By ADELA WAYAS
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY – City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) officer-in-charge Cordelia Lacsamana told the members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod that the city can reduce thevolume of its waste by increasing its efficiency to recover the present volume of biodegradable waste.

Lacsamana told the council that “out of what we collect and that will leave us about 35 percent of the total waste volume that will be for hauling out.

According to her, this is possible if the city sets up all the technological intervention needed to aid waste management in the barangays.

Setting up of materials recovery facilities (MRF), said Lacsamana, in target areas in the city. Lacsamana said they have submitted observations for consideration by the technical group.

A proposed MRF site was identified to be at the upper potion of the parking lot of Wright Park in Lualhati Barangay. Familiarization workshops with the equipments will be given to the residents of the concerned barangay. Lacsmana included that Bakakeng Central MRF is on the process of procuring equipment and the purcahse of composting drum facility.

Meanwhile, Philippine Military Academy (PMA) offered an alternative site on the satellite MRF development in the academy. Lacsamana said the city and the PMA will enter into a memorandum of agreement for the use of the facility after it has been inspected. Also, a city engineer who heads the technical team prepared a pre-site development plan estimated to be P6 million except the equipment.

Camp John hay and Teacher’s Camp agreed to the city’s request for setting up of an MRF and promised to offer their respective sites, Lacsamana added.
To put up a centralized MRF at Irisan for biodegradable processing and so with the MRF in Bakakeng, said Lacsamana, is planned to be operated in the next year.

According to her, City mayor Reinaldo Bautista requested an extension to use the Irisan controlled dump facility before the National Solid Waste Management Commission. A representative from the commission was sent to validate the civil works in the area and there are positive signs that the city could reuse the area.

On the other hand, Lacsamana said due to the lack of cooperation of the city barangays the no-segregation-no-collection policy was not fully implemented and failed to its objective to reduce waste in the city.

She said their office is implementing a more aggressive information campaigns from barangay to barangays to implement the policy.# nordis.net

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Underneath the never-ending and intensifying political conflict is the permanent and worsening crisis of the economy. The raging economic crisis feeds the growing dispute among the various factions of the political elite contending for control of political power and monopoly of economic spoils – a conflict that has become more pronounced and increasingly vicious under the nine-year old Arroyo administration.

With the 2010 national elections just less than six months away, recent political developments paint not only a scenario of massive fraud and violence unprecedented in the country’s electoral history but more and more a scenario of no elections (No-El).

By joining the 2010 elections as a congressional candidate in Pampanga, Mrs. Arroyo single-handedly raised the stakes in the upcoming polls. The Nov. 23 Ampatuan Massacre which was triggered by the local electoral conflict in Maguindanao is just the first in the many cases of expected election-related violence in the coming months.

For Mrs. Arroyo and her allies, the arena is much, much bigger than the second district of Pampanga. What is at stake is control of government itself and her filing of candidacy is just the first step in the ruling party Lakas-Kampi’s grand plan to preserve and consolidate its control of political power. The scheme, which Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has already practically confirmed, is to change the form of government from presidential to parliamentary through Charter change (Cha-cha) with Mrs. Arroyo as Prime Minister.

Key to this sinister plot is clinching a Lakas-Kampi victory in next year’s polls – from the president to the members of the House of Representatives and Senate, as well as officials of local government units (LGUs). With government resources at their disposal, Lakas-Kampi enjoys a huge election war chest, the patronage of local government officials including warlords, and a formidable fraud machinery. All these will certainly be utilized to the hilt.

At the minimum, Mrs. Arroyo’s congressional bid at least assures her of a government position that she can use as leverage against lawsuits as well as security for her family’s many economic interests.

With such high-stake, extremely contentious national polls, the scenario of a failure of elections and transition government also remain a strong possibility. It does not help that the Comelec has not made any significant effort in assuaging public apprehension about the reliability of its Automated Election System (AES) which many critics and experts fear is designed to fail.

