Arrested and threatened with death, Fr Peter Geremia has seen it all

In the past four decades, Italian missionary Peter Geremia has been accused of being a communist and a rebel leader, been arrested, forced into hiding and threatened with death. He has sided with slum dwellers against the demolition of their shanties, worked with indigenous people against large scale mining in the mountains, and stood up [...]

Poor feel ‘betrayed’ after talks with president

Peasants and tribal people who walked for 18 days to call the attention of the government to their plight said they have been “betrayed” by the government after President Benigno Aquino failed to give in to their demands during a dialogue on Tuesday. “Where can we go to now? Who will listen to us?” asked [...]

CHR: Violations vs IP rights an alarming trend

“Dear President Aquino, I am Erita Capion, sister of Daguil Capion, a target of your armed forces. I believe you must have already known the merciless killing of my sister-in law, Juvy Capion and her two sons, Jordan and Mark John, both minor, by 13 soldiers of the 27th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army.” [...]

Protestant church calls on Aquino to act on murder of tribe leader, stop the killings

Taking the cudgels for the widow of slain anti-mining tribe leader in Bukidnon, bishops of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP) wrote to President Benigno Aquino III seeking justice for Jimmy Liguyon. Liguyon, a UCCP leader, was shot to death in front of his family on March 5 by Alde Salusad and [...]

Benedictine nuns welcome victims of rights violations from Mindanao

Participants of Manilakbayan visited the Benedictine nuns for a dialogue on their plight and sufferings from the hands of multinational corporations and the military in Mindanao. “Impunity continues to permeate in Mindanao. One proof is the slow-paced trial of the Ampatuan massacre. But it is not limited to that,” Jean Marie Serraris, one of the [...]

Mindanao groups take their protest vs extrajudicial killings to Manila

Leaders of indigenous peoples’ groups, human rights advocates, environment defenders and families of victims of extrajudicial killings in Mindanao have decided to take their protest to Manila. “It’s historic because it’s the first time that human rights groups gave more focus on the rising human rights violations in Mindanao, associated with the aggressive expansion of [...]

Casiguran locals march for their land

December is usually a time of celebration, family reunions, and for the financially fortunate, shopping sprees. But for residents of Casiguran, Aurora, the month of December will be spent fighting for the land they call home. 120 farmers, fisherfolk, indigenous peoples, and other residents from Casiguran are marching to Manila in hopes of convincing government [...]

Peace panelists urged to include women, lumad in transition commission

Include women and lumad (indigenous people) but reject warlords and traditional politicians. This is what peace activists have urged the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front to consider in forming the Transition Commission that would be tasked with preliminary measures toward entrenching the Bangsamoro. Maranao activist Salic Ibrahim, chair of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus, said [...]

For Vietnam’s Hmong, a constant struggle to stay in school

Vang A Chong’s trip to school must rank among the most arduous in the region. This ethnic Hmong ninth-grader loads a bundle of firewood and 3.5 kgs of rice on his back, then walks 10 kms across cliffs and steep paths from his home in Tran Yen district in northern Vietnam. It takes him three hours to [...]

Tribal elders seek ways to revive traditions

Conchita Tandica, 75, claims to heal the sick, even those that have been turned away by doctors, a common scenario in the Philippines where people are too often judged incurable or simply have no money to pay for treatment. She is a balyan, a tribal priestess who says she is guided by her dreams in [...]

AFP, PNP either clueless on Bagani armed group, or turning blind eye, solons say

The military and the police are either clueless about the existence of the Bagani armed group in Arakan, North Cotabato, or just turning a blind eye on the group’s existence, according to members of the House Committee on Human Rights who conducted on-site hearings here. Both the military and the police admitted Friday that they [...]

Tribal campaigner denies anti-mines activism

A tribal leader in Mindanao whose 12-year-old son was killed in an ambush last September says he is not against mining, contrary to reports published in several local media outlets. “I am not anti- nor am I pro-mining. I am not an activist, either,” Timuay Lucenio Manda said in a statement obtained by ucanews.com through his lawyer. [...]

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