‘People Power People’ remembers Cory Aquino - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

‘People Power People’ remembers Cory Aquino - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

‘People Power People’ remembers Cory Aquino

By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 02:35:00 07/31/2010

Filed Under: People power, Anniversaries

MANILA, Philippines—To commemorate the first death anniversary of former President Corazon Aquino and to celebrate her life, various activities are being held in Metro Manila.

Civil society groups will launch tomorrow a movement called “People Power People,” in hopes of bringing back the spirit of the popular initiative that Aquino inspired in 1986, when a peaceful revolution ousted strongman Ferdinand Marcos and restored democracy.

“Now that the spirit of volunteerism is very much alive, we’d like to harness our people’s talents and energy to make a difference among the needy sectors of our society,” said Rafael Lopa, director of the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF).

The movement seeks to encourage Filipinos to do their share in national reform and end an era of over-reliance on government.

“We want the commemoration of President Cory’s first death anniversary to go beyond the tradition of babang luksa (end of the mourning period)... She is our unique icon of democracy and integrity in governance,” said Lopa, Aquino’s nephew, in a statement.

Aquino succumbed to colorectal cancer on Aug. 1 last year, followed by a national mourning that inspired a renewed movement for change. The aftermath of her death saw the rise of her only son, Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, to win the presidency in the May elections.

Aquino’s legacy

“There is a lot of talk about President [Benigno Aquino III’s] ‘first 100 days,’ but we ordinary citizens should also be ready to step up and declare what we are prepared to give or accomplish in our own ‘first 100 days,’” Lopa said.

The project hopes to carry on Aquino’s legacy by spreading her advocacy of inspiring Filipinos to get involved in civic affairs.

“As envisioned by President Cory, the ultimate manifestation of people power is an engaged and dynamic citizenry, willing to take on their share of building the nation and strengthening our democracy,” he said.

“What she has bequeathed to us is the realization of the inherent power that dwells within us, coupled with the inspiration and the confidence to wield that power to uplift the quality of life of our less fortunate countrymen,” Lopa added.

Nine organizations

Kick-starting the program are nine organizations engaged in community-level programs on education, shelter, health and human rights. They are set to pledge their commitments during a memorial program, “Her Legacy, Our Promise” tomorrow at La Salle Green Hills.

They include: community-building organization Gawad Kalinga, education advocates Dynamic Teen Co., 57-75, Aklat, Gabay, Aruga Tungo sa Pag-angat at Pag-asa (AGAPP) and the YES Pinoy Foundation, health groups Hapag-Asa Integrated Nutrition Program and Sparks for Change, children’s rights group KIDS Foundation, and One Tama, a group that advocates Everyman heroism.

Lopa said the activities of these “seed” organizations would be posted on the movement’s website, www.peoplepower.ph, for monitoring.

“Other individuals and groups are invited to log in and support specific projects of these organizations or to start their own initiatives with specific output commitments and timelines. This is people power in productive action,” he said.

Bike ride, Mass

NCAF also said there would be a commemorative bike ride called “Ride for Cory” led by cyclists from the Cancer Resource and Wellness Community (Carewell). Bikers will go around the Ortigas-Boni Serrano-Edsa-Connecticut loop from 6:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. tomorrow.

This would be followed by a memorial con-celebrated Mass led by Bishop Soc Villegas.

Neighbors plant trees

Meanwhile, yellow-flower-bearing trees were planted yesterday along Quezon Avenue and Times Street in Quezon City, including one in front of the Aquino house.

“It’s a way to honor Tita Cory and the yellow flowers serve as a reminder of the values she stood for and imparted to us,’’ Chuchi Villar of the Yellow Ribbon Movement (YRM) said.

YRM and the West Triangle Neighbors Movement spearheaded the tree-planting event which was attended by Aquino’s daughter, Pinky Aquino-Abellada; President Noynoy Aquino’s girlfriend, Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad; and Philippine Charity Sweepstakes chair Margie Juico, who is one of the founders of YRM.

Abellada expressed her family’s gratitude for the continuous pouring of love and prayers for their mother.

“She is sorely missed and we know she is watching over us,’’ she said.

Practice 10 values

YRM and the neighbors’ movement were born to support the candidacy of Aquino’s only son, Noynoy, who ran for president and won in the last election.

“[The tree-planting] will remind us of Tita Cory and what she has done for us,’’ said Frankie Dayrit, leader of the West Triangle Movement.

Also launched at the commemorative activity was the “Kasama sa Pagbabago (Companion for change),’’ an advocacy of practicing at least 10 values for change to support the “daang matuwid (straight path)” program of Noynoy.

