September | 2006 | Northern Dispatch (nordis) Weekly

Living in fear in the land of the brave

September 30, 2006 in Cordillera, human rights

By DESIREE CALUZA

TABUK, Kalinga (Aug. 29) — Cordillera history tells us that in Kalinga, many tribes fought countless wars and waged headhunting raids against other tribes, making their mark as a warrior society and their province as the land of the brave.

But through the centuries, alongside modern society’s advocacy for peace, Kalinga evolved its own peace-keeping mechanism in the form of bodong (or vochong), which bound tribes by word of honor to keep the peace and help each other. Read the rest of this entry →

Phil. Rabbit workers still unpaid despite DOLE order

September 30, 2006 in national, transport, workers

BAGUIO CITY (Sept. 29) — After staging two strikes and signing three Memorandum of Agreements (MOAs), the employees of the Philippine Rabbit Bus Line (PRBL) are still unfairly paid despite a motion of execution issued by the National Labor Relations Commission of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

Rabbit bus workers alleged that the management deceived them to sign waivers of quit claims. Read the rest of this entry →

Hedcor proposes Asin hydro rehab contract

September 30, 2006 in Baguio City, Cordillera, energy

BAGUIO CITY (Sept. 28) — In a recent press conference a power generation company clarified that without a clear “interim” agreement between them and the city for the continued operation of the Asin hydroelectric power plants, it would opt to turn over the facilities.

Presently the maintenance of the plants is in consideration to the letters of request last August 23 from the Mayor Braulio D. Yaranon earlier, before the suspension, and then from now acting Mayor Reinaldo Bautista, Jr. on August 31. But Hedcor chief executive officer Rene Ronquillo stressed that they could not continue the maintenance work indefinitely without a clear agreement addressing the financial and equally crucial maintenance issues. Read the rest of this entry →

Celebrating the Moon Festival

September 30, 2006 in food, lifeways, people

BAGUIO CITY (Sept. 30) — October 6, 2006 is a day to look forward to among the Chinese, and the Filipinos alike, when this year’s Moon Festival unfolds.

Filipino-Chinese community here will celebrate the Moon Festival at the Supreme Hotel with fun fare, according to Dr. Charles Cheng. Read the rest of this entry →

Commuters, transport groups hit proposed PUJ ban within Baguio CBD

September 30, 2006 in Baguio City, transport

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (Sept. 27) — The proposed ban of public utility jeepneys (PUJ) of neighboring towns from plying Baguio City’s central business district (CBD) gained criticism from commuters and transport groups.

Proposed Amendatory Ordinance 7-84 or the Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Ordinance introduced by Baguio Councilor Rocky Thomas Balisong, chair of the committee on public utilities, seeks to prohibit PUJs of nearby towns from entering the CBD as part of the city’s measures to ease traffic congestion. Read the rest of this entry →

A passion for books

September 30, 2006 in literary, national, people

By PINK-JEAN FANGON MELEGRITO

BAGUIO CITY (Sept. 27) — The Anvil Publishing House’s campaign for the “propagation of the book readers community” brought today authors Prof. Ambeth Ocampo and Jessica Zafra to the UP Baguio community to encourage people increase their “Passion for Books.”

The activity was a two-part forum – in the morning, Ocampo talked about “popularizing history”; and in the afternoon, Zafra divulged her ‘how-tos’ of personal essay writing. Read the rest of this entry →

Protest meets UP Board of Regents

September 30, 2006 in Baguio City, education, youth

BAGUIO CITY (Sept. 29) — As the University of the Philippines students are threatened with tuition and more fees academic, non-academic personnel and students staged a protest at the UPB parking lot while the UP Board of Regents (BOR) meeting was going on.

The Ugnayang Multi-Sektoral Laban Sa Komersyalisasyon Ng Edukasyon (Umaksyon), an alliance spearheaded by three UPB institutions – the University Student Council (USC), Council of Leaders (CL) and official publication OutcroP, called on the attention of the BOR. Read the rest of this entry →

Filipino-Chinese Hospital: serving Igorot families for decades

September 30, 2006 in Baguio City, health, people

By LYN V. RAMO

BAGUIO CITY (Sept. 30) — Baguio City’s Filipino-Chinese General Hospital, the only hospital in this part of the globe which uses both western and oriental medicine, has consistently served the people of the north, specially the Cordillera, according to its founder Dr. Charles Cheng.

Cheng told Nordis in an interview that most of his patients come from communities, which are usually reached through a two-to-four-hour hike along steep slopes. Read the rest of this entry →

Camp fencing on hold sans relocation survey

September 30, 2006 in Cordillera, housing, land rights

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet (Sept. 7) — The concerted efforts of affected residents at Camp Bado Dangwa succeeded as police officials agreed to suspend the camp’s perimeter fencing while the relocation survey by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Cordillera and construction of a more permanent passage is underway. Read the rest of this entry →

Editorial: A wanton disregard for press freedom

September 30, 2006 in editorials, human rights, media, national, statements

The law on libel exists to protect private citizens from unwarranted damage to reputation, but in the Philippines libel has been predominantly used by public officials as a tool to cow an independent press.