Finally, the most drastic option that the Arroyo administration is very much prepared to resort to in order to stay in power is martial law. The regime is using the public outrage created by the gruesome killings of 57 people, including 30 journalists, to lay the ground for a possible declaration of military rule in other parts of the country using warlordism, terrorism, or even insurgency as an excuse and thus scuttle the holding of the scheduled elections next year.

Under Section 15 of the Omnibus Election Code, elections can be postponed if the holding of free, orderly, and honest elections becomes impossible due to “violence, terrorism, or other analogous causes”.

With Lakas-Kampi still holding a considerable clout in the House of Representatives, and Supreme Court justices except Chief Justice Reynato Puno being Arroyo appointees, prospects of these institutions upholding the constitutional safeguards against martial law are gloomy.

There is still a very long road ahead in the people’s struggle against the illegitimate, corrupt, fascist, and anti-people regime. The 2010 elections – if the people are able to ensure that it pushes through as scheduled – will be a complex battle. Then there is the Cha-cha agenda that Mrs. Arroyo and Lakas-Kampi will relentlessly push for. And lastly, the need to ensure that the new administration will take an active role in making Mrs. Arroyo and her allies account for their crimes and abuses, and that no political compromises will be made.

The key is for the Filipino people to remain vigilant every step of the way. # nordis.net

By REV. LUNA DINGAYAN
www.nordis.net

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”— Proverbs 14:12

People have different reactions about this Advent and Christmas Season. For the numerous victims of Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng, this season seems to be dark and gloomy, instead of being joyful and celebratory, due to death of loved ones, and destructions of properties and livelihood that would surely make life even more difficult.

Moreover, this season has brought us worldwide weeping and mourning for the brutal killings of at least 57 civilians and media people in Maguindanao. This is considered to be the worst media killing in the entire world history of mass media. Consequently, President GMA declared Martial Law in Maguindanao. But thank God, it was lifted after a few days of heated debates over its necessity, and it did not spread throughout the country as feared by many.

Thus, with all these developments, how could we joyfully celebrate Christmas? Nevertheless, the Christmas story continues to tell us that God has come to us in Jesus Christ our Lord to give us hope in the midst of hopelessness, light in the midst of darkness.

Matthew 2:1-12 talks about the story of the Wise Men from the East who visited the baby Jesus born in Bethlehem. From the story itself, we could glean at least two ways of life: Herod’s way of life, and the Wise Men’s way of life.
Our way of life is very important for as the Book of Proverbs says, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”(Proverbs 14:12).

Herod’s Way of Life
Herod’s way of life could be described in two ways: First, it is the way of greed for power.

According to Biblical scholars, the Roman Emperor appointed Herod to be King of the Jews simply because he was the only one left among possible appointees to the throne. Herod himself was able to annihilate all other possible rivals. No wonder he was very much upset when he heard from the Wise Men that a baby was born to be King of the Jews. Herod would not allow anyone to succeed him to the throne.

And the Biblical story says that everyone in Jerusalem was also upset, because the people knew the ways of King Herod (v.3). They could almost anticipate the shedding of innocent blood.

The people were not mistaken. For not too long after that, cries of anguish were already heard in the neighboring towns of Bethlehem. Innocent children were massacred upon the orders of King Herod (v. 16).

The way of greed for power did not die with Herod’s death. Herod’s spirit is very much alive today. The gruesome massacre in Maguindanao would show to us the evils brought about by the greed for power. Indeed, Herod’s way of life seems to be right, but it leads to death.

Moreover, Herod’s way of life is the way of deception. According to the Scriptures, Herod called the Wise Men to a secret meeting, and gave them instructions, saying: “Go and make a careful search for the child; and when you find him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him”(v.8).

King Herod projected himself to be a very pious, a very religious ruler. But deep within himself, he was actually plotting how to eliminate the Child who was supposed to be the object of his worship. In effect, Herod was trying to use religion to deceive the people and to satisfy his greed for power.

The use of religion for vested interest and political purposes is not new to us.

Politicians convicted of heinous crimes would usually carry the image of the Virgin Mary to show to the world that they are religious and therefore innocent of any wrong doing. Elections are again forthcoming. And surely, politicians would again seek the endorsement and blessings of religious leaders to advance their election bid.

