News
NPA seizes 16 firearms in Misamis Occidental
The New People�s Army (NPA) in Western Mindanao seized 16 high powered rifles in a raid on a CAFGU detachment on June 30. The successful raid was launched in Sinaad, Sapang Dalaga, Misamis Occidental.
Seized were 13 M14s, two M16s, a Garand and a hand-held radio. The CAFGU elements were unable to put up any resistance when the NPA raided their detachment.
4 soldiers killed, 2 wounded in Bulacan ambush
Four soldiers of the 34th Special Forces Company Riverine were killed and two others were wounded in an ambush by Red fighters along the boundaries of Barangay Binakod and Barangay Sta. Cruz, Paombong, Bulacan on the morning of July 3. The soldiers were patrolling the river when they were ambushed.
The next day, two vehicles of the 305th PNP Provincial Mobile Group were burned by an NPA team in Barangay Panasahan in the neighboring town of Malolos.
Ambush in Surigao victorious
The NPA successfully ambushed a team of policemen along the highway in Barangay Alipao, Alegria, Surigao del Norte in the last week of June. Seized from the ambush was an M14 and a 9 mm pistol. A policemen was killed while another was wounded.
The policemen were on their way back to their station from an operation when the NPA waylaid them at around six o�clock in the evening.
NPA mounts ambush on soldiers in Samar
Elements of the 34th IB were taken by surprise and unable to resist when ambushed by the NPA on June 30 along the boundaries of Barangay Concepcion and Barangay Lawaan in Paranas, Samar. The Red fighters opened fire on six soldiers who were aboard a six-wheeler truck. The troops were on their way back to their headquarters in San Jorge, Samar when ambushed by the NPA at around 12:30 noon. Two of the soldiers were killed while the other four were wounded.
The NPA later demolished the truck using command-detonated land mines.
Punitive actions launched in Negros, Davao Oriental and Tarlac
The Boy Gatmaitan Command (NPA-Negros) claimed responsibility for setting fire to nine passenger buses of Ceres Bus Line from February to June 20. The Ceres buses are owned by Vallacar Transit Inc.
In a statement released on June 21, NPA-Negros spokesperson Bayani Obrero said that the burning of Ceres buses was a punitive measure against the Yanson family that owns Vallacar. He said that the Yanson family had committed many transgressions against the people and the revolutionary movement. Among others, the company refused to pay taxes due to the revolutionary movement; seized lands in Hinobaan, Negros Occidental and Escalante City for use as terminals for the Ceres bus line; deprived its workers of just wages and benefits; and refused to honor its obligations to victims of accidents involving Ceres.
Red fighters also set fire to a bus owned by LCI, a transport company, in Sitio Tagamot, Barangay Dawan, Mati, Davao Oriental on June 23. LCI was meted punishment for neglecting accident victims.
In Barangay Mamonit, Mayantoc, Tarlac, an NPA squad torched two cement mixers and a truck worth millions of pesos on June 11 because of owner Francisco Dizon�s refusal to abide by the revolutionary movement�s policy on taxation.
Planned closure of 10 hospitals in Isabela criticized
NDF Cagayan Valley spokesperson Ka Lorena Magtanggol criticized the planned closure of 10 community hospitals in Isabela. Matanggol said that the province�s governor Faustino Dy Jr. prioritized the construction of a flamboyant medical building in Ilagan (capital of Isabela) instead of augmenting the funding of small hospitals servicing more than 270 barrios in remote towns of Isabela. Thus, she said, not only will the poor be deprived of health services, many doctors and health workers are in danger of losing their jobs.
The hospitals set to be closed are the Dinapigue Medicare and Emergency Hospital, Jones Medicare and Community Hospital, San Mariano Medicare and Community Hospital, San Antonio Municipal Hospital, Quirino Medicare and Community Hospital, Quezon Emergency Hospital, San Guillermo Emergency Hospital, Elvin Masigan Municipal Hospital, Faustino Dy Emergency Hospital in Villa Concepcion, Cauayan and the Tumauini District Hospital.
