaning of democracy:

#OccupyDataran is a new independent & autonomous grassroots initiative to reclaim Dataran Merdeka as an open and democratic space for people to gather, discuss and explore the true meaning of democracy beyond the representative system, to redefine democratic participation beyond the ballot box, to imagine a new political culture beyond race, ideology and political affiliation, and also to lepak, spend overnight and dream together at Dataran Merdeka

Occupy Dataran, Malaysia.

Cindi Loo narrated the events that transpired in OccupyDataran:

The overnight event organised by the KL (Kuala Lumpur) People's Assembly kicked off at around 5pm and lasted all through the night till 4am the next day. 50 people attended at the beginning, and the size grew to 120 people as the night goes on, despite having an event clash with a sponsored cycling event. The KL People's Assembly, which started meeting up weekly since July 30, tried to assemble twice but were stopped by the police force and in both times the assembly dispersed but remained on the square doing other activities such as playing music and games, dance and hold discussions in small circles

The Dataran action has inspired activists in Penang, Malaysia, to organize their own ‘Occupy’ protest:

The spirit of #OccupyDataran & the global #Occupy Movement is spreading to Penang!

On 29th October 2011, join us at Speakers' Square, Esplanade as we #OccupyPenang for the first time!

Indonesia

Meanwhile, Occupy Jakarta in Indonesia was organized in front of the stock exchange. Below is a short video of one of the assemblies:

It seems the protest didn’t gather many people.

@JohnyGrim: Fact: Today's demos are no fun. Mostly associated with violence & disorder. This should change. Holding out posters is boring #occupyjakarta

@jwolson: Just passed the #OccupyJakarta protest in our way our of the most expensive mall in Indonesia. About 12 college kids sitting in the grass.

Occupy Jakarta. From Facebook page of Har Wib

Philippines

‘Occupy’ protests were organized in Mendiola (near the presidential palace), Cagayan de Oro, Makati, and United States Embassy in the Philippines. The actions merged with the rallies of small farmers who are demanding the implementation of genuine land reform in the country.

Occupy US Embassy in Manila

Kapirasong Kritika [fil] believes the ‘Occupy’ protest should be in areas accessible to the people:

Mahirap kung ilulunsad ang protestang Occupy sa Makati na, tulad ng Wall Street, ay sentro ng pampinansyang aktibidad sa bansa. Malayo kasi ito sa malawak na mamamayan na maaasahang lalahok. Maaari ang Maynila para malapit sa mga sentro ng kapangyarihan at tradisyunal na pinagraralihan, tulad ng Mendiola at US Embassy. Pero ang mahalaga ay kung saan ito makakaakit ng malawak na paglahok at suporta ng mga mamamayan.

It's difficult to launch the Occupy protest in Makati which, like the Wall Street, is the center of financial activities in the country. Because it's far from the masses who are expected to participate in the protest. Maybe in Manila so that it's near to the political center and traditional rally areas, like Mendiola and US Embassy. But what's important is to hold them in areas where they can attract widespread participation and support from the people.

Singapore

Global Voices has already written a post about the zero attendance at the Occupy Singapore action.

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.

Philippines: Creative Protests During Campus Strikes

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 02:59:12 +0000

Last week's nationwide campus strikes against education budget cuts saw the lively and creative integration of online tools to mobilize thousands to fight for the right to education. From September 19-23, 2011, thousands of youths joined massive street protests supported by their teachers and public school administrators.

Protest, Philippines. Photo: Victor Villanueva

Creative means of protests were also explored by students to express their opposition to President Noynoy Aquino's reduction of state subsidy for education and social services; what could possibly be the world's largest planking protest - was held in the historic Mendiola bridge leading to the Presidential Palace:

Planking protest, Philippines.

There's also the “freeze mob,” wherein activists suddenly froze in the middle of a busy school lobby or corridor, arousing the curiosity of passersby, before inviting other students to walkout of their classes to join bigger protests:

A “Budget CUTtoure” fashion show was one of the activities held during the campus strike in the University of the Philippines Diliman. Denise Chan of the blog Dreamer's Disease describes this buildup activity for the march-rally:

Budget CUTtoure was all about the deconstruction of clothes; we had plain shirts printed with the anti-budget cut logo, and we cut-up the shirts.

Denise, a clothing technology major at the said university, posts photos of herself posing with the stylish slogan shirts in her blog:

The student council of the UP Visayas College of Management meanwhile spearheaded what they call “the blackboard campaign.” Student council officers walk around their campus encouraging fellow students, teachers, and school employees to write messages against the cuts in small pieces of blackboard with chalk and take their pictures posing with their messages. There are now over a hundred poses posted online:

They also initiated a “Black FB Pic Campaign” where students and other Facebook users were encouraged to change their profile pics to black for the duration of the weeklong campus strike:

The Black FB PIC campaign is one of our ways to express to our administrators and financial planners that we, students of the College of Management are not satisfied with their investments in education. This is also our way of expressing that we as Iskolars ng Bayan feel belittled with the below par appropriations that they grant social services.

Another online Facebook campaign encourages supporters to change their names to “[Name] Opposes Budget Cuts.”

Far from containing youthful unrest and idealism in the virtual world, these online actions had the particular aim of encouraging participation in the street protests in the real world. Particoloured, for instance, blogs about his rally experience and shows how Facebook literally had a role in compelling him to join the protests:

Gabi na noon. Ika-22 ng Setyembre, isang Miyerkules. Nag-post ng status ang isa kong bagong kaibigan sa Facebook tungkol sa pinakabagong budget cut ng administrasyong Aquino. Sang-ayon naman ako sa pinost niya, kaya ni-like ko. Mamaya-maya, nag-comment siya na “Lahat ng nag-like nito, dapat samahan ako mag-strike bukas! LOL.”