The Wise Men’s Way of Life
On the other hand, the Wise Men’s way of life could also be described in two ways: First, it is the way of truth.

No doubt the Wise Men had been searching for truth. In fact, they had come all the way from the East in order to discover, to prove, and to see for themselves the truth that a child was born, indeed, to be the King of the Jews, as shown by the bright star in the East. This is probably the reason why they were called Wise Men, because to be wise is to know the truth and to uphold the truth. This is also what an educated person is all about. To be educated is to come to know the truth and to uphold the truth.

This is the best antidote to the way of life of people with the likes of King Herod. People who have come to know the truth and uphold the truth have better things to do in life than raping, and killing people.

This is the way of life of Efren Peñaflorida, the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year from Cavite City. He uses his education to teach poor street children in Cavite City, who could not afford to go to school. Using his Kariton Classroom, he goes around where the children are and teach them where they are.

Moreover, the Wise Men’s way of life is the way of giving and not of getting. The Wise Men went to Bethlehem not to grab for themselves the power of the child born to be King of the Jews, but rather to really worship him and offer him their gifts. Jesus, later on in his teaching ministry, said, “Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it” (Mt. 10:39).

This may sound paradoxical. But this is the very essence of Christian life. The mark of a genuine Christian is the ability to share what we are and what we have. As St. Francis of Assisi prayed, “For it is in giving that we receive. It is in dying that we are born to eternal life”.

A New Way of Life
As long as Herod’s way of life continues to influence our way of life as a nation and as a people, Advent and Christmas seasons may come and go, but things remain the same. There can never be real newness in our life.

Our hope as a people and as a nation lies in the way of life of the Wise Men from the East, for this is the way of God in Jesus Christ Himself – the way of truth, the way of giving. According to the story, the Wise Men “returned to their country by another road, since God had warned them in a dream not to go back to Herod.” (v.12)

Merry Christmas and a happy new year!# nordis.net

By MANNY LOSTE
www.nordis.net

After the Nacionalista Party now headed by presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Villar forged an alliance with the Marcoses’ Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) with Rep. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. as its senatorial bet, the Koalisyon ng Mamamayang Makabayan or MAKABAYAN, for short, which is fielding Representatives Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza as its senatorial bets, opted to launch their candidacy as independents instead of running under the NP-KBL umbrella.

The Makabayan bets pointed out that forging an NP-KBL alliance was a patent mistake as it would have revived the moribund KBL, by a party – the NP, which was actually demolished by the late dictator Marcos when he declared martial law.

Talk of a victim resuscitating his own victimizer. But such things happen when people lack a longer view of things.

Recognizing his mistake, Villar decided to scrap the newly-minted alliance opting instead to invite Bongbong Marcos as a guest senatorial candidate of the NP, while at the same time adopting Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza as senatorial bets under the same party.

In addition, he reiterated his commitment to do justice to the victims of martial law by pursuing the indemnification case for the victims of human rights violations under martial law and by pursuing the recovery of the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth.

With such a public commitment on basic human rights issues, the Makabayan candidates returned the gesture of Villar by publicly endorsing him and his vice-presidential bet, Loren Legarda – a first time in Philippine politics when the legal Left has endorsed a presidential and vice-presidential bet. 

While matters have apparently been worked out between Villar and the Makabayan bets, the same cannot be said between them and Bongbong Marcos.

In fact, Satur Ocampo has openly declared that they cannot suppport Bongbong’s candidacy for the senate even if they are lined-up in the same party. 

The reason is rather simple. Bongbong continues to take the line of his mother, Imelda Marcos, that the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos has done nothing wrong in imposing martial law and depriving us our democracy for 14 long years. This revisionist version of recent Philippine history might have prevailed, if there were no living victims of the late dictators’ reign.

Unfortunately for the Marcoses, many among the the rank and file of Makabayan are living witnesses to the abuses and excesses of Marcos and his cohorts. Chief among them is Satur Ocampo himself.