As a result, villagers will be forced to travel for up to more than 30 kilometers before reaching the nearest medical facility.
Regime�s puppetry condemned during Araw ng Kalayaan
Some 2,000 workers, peasants, women, teachers, youth and other sectors from Metro Manila, Central and Southern Luzon condemned on June 12 the planned deployment of more American troops to the Philippines. Other mass actions were simultaneously launched in major cities around the country. Various organizations assailed the Macapagal-Arroyo regime�s sophistical claims that Balikatan 02-1 was a success. They said that Macapagal-Arroyo made such claims to secure approval for unlimited US military intervention through the RP-US Mutual Logistics Support Agreement.
To portray the Macapagal-Arroyo regime�s rabid puppetry, the rallyists paraded an effigy dubbed the "Statue of Puppetry". They also criticized the P10 million - extravagant but hollow celebration by Malaca�ang of Independence Day.
They likewise condemned the anti-riot police for blocking the rally and arresting seven demonstrators, including four children.
Meanwhile, various organizations in Canada issued a statement calling for the pullout of American troops from the Philippines. They also called for the continuation of the Filipino people�s unfinished struggle for independence and democracy.
People vow continued resistance to San Roque Dam Project
Even as Malaca�ang is in a hurry to finish the San Roque Multipurpose Dam Project (SRMDP), the people of the Cordillera continue and are intensifying their resistance to it.
Groups opposed to the SRMDP said on June 22 that the Malaca�ang-sponsored dialogue called supposedly to discuss issues related to the project was meaningless. Big Cordillera-based alliances opposed to the project were invited to the dialogue but their grievances were disregarded regarding the termination of the project. Some 800 farmers from Pangasinan and Itogon, Benguet who picketed the entrance of the San Roque Power Corporation (SRPC) were blocked.
The alliances strongly assailed the government�s generous funding of the SRMDP despite their repeated appeals to stop the project. On June 22, Macapagal-Arroyo ordered the allotment to the project of a $20 million (P1 billion) loan she was able to secure during a trip to China. The regime has also been trying to convince the Japan Bank of International Cooperation to release a $400 million loan (P20 billion) for the SRMDP. Japan has revoked its funding due to opposition from Japanese activists.
The Cordillera People�s Alliance stressed related problems that the people would confront with the dam�s operation. One of them is paying for the $40 million poured in by the government to finish the dam. This is in addition to paying back the foreign financiers of the project. Aside from this, electricity rates are sure to rise once the dam contributes an additional 345 megawatts to the National Power Corporation (Napocor). Napocor will be passing on the cost of the additional energy to consumers through the PPA.
Pier workers strike, successful
Some 500 workers led by the Samahan ng mga Manggagawa sa Pantalan paralyzed operations at Pier 2, 4, 6,12, 14 and 16 at the Manila North Harbor when they struck on June 25. The workers opposed the United Dockhandlers Inc.�s (UDI) decision to deprive them of their mid-year bonus, 13th month pay and other benefits won in their CBA. The UDI yielded and promised to grant P8 million in benefits to some 1,000 workers.
FTI workers� struggle heats up
Workers at the Food Terminal Inc. (FTI) in Taguig, Metro Manila assailed management�s continued refusal to come to terms with a just collective bargaining agreement. They said that a prior agreement that included additional benefits offered by management and a P1,800 monthly wage hike had all been revoked by the FTI negotiating panel upon Malaca�ang�s orders. The workers were even threatened that Malaca�ang would order the closure or privatization of the corporation should the workers continue to assert their demands.
The workers belied management claims that the FTI was in the red. In fact, said the workers, FTI was the only wholly-owned government corporation that was not being subsidized. Instead, it has been a source of funds for past and present regimes.
The workers stressed that if their just demands were not met, their six-month struggle for a CBA would culminate in a strike.