It was already evening. On the 22nd of September, a Wednesday. One of my new friends in Facebook posted a status about the latest budget cut of the Aquino administration. I agreed with his post, so I liked it. Some time later, he commented “Everyone who liked this should join me in tomorrow's strike! LOL.”

A month before the campus strike week from September 19 to 23, students created the Facebook group “Kilos Na Laban Sa Budget Cuts” (Act Against Budget Cuts) which was joined by at least 3,000 Facebook users in its first 12 hours. The group now has over 9,000 members and serves as the online campaign center providing the latest information and updates regarding the campaign.

Experiencing chronic unemployment, low wages, expensive tuition, and successive cuts on education, the Filipino youth has a long and colorful history of activism.

They led the resurgence of the nationalist mass movement in the 60s and early 70s, which culminated in the fiery protests of tens of thousands during the First Quarter Storm of 1970. The youth were at the forefront in the protest movement that toppled the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 and the Estrada regime in 2001.

They continue to take an active role in national politics and have intervened decisively with regards various social issues, especially with the worsening crisis now afflicting the global economy. The internet medium gives this militant tradition a twist as online tools are used by youth activists to encourage participation in offline protest actions.

Philippines: Anti-Planking Bill Draws More Planks

Karlo Mikhail Mongaya — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 01:42:42 +0000

Congressman Winnie Castelo filed House Bill 5316 after student activists planked in the middle of busy Manila City streets to express support for jeepney (public utility vehicles) drivers striking against weekly oil price hikes. Castelo's anti-planking bill defines planking as follows:

planking is when a student or group of students lies face down in unusual locations especially in streets or other public places, keeping the hands along the body and the feet outstretched and especially where such act is meant as a form of redress of grievance against government.

But instead of discouraging the plankers, the proposal only made planking even more popular among the public with critics even planking in front of Castelo's own office in Congress to mock the measure.

Tine, who was part of the group who planked in Congress, asks:

If Rep. Castelo was so concerned with safe planking then he should have filed a Safe Planking Act (not that this will work…self-regulation within the planking community would probably be better). And why target planking protests? Actually, it is safer to plank with a big group of people.

Youth groups condemn the measure for curtailing freedom of expression and its repressive proposal to draft a code of conduct for students joining protest actions.

The anti-planking bill is not only against planking as a protest form, it even restricts our students from staging protest actions. This definitely goes against the youth’s fundamental right to freedom of expression.

Blogger Tonyo Cruz reacts against the measure:

The drafting of the bill is a total waste of time and money of taxpayers. Castelo and his fellow legislators should instead waste no time in studying and adopting measures addressing the subject of the plunking protesters — warrantless oil price increases, abusive oil cartels and taxes on petroleum products.

Planking for a cause

A few months ago, planking protests were held against education budget cuts. A few days ago, thousands of students once again held massive plankings in various parts of the country as part of a weeklong nationwide campus strike against the cuts.

Contingents of the 10,000-strong march of public university students and teachers hold a mass planking in the Mendiola bridge leading to the Malacanang Presidential Palace. It could be one of the biggest planking protests in the world :

Teo Marasigan describes the mass planking protest:

Nag-planking sila papunta at nag-planking sila pagdating sa Mendiola. Dahil ginagawa nila ang tinutuligsa at sinisiraan ng mga nasa awtoridad, militante ang dating nila. Dahil marami sila, hindi sila mukhang nagkakatuwaan lang, kundi lumalabag, lumalaban.

They planked going to Mendiola and they planked when they got there. Because they did what authorities criticized and discredited, their posturing is militant. Because they are many, they do not look like they're just having fun, but transgressive and in fighting form.

The Facebook group “PLANK! For a Cause” was also created to encourage plankers to share planking photos that highlight a cause “to dramatize the militancy and creativity of the youth.” Some of the photos posted in the group includes that of human rights advocates plank for the release of all political prisoners in the country.

Another is that of activists planking to commemorate the 39th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

Twitter reactions

Some reactions to the anti-planking bill on Twitter:

@planetchuckie: The Anti-Planking Act of 2011 is even more useless and absurd than the act of planking itself.

@teddycasino: An anti-planking law? Ano ito, in observance of d anniversary of martial law? This is equivalent to Marcos' banning of Voltes 5 and Daimos.

@teddycasino: An anti-planking law? What is this, in observance of d anniversary of martial law? This is equivalent to [the late dictator] Marcos' banning of [cartoon shows] Voltes 5 and Daimos.

@gangbadoy: @radikalchick sinusubukan kong hanapan ng deeper meaning, pero alas…alaws! Apir, Winnie the Plank.

@gangbadoy: @radikalchick I'm trying to find a deeper meaning [for the bill], but alas… alaws! Apir, Winnie the Plank.

@choihilario: Or a new game “Plank Vs. Zombies ” RT @kakanturing: RT @gangbadoy: Winnie the Plank. :) > That sounds like a good idea for a new…

@venzie: Sinong mga kongresista at senador ang willing na makiplank sa mga iskolar ng bayan bukas sa Mendiola? Game.

@venzie: Which congressman or senator is willing to plank with the people's scholars tomorrow at Mendiola? Game.

@maxenemagalona: There's an anti-planking law? Plank that. Plank you.