How could they possibly endorse a candidate – Bongbong, in this case – who continues to deny the pains and sufferings of his countrymen during the dark years of martial law.

But such is the nature of traditional politics in this country that given enough time and money, the villain can be transformed into a hero, and wrongs can be officially certified as rights.

Time has a way of making things hazy, but there are those among us who would not let “bygones be bygones” because if we do so, we will never learn as a people from our past mistakes. We will never move forward, but instead keep moving in circles like what is happening now.# nordis.net

By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

Peace is no mere matter of men fighting or not fighting. Peace, to have meaning for many who have known only suffering in both peace and war, must be translated into bread or rice, shelter, health, and education, as well as freedom and human dignity – a steadily better life. If peace is to be secure, long-suffering and long-starved, forgotten peoples of the world, the underprivileged and the undernourished, must begin to realize without delay the promise of a new day and a new life. — Ralph J. Bunche

This Christmas, the world will celebrate the widely believed to be the day of the birth of the saviour of mankind, Jesus Christ. Many people will again go to the malls, parks, beaches, leisure parks and other places to spend their holidays. Merry making will fill the scenery inside the houses and in the streets. New clothes, shoes, toys, money gifts will be enjoyed by those who hcan afford to have it.

But while many people are in euphoria for whatever they achieve for the year 2009, the poorest people of the poor countries like the Philippines of course are waiting for people to give them even crumbs. Children of poverty roam the streets to beg for alms from those who care or those who do not care at all. While many will enjoy their noche buena on Christmas, hungry and homeless families will just stare at the blinking christmas lights along the streets and sleep their hunger out there.

Its the season of the year when we jubilate if we have something to jubilate for as a year again passed. People say we have to reflect for the things we have done for the good or bad of our life and the lives of our fellow. Most people say they will make resolutions for the next year to come.

Now can we jubilate as more and more people grow hungry in all the days of the year and for sure next year. Should we celebrate? Yes of course, it’s christmas. But lest we forget those who have nothing to celebrate for, the children of the workers who lost their jobs because of anti-people contractualization scheme enhanced by the anti-labor policies of the government.

We must also reflect on the deeds we did for ourselves or what we did for our neighbors and countrymen. Did we give a damn for the plight of the poor? Did we ever shout or join the call to end poverty? Did we ever count ourselves in the clamor to demand justice for those who are victims of injustice? Did we ever unite with others in asking the abductors alleged to be state agents to surface their victims who happened to be living the true service to the people?

Did we ever have the compassion to understand why there are workers holding strikes because they like to be recognized as humans and demand livable wage and respect of their labor rights? Did we ever have the guts to be with the rest of the people in condemning the killings? Did we ever shout enough of corruption, down with the tyrant, end this rotten system? Did we ever give a damn? Maybe yes or maybe no, its up to us.

Can we make a resolution to be with our people, helping the poor, demand justice, condemn the killings and enforced disappearances, ask for a true wage hike? Can we have the guts to be with the people in longing for a social change where every Christmas, there will be joy in every heart of not only the few but everybody. There will be nochebuenas for everybody.

This Christmas season of the year, this coming New Year, there’s something to be celebrated for, as long as we care for the Christmas and New Year of others.# nordis.net

By PAMELA BADONGEN PATAL-E
www.nordis.net

“Of one thing I am certain; the body is not the measure of healing, peace is the measure.” — Phyllis McGinley

How do you tell a child that his/her mother or father is dead?

Often, people do not have any idea how or when to break the news. Most are afraid that the child may not understand and may be emotionally scarred.

Amid strife or disaster, a child’s responses should be taken seriously. A child who feels afraid, regardless of the reason, is afraid. That is why the parents’ or guardians’ role is very important.

Children are powerfully moved by the reactions of the adults they trust. They tend to cope in the way their parents or even teachers do. How you manage grief and loss as a parent or adult counts a lot on how the child will also manage her own.

Following the disastrous path of the recent typhoons in different places of the country, some if not all affected populations are still struggling to move on and free themselves from the pain of loss.