Colonel charged with killing of 2 Bayan Muna members
Murder and frustrated murder charges have been filed against Col. Jovito Palparan, 204th Bde commander; M/Sgt. Larry Hilario, an intelligence operative; Aniano "Silver" Flores and Larry Viena Aparato, both military assets. Gunned down on May 28 were Bayan Muna members Edilberto Napoles and Ruel Landicho. Napoles was killed while Landicho, who was wounded, identified Flores and Aparato as the gunmen. Bayan Muna has accused Palparan and Hilario of masterminding the murder.
Court rejects Mamburao 6 appeal
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) condemned on June 21 the latest decision by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court rejecting the appeal for reconsideration filed by the Mamburao 6. The Mamburao 6 are peasant leaders from Occidental Mindoro who have been accused of killing the sons of despotic landlord Ricardo Quintos in 1999. The NPA has, from the very beginning, claimed responsibility for punishing the Quintoses. The KMP said that with the court�s rejection of the appeal, the peasantry�s legitimate struggle for genuine agrarian reform continues to be criminalized.
Task Force Hope launched vs. revolutionary movement
The AFP, PNP and the Commission on Elections launched Task Force Hope on June 29 allegedly to stop the revolutionary movement from influencing the barangay elections. Project Hope�s main components include offensive combat and intelligence operations against the revolutionary movement. Branded as "election hot spots" and areas of concentration of military operations are Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog and Bicol.
In a related development, a battalion of Philippine Marines was recently deployed to Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur. Military forces have also been augmented in other areas of the country where the revolutionary movement is strong because "the CPP and NPA are strengthening their grassroots presence and control of the political structures of barangays through the July 15 elections."
Paramilitary forces beefed up in Northern and Central Luzon
Thirteen companies of the Civilian Armed Auxiliaries (CAA) were formally organized on June 15 under the 5th ID in Northern Luzon and 7th ID in Central Luzon to beef up paramilitary and military forces engaged in counterrevolutionary operations. Five companies were set up in Northern Luzon and eight in Central Luzon. This brings to 72 the overall number of CAA companies deployed in the two regions. The number does not yet include the Cordillera People�s Liberation Army which is currently being trained by the AFP for full integration. The AFP made the move in accordance with its view that the revolutionary forces were resurgent in Ilocos, Cordillera, Cagayan and Central Luzon.
KARAPATAN harassed by soldiers, cops
The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) exposed on June 20 the human rights violations committed by troops from Task Force Makiling on members of a fact-finding mission led by KARAPATAN-Batangas. In its statement, the KMP said that the fact-finding mission was set to investigate abuses by soldiers and policemen belonging to Task Force Makiling. It said that the women in the mission were harassed and sexually molested by members of the Task Force while the men were mauled and hit with rifle butts. The Task Force guards lands owned by big hacienda owners in Southern Tagalog like the Roxases, Puyats and Lopezes.
Anti-migrant policies pushed by DOLE
DOLE has entered into an agreement with the Saudi Arabian government to reduce the minimum wages of migrant Filipino workers there by 25%. The agreement also prohibits migrant workers from suing their recruiters and employers for breach of contract. The agreement will cover some 400,000 low-skilled Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia. Welfare centers outside of the Philippine embassy were likewise declared illegal. The declaration criminalizes migrant workers with problems for seeking assistance from Migrante and other alternative labor centers.
4.87 M Filipinos jobless
Up to 4.87 million Filipinos were officially acknowledged by the government to be unemployed as of April. The actual number is definitely bigger than what the government-doctored statistics show. This also signifies the Macapagal-Arroyo regime�s failure to solve widespread and worsening unemployment in the country. The unemployment rate of 13.9% was the highest in two years. All regions registered high unemployment rates, with Metro Manila at the lead (20.3%). Meanwhile, the National Statistics Office said that among the employed, 5.9 million or 19.6% were underemployed.
News from the student and teacher front
Number of students in private colleges plummets. The number of students in private colleges plummeted this school opening due to higher tuition and other fees. At the Adamson University in Manila, the number of students dropped 12%. At the University Belt and Taft in Manila, schools continued to accept enrollees one week after the first day of classes because of a lack of students. Enrollment was also ongoing at AMA till the middle of June even if classes had already started on May 28.