The most glaring example is the multiple libel cases filed by First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo against 43 reporters, columnists, editors, publishers, and even a subscription manager, of various publications. Read the rest of this entry →

Editorial Cartoon: 1 October 2006

September 30, 2006 in human rights, media, national

By TITO SANQUI

Editorial Cartoon: 1 October 2006

Advocate's Overview: A painful joke at the UN-HRC

September 30, 2006 in columns, human rights, international

By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW

A discussion among our media group zeroed in on the issue whether or not the Philippine government has the moral ascendancy to sit as member of the United Nations Human Rights Council with its present human rights record, regarded by international watchdogs as among the world’s worst. Read the rest of this entry →

Pathless Travels: The fading away of indigenous groups

September 30, 2006 in columns, indigenous, lifeways, national

By PIO VERZOLA JR.

Tribal Filipino Sunday is observed yearly on the second Sunday of October. This year it’s next Sunday, Oct. 8.

But I can’t wait that long to say something about indigenous groups in the country that are rapidly fading away, becoming almost fully absorbed into the mainstream society and losing much of their indigenous identity, and yet remain as oppressed as decades ago. Read the rest of this entry →

Women's Front: The people, not the PNP, need the bigger funds

September 30, 2006 in budget, columns, women

By INNABUYOG-GABRIELA

The Philippine National Police, through the Department of Interior and Local Government, has the nerve to ask for a bigger fund when there are more important things to prioritize. We from INNABUYOG-GABRIELA believe that Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno is overreacting when he prodded the House of Representatives to approve the P1.429 billion supplemental budget which Malacañang itself proposed. Read the rest of this entry →

Weekly Reflections: The least coin

September 30, 2006 in columns, human rights, religion, workers

By REV. LUNA L. DINGAYAN

“…Others offered their gifts from what they had to spare of their riches; but she, poor as she is, gave all she had to live on.” — Luke 21:4

Birth of a Fellowship

Sometime in 1956, the United Presbyterian Church Women in the US sponsored four women in Asia to visit the East Asian countries. One of the four women was an Indian woman by the name of Shanti Solomon. She was denied permission to go to Korea, because at that time Korea and India did not have any diplomatic relations. Therefore, Shanti had to stay in the Philippines while her companions proceeded to Korea. Read the rest of this entry →

From under this hat: Baguio’s best

September 30, 2006 in Baguio City, columns, lifeways

We tip our hat in greetings to all. This column shall come to you as weekly as the Nordis Weekly will with your help… we invite you (yes, you my dear readers) to write and share your comments or opinions on what is going-on in our communities: developments in culture, on governance, on the environment. On anything you believe would contribute to building a better community on this side of the north. Like this article now, your contribution when chosen for print will be subjected to editing for clarity, spelling or grammar and for space. Write now and send it to editors@nordis.net.

This week’s contribution is by Kathleen T. Okubo (now a freelance writer). Read the rest of this entry →

Salun-at tayo, biag tayo: Panagebbal

September 30, 2006 in health

Ti panagebbal ket isu ti pannakaurnong ti danum iti bagi iti ruar ti pagnaan ti dara. Ti panagebbal ket makita babaen ti panagletteg ti kalub ti mata, panagbussog ti rupa, dumakdakkel a siket, panagletteg dagiti saksaka ken im-ima, umilet ti singsing wenno sapatos, panaglennek ti kudil no italmeg ken saan a mailawlawag a panagdagsen. Read the rest of this entry →

Tula: Panata

September 30, 2006 in literary, workers

By ALDWIN QUITASOL

Lakas paggawa, palagi na lang binibili ng mura,
Ng mga among nag-aastang nagmamay-ari ng lupa.
At sa busabos naming kalagaya’y kami’y nakikibaka.
Sagot naman sa ami’y ibayong lupit at pagdusta. Read the rest of this entry →

Pooled Statement: A WANTON DISREGARD FOR PRESS FREEDOM

September 26, 2006 in media, national, statements

Please sign, and enjoin other journalists to sign

There are presently 43 journalists in the Philippines facing libel charges filed by First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo. The sheer number betrays a wanton disregard for freedom of the press and the propensity to use power and influence to silence critics. This statement is to protest the use of the libel law to stop critical reports and commentaries and to fight for the right of every Filipino to seek and receive information and ideas on matters of public interest, which are at the very core of the concept of a democratic society.

Please click here or scroll down to access a comment box; then enter your full name and/or organization to indicate your agreement with the statement.

NATIONAL UNION OF JOURNALISTS OF THE PHILIPPINES
www.nujp.org
105-A Scout Castor Street (near Morato Avenue)
Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (+632) 4117768
Email: nujphil@gmail.com

A WANTON DISREGARD FOR PRESS FREEDOM

The law on libel exists to protect private citizens from unwarranted damage to reputation, but in the Philippines libel has been predominantly used by public officials as a tool to cow an independent press.
Read the rest of this entry →

Woman journalist survives attack

September 23, 2006 in Baguio City, human rights, media

Woman journalist survives attack
With presence of mind, will to resist

BAGUIO CITY (Sept. 20) — With presence of mind and the will to resist, a woman journalist and officer of the Cordillera Peoples Alliance (CPA) survived an attack by a knife-wielding man at around 7:25 p.m. Sept. 19 in Brgy. Betag, La Trinidad, Benguet.

Abigail Bengwayan, 25, said she had just alighted from a jeepney and was walking on her way home when the attacker locked her arms, put the knifepoint against her neck, and warned her in Ilocano to keep quiet. The man wore a cap and handkerchief to cover his face. Read the rest of this entry →