Besides the loss of property, people are not free from the pain of loss of loved ones. They deny it, set it aside and hope that through time their wounds would eventually close.

But time alone does not heal all the pain especially for the young ones. The fears have to be drawn out and courage built up to self-analyze or face up to fears – pride, anger, hatred, helplessness, hopelessness, etc.

Adults, parents in affected communities, after they have processed their fears can be more sensitive to the young, the children. The pain is too much for children to bear. They may be suffering more and may lose control over their lives.

There are people willing to extend help and conduct debriefing workshops. In Kayan East, Tadian, Mountain Province where 35 people were killed in a sudden mudslide during typhoon Pepeng, debriefing workshops were organized for the community.

During one of the workshops One 8 year old said, “Nendrawing kami si ima tay nu menpipinedeng kami maymayat san urnos mi,” (We drew hands. If we join hands, together there is better harmony…[in our commmunity]).

This coming from a child strikes deep and indeed, one cannot accomplish much when alone but in solidarity, with the community, there is power, strength to heal, beyond our measure.

Let us not make healing an opportunity for the children but a responsibility of our generation.# nordis.net

By KIMBERLIE OLMAYA NGABIT QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

Hundreds of them are fallen
And a hundred others are taken
In broad day light
At daybreak or night
In remote valleys
Crowded streets or dark alleys
They were fallen and taken
By the tyrant’s rampaging faceless minions
For they dared to defy this fascist reign
Still, thousands of them are standing
And thousands more uprising
From the crack of dawn
To midday until sundown
In deprived communities
Ravaged villages and exploited cities
They are standing and uprising
For this is their only weapon and recourse
Against the tyrant’s vicious plot
They vow not to stop
Until the end of the tyrant’s power
To the building of a new order # nordis.net

By ADELA WAYAS
www.nordis.net

I’ve been living in this world for twenty years now
Looking at things differently from the others that I used to be with
And in this times, I always ask myself
Should I be happy or not?

Should I be happy
When there are children lying on the streets to sleep?
Should I be happy
when there are people starving for food?

Should I be happy
when the people are crying?
Should I be happy
when there is blood everywhere?

Should I be happy
when I know someone is sad and lonely?
Should I be happy
when there are endless killings?

For the next twenty years of my life
Would it be like this again?
I will not endure the scenarios
Of the state oppressing the people of the land.

But the people assert now
Never quit and will continue the fight.# nordis.net

By ADELA WAYAS
www.nordis.net

Why fear if you are telling the truth? Why not shout if you are tyrannized? Why not fight if there is something worth fighting for?

The merging minds and creative action of relating the real human rights situation in the Philippines, of multi-awarded director Joel Lamangan and screenwriter Boni Ilagan is an eye-opener to people insensitive to the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the country.

Most of the people, who watched Dukot (abduction), when the lights opened after the fearless film, were teary-eyed because of the movie’s boldness of exposing the real, inhuman and worsening human rights abuse in the country.
Dukot is not just about the love story of the two people but it emanates from the courageous and fearless actions of activists voicing out their grievances againsts the unjust treatment and despotism of the state.

Dukot (the act of abduction) is not just a news item shown on our televisions; it is real and even experienced by the director and screenwriter himself. Many of the activists were tortured to death because they went out to the streets and opposed the government.

Allen Dizon and Iza Calzado who played the roles of Junix and Maricel surprised me with their enthusiasm by acting the characters of activists and somehow enlightened by the film.

They were abducted by the state security forces, tortured and put to suffer while their families were in pain looking for them, waiting and hoping that nothing bad happened to them. They were alleged to be members of the New Peoples Army. The death of Junix and Maricel is compared to all activists, journalists, peasants, laborers, children and many more victims of the state oppression.

Acting wise, Allen and Iza performed differently from the common drama on the television. They showed not just their skill in acting but their heart in performing a different character. All of these are real life stories
To be an activist does not mean one is a member of the armed NPA or a terrorist as what the military forces called them. Being an activist is not just about shouting on the streets but it is fighting for what you believe is right and deserved by the people.

