News
Indemnification of Marcos dictatorship victims pressed
The Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee Laban sa Detensyon at Para sa Amnestiya (SELDA) is pressing for the approval of House Bill 4535 which sets aside one-third of all of the Marcoses� ill-gotten wealth for the 10,000 victims of martial law after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the government this July regarding the disposition of $150 million in ill-gotten Marcos wealth long held in escrow at the Philippine National Bank.
SELDA issued the call amid maneuverings by the Marcos family and their cronies to block or water down any law that provides a significant portion of the ill-gotten wealth to victims of the dictatorship.
Recently, Arroyo also announced the allotment of a mere P8 million ($150,000) to the victims�a far cry from the P2.5 billion which should have been awarded to them from the $150 million.
GRP withdraws conditions imposed on MILF
The Arroyo regime yielded on July 18 to MILF demands by suspending the arrest warrants and rewards for the capture of 10 MILF leaders, and halting the �terrorist� tag on the MILF. Several sectors including many imam (religious Muslin leaders) likewise forwarded the demands to pave the way for peace negotiations between the government and the MILF.
In a related development, Party spokesperson Gregorio �Ka Roger� Rosal advised the MILF to be wary of the puppet government�s deceptive schemes and to be vigilant regarding the US� current intervention in the peace negotiations.
Meanwhile, the AFP immediately violated its ceasefire with the MILF when its soldiers assaulted an MILF stronghold in Pagalungan, Maguindanao.
Violent dispersal of Iloilo rally condemned
Militant organizations and human rights advocates assailed the violent dispersal by police and vigilantes of 200 rallyists in front of the Barcelo Sarabia Manor Hotel where President Arroyo stayed during her stopover in Iloilo City on July 15.
More than 200 police and vigilante forces under the Civilian Volunteer Organization and the Bantay Bayan Foundation carried out the dispersal, which was the most violent in recent years. The rallyists included members of the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Panay, Kilusang Mayo Uno, KADAMAY, Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Operator Nationwide, Anakpawis, Anakbayan and other militant organizations in Iloilo.
Six demonstrators were injured and ten were jailed.
�Open skies� policy soon to be implemented in the country
Negotiations between the US and the Philippines on the postponement anew of the fullblown implementation of the �open skies� policy have broken down, paving the way for the policy�s enforcement on October 1. The implementation of the agreement, which was signed way back in 1982 by the Marcos regime upon the dictates of US imperialism, has already been postponed three times.
The �open skies� policy not only covers the liberalization of flights between the US and the Philippines and between the Philippines and other countries, but also trips to and from various points of the Philippines.
The US is demanding that US airlines be allowed to do business in the Philippines as though they were in US territory�in violation of the Philippine constitution. It is now using this issue as a pretext for demanding immediate charter change to do away with obstacles to the imperialist trampling of the Philippines� patrimony and national sovereignty.
The �open skies� policy will eventually result in the bankruptcy of local airline companies such as Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific Airways.
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