CHEd itself has admitted that in 2000, only 42.52% of college enrollees were able to reach fourth year.
�Youth forced to work instead of study� � Anakbayan-Negros. Anakbayan-Negros Oriental said on June 11 that many youth in the province are unable to study because of the high cost of education and worsening poverty. Thus, said Dionmarx Dionson, the organizations�s chair, 75% of the province�s 300,000 school-age youth are forced to work in the agricultural sector or in construction sites. Dionson also assailed the government for giving more priority to the military�s pursuit of the Abu Sayyaf than to to education.
Teachers and students rally. Students and teachers in Baguio, Central Luzon, Bicol, Samar, Panay, Davao City and Metro Manila launched coordinated protest actions on June 17 to oppose the miserable state of education in the country.
The students declared their strong opposition to the new round of tuition fee hikes in so many schools. They likewise criticized CHEd as a mere instrument for the commercialization of education and a co-conspirator of the Macapagal-Arroyo regime in depriving the youth of education and social services.
Led by the Alliance of Concerned Teachers, the teachers assailed the Basic Education Curriculum, the severely inadequate education budget and the teachers low salaries.
Bayan Muna Partylist Rep. Liza Masa also led teacher- and student leaders in a �Bisita Eskwela� � or visits to public schools to investigate problems hounding students and teachers.
28 students join NPA. Twenty-eight students from various colleges and universities in Metro Manila decided to join the NPA in the first six months of 2002. Twenty-four others decided to work fulltime in the cities.
According to a report from the National Youth and Student Bureau, 40 out of 115 students from these schools who decided to become fulltime revolutionaries the previous year, joined the NPA or were deployed to various other areas of revolutionary work in the countryside. Thirty-six out of 70 students who turned fulltime in 1999 also joined the NPA.
Aside from them, many more students from schools in the provinces have joined the NPA and worked fulltime for the revolution in various regions.
PN trained by British Navy
The HMS Nottingham of the British Royal Navy (BRN) docked at Pier 15 of the Manila South Harbor in mid-June for a five-day training exercise. Aboard the air defense destroyer were 250 BRN troops.
The visit was ostensibly for rest and recreation. But a major part of the activities included the training of Philippine Navy troops assigned to the Malampaya Gas Fields in Palawan on sea combat operations.
"Capitalism will never be restored"�Cuban parliament
The Cuban National Assembly unanimously voted to enshrine in their constitution the irrevocability of the 41-year-old socialist system in the country. The amendment to the constitution was ratified after a three day meeting on the matter. During the voting led by Pres. Fidel Castro, everyone who voted strongly shouted "Si!" (Yes). After the unanimous vote, the deputies joined hands and sang the Cuban national anthem and the Internationale. Castro declared Cuba�s entry into the socialist system two years after the revolution�s victory in 1959.
Successful general strike launched in Spain
Millions of workers in Spain participated in a 24-hour general strike on June 20. Almost 84% of workers took part in the general strike organized by the two biggest unions in the country. The strike was timed to coincide with the eve of the European Union Summit in Seville and the peak of the tourist season. The strike affected transportation, industry, trade and the civil service.
The strike was the workers� response to government plans to reform the unemployment benefit system and protest Spain�s economic policies that have caused further unemployment. Spain�s unemployment rate of 11.5% is the highest among the 15 member-nations of the European Union.
This was the first general strike in Spain since Jose Maria Aznar�s rightist government took power in 1996.
10,000 protest in Norway vs. WB
Some 10,000 people trooped to the streets of Oslo, Norway on June 25 to assail the World Bank (WB). The Annual Bank Conference on Development Economics was held in the city. They cried out their strong condemnation of world capitalism�s various faces, from US imperialism to Israel�s attacks on Palestine.
Demonstration confronts G8 meet
Thousands of people protested the meeting held by the Group of 8 (composed of the US, Japan, France, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, Italy and Russia) in Calgary, Alberta and Ottawa, Canada on June 27. They shouted various anti-imperialist slogans that assailed imperialism�s political, economic and cultural intervention in different countr ��XT� _ban <�.gif" /> July 2002
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