Dukot, as an independent film, is not simply a story made from the writer’s imagination. It is a real life story of people who escaped from the oppression of the state security forces. Putting it into movie, Dukot is telling the people to open their minds to the things like what had happen in the movie.

Dukot is an inspiration to all activists and it actually point out the real perpetrators of the extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in the country and that the people in the media are not exempted.

The state policy Operation Plan Bantay Laya of Gloria Macapagal – Arroyo tagged all those critical of her corruption and anti-people policies as enemies of the state. The character of Junix and Maricel in the film is never different to the activists killed by this state policy.

Here in the Cordillera and Ilocos Region, several progressive groups, leaders were gunned down and some were abducted falling victims to enforced disappearances.

Among those who were killed were Romy Sanchez of Bayan Muna-Ilocos, Pepe Manegdeg of Rural Missionaries of the Philippines, Albert Terredano of Confederation for the Unity, Recognition and Advancement for the Government Employees (COURAGE) in Abra, Jose Doton of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN), Rafael Markus Bangit of Cordillera Peoples Alliance, Gloria Casuga (school principal) and Alyce Claver (wife of CPA member Dr. Chandu Claver). Among those taken and enforcedly disappeared until now is James Balao of CPA. The film is not an imagination, it is real life stories.

After the watching the film, I caught myself looking at the family of James Balao who were also there. My heart aches because I can see their longing for James. Their red eyes were expressing their appeal to surface James.
KUDOS!

At this point, Dukot is a reflection of state violations to human rights. The sensitive issue was never a hindrance for the director, screenwriter and the producer to put it into film.

The people involved in the making of this film deserve more than just praise for revealing the life story of an activist.

STOP EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS AND STOP ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES!
SURFACE JAMES BALAO! # nordis.net

By TITO SANQUI
www.nordis.net

By TITO SANQUI
www.nordis.net

By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — The chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) here claims that the Presidential Proclamation No. 1959 which declared Martial Law in Maguindanao fails to address the problem of local warlordism in the area.

“While the Arroyo administration has resorted to the declaration of Martial Law in Maguindanao in response to the cry for justice of the families of this gruesome massacre, this (PP 1959) fails to address the problem of local warlordism and prevalence of private armed groups and paramilitary fanatics in Maguindanao,” said Daniel Mangallay, president of the IBP Baguio-Benguet.

Instead of Martial law, he pointed out that what is at stake is the need for a diligent and painstaking investigative work to build up an airtight case, a neutral court and steadfast prosecutors for justice to be realized for all victims in the Maguindanao massacre.

On November 23, armed men led by Andal Ampatuan Jr. killed 57 civilians, as of press time, and among them are 30 journalists and two lawyers.

Mangallay and other lawyers joined media, representatives from the local Muslim community, students, women, and various groups in prayer and candle lighting on Wednesday at the Baguio Cathedral grounds here as a part of the Global condemnation of the Maguindanao massacre.
Rebellion as basis for declaration

Meanwhile, Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared Martial Law seven days ago for the entire Maguindanao. Both houses of Congress in a joint meeting are debating over the basis of the declaration as there is no actual threat of rebellion (or invasion).

The 1987 Constitution provides that the president can declare Martial Law for 60 days on the grounds of rebellion or invasion.

Lawyers, including 1986 Constitutional Commission member Christian Monsod, and some groups had filed petitions in the Supreme Court to quash and declare PP 1959 unconstitutional purportedly as the massacre was no no act of rebellion in Maguindanao.

Two lawyer victims
“We call on our leaders to stop the grandstanding. The full force of the law must be wielded without fear and favor. Justice must be served,” added Mangallay.

Human rights lawyers Concepcion Brizuela and Cynthia Oquendo were among the victims in the massacre.

The two lawyers have bravely advocated for justice, good governance and peace with the people in the communities in Maguindanao, added Mangallay.

“The expressions and sentiments of the clients they helped testify their passion and commitment,” he said and ending: “They provide unending inspiration to us – brothers and sisters in the profession – to continue the fight for justice under the rule of law even as we grieve and rage.” # nordis.net

By ALDWIN QUITASOL
www.nordis.net

BAGUIO CITY — The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) mission investigating the November 23 Ampatuan Town massacre has just released its preliminary report on its findings and recommendations. The IFJ preliminary report pertains mainly to 31 victims who were journalists, media workers, their familes, and including the conditions all practicing media continue to be exposed to risking their lives in the Philippines.

Upon the request of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), the IFJ mission was organized with a delegation of representatives from leading international journalists’ rights and press freedom organizations.

The mission, an expression of global solidarity with journalist colleagues in the Philippines, includes the IFJ, the Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA), the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Indonesia’s Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Australia’s Media Entertainment & Arts Alliance, the Thai Journalists’ Association (TJA), International News Safety Institute (INSI), International Media Support (IMS), the Institute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information (ISAI) and Union Network International (UNI).

The delegation met with the families of the victims, the local media, community, lawyers group and government officials in General Santos City. The mission took into account the findings of the independent fact-finding investigation of the NUJP, the Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Mindanews and members of the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ).

“The massacre is the culmination of decades of government inaction on the killing of journalists. It underlines the terrible dangers that Filipino journalists face. It also highlights the inability and unwillingness of the State to ensure the protection and safety of journalists who are merely seeking to perform their duties. This massacre, coming at the very beginning of the 2010 election process, not only undermines that process but has dealt a cruel blow to democracy and free media in the Philippines,” stated the mission.

The mission identified three key areas and provided some recommendations. For the families of the victims, the mission said they need an urgent, professionally handled and carefully crafted trauma counseling. The mission said the target beneficiaries must be the widows, children, parents and other immediate family members of the victims.

The mission added that the victims’ families are in need of immediate technical legal assistance with the local and international legal expertise to start the legal proceedings of the cases as well as bring pressure on the government to act on the matter.

“Given the undue delays plaguing the State prosecution process, the families are considering alternative legal means at seeking justice such as filing individual or collective damage claim cases,” the mission recommended.
The mission acknowledged the NUJP’s plan to extend the scholarship program for the slain journalists’ children. The scholarship program is now on its fifth year. The mission said that the families of the victims are in need of immediate financial support and assistance.

The mission added that there will be a safety assesment for each family and proper measures be undertaken to ensure their security.

According to the findings of the mission, the witnesses and relatives of the victims believe that the massacre could have been prevented by the authorities. They were also informed that the crime scene was compromised, forensic evidence contaminated and that the physical investigation of the area was cut short because of security and resourcing issues.

“Many of the key players, from the investigators, prosecutors, lawyers and judges to the key witnesses are in danger. Some are demanding increase in personal protection for the duration of the investigation and trial process,” the mission stated in their report.

The mission also noted the imposition of martial law and the concerns by various groups that martial law could but give rise to more human rights violations.

In its analysis, the mission stated the prosecution of the perpetrators of the massacre will be one of the big legal cases in the Philippines history. “Yet even this early in the process the families of the massacre victims are struggling to get the most basic documentation from government authorities,” the mission stated.

The mission said that a sustained and determined pressure from the international human rights groups is important to ensure an open and transparent investigation and trial. The mission added that a comprehensive monitoring of the trial is also urgent to ensure due process.

“It is also important to note that the government is responsible for providing effective and adequate compensation to the victims. The government must also ensure that the culture of impunity ends by prosecuting those who seek to silence the media by murdering journalists,” the mission added.

The mission also recommended the setting-up of a regional safety office in Mindanao before the 2010 elections in order to provide safety training as well as support for journalists covering the election processes.

The mission reminded the Philippine government of its commitment to international agreements like the Geneva Conventions, the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the 2006 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1738 stating that journalists, media professionals and associated personnel engaged in dangerous professional missions in areas of armed conflict are civilians, to be respected and protected as such.

“The UN Security Council has strongly condemned frequent acts of violence, including deliberate attacks, in many parts of the world against journalists, media professionals and associated personnel and has called on all parties to put an end to such practices,” the mission ended .#nordis.net