Dubbed as “panata sa pagbabago (vow to change)’’ the two groups called on the public to be honest, practice lining up, observe road courtesy, obey traffic rules, admit to one’s mistakes, stop making excuses, respect authorities, and be considerate of the elderly and disabled.

Manila

In Manila, thousands are expected to gather tomorrow at the Aquino Park, located at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Padre Burgos Drive, where a monument to Aquino stands.

Considered the first memorial shrine dedicated to Aquino, who is simply “Cory” to the Filipino people, it stands beside the statue of her husband, the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

The 15-foot bronze statue by Filipino artist Eduardo Castrillo, shows the country’s first woman president, with her right hand raised, flashing the “Laban” (fight) sign, while her left hand holds the 1987 Philippine Constitution.

Tomorrow’s ceremonies will start at 7:30 a.m. to be highlighted by the offering of flowers.

Mayor Alfredo Lim said concerned City Hall units were mobilized since last week to undertake the necessary refurbishing and sprucing up of the site.

Invited to grace the occasion were members of the Aquino family as well as close friends and supporters. With a report from Tina G. Santos

Aquino warns military as 3rd activist killed - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Aquino warns military as 3rd activist killed - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Aquino warns military as 3rd activist killed
By Christian V. Esguerra, Jocelyn R. Uy
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:52:00 07/13/2010

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III Monday warned the military he would make no distinction between lawbreakers in uniform and plain criminals after masked men gunned down a school teacher in the third killing of an activist under Aquino’s 12-day-old administration.

“Our policy is that we will not differentiate between those who implement the law but break it, and those who are outside of the law,” Aquino said in Filipino, reminding members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to respect human rights.

Aquino spoke at a press conference in Camp Aguinaldo after presiding over his first military command conference since taking office on June 30.

Mark Francisco, a 27-year-old teacher at San Isidro Elementary School in Palanas, Masbate, was on his way home with four companions aboard motorcycles when they were fired on by two men wearing ski masks and in camouflage uniform, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan-Bicol (Bayan-Bicol) said in a statement Monday.

Francisco, a member of the militant Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), died instantly, Bayan said.

On July 5, Francisco Baldomero, a coordinator of the Bayan Muna party-list group in Aklan province, was shot dead by a lone assailant while he was about to bring his son to school.

Four days later, Pascual Guevarra, 78, head of the local Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Association, was gunned down also by a lone assassin in Nueva Ecija province.

Rising body count

“In only a matter of 10 days of the Aquino administration, three activists have been killed. Mr. Aquino should immediately make concrete steps to stop the seemingly rising body count of activists,” said Anakbayan party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano.

The attacks have also targeted a member of the media. On July 9, Miguel Belen, a reporter of radio dwEb-FM in Nabua, Camarines Sur, was shot and wounded by motorcycle-riding men.

At Monday’s press briefing, Aquino said he had ordered Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa to give him an update on Task Force Usig, a group formed under the Arroyo administration to solve cases of extrajudicial killings.

Aquino made it clear he would never allow state forces to carry out such activities, saying “that is not the policy of our administration.”

Motive unclear

Senior Supt. Eddie Benigay, Masbate police director, confirmed the killing of Francisco but said the police had not established the motive.

Inspector Reynaldo Gaita, Palanas police chief, said Francisco suffered bullet wounds on his feet and back.

Gaita said Francisco was on his motorcycle when two unidentified men shot him. He said Francisco was apparently shot after alighting from the motorcycle while crossing a creek.

“It’s possible that the armed men prepositioned themselves near the creek and waited there to ambush the victim,” Gaita said in a phone interview.

Col. Lope Dagoy, commanding officer of the 85th Infantry Battalion in Masbate, said claims by militants that the military had the motive for killing Francisco were baseless.

“Why is it that if the [suspects] are in uniform, we are always pointed to as the perpetrators,” he said. “All killings are automatically attributed to us by these groups. It is purely propaganda.”

Aquino instructions

At the two-hour Camp Aguinaldo meeting, Aquino repeatedly stressed that respect for human rights must be observed even as soldiers pursue their fight against the insurgency, AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta Jr. told reporters.

“His instruction was [for us] to defeat the enemies of the state but in going about that, human rights and international humanitarian laws must be adhered to,” Mabanta said.

In line with this, Mabanta said the military planned to duplicate the human rights office in Camp Aguinaldo by setting up similar offices at the lowest levels of command to be able reach soldiers in war zones.

“We are giving additional resources and equipage so that it (the human rights office) will be able to deal and talk directly to our combatants as well as with other human rights advocates in and out of government, domestic and international,” Mabanta said.

He added: “The important thing is that policies are being translated and implemented at the lower level. In the past they’re not,” Mabanta told the Inquirer.

Alston report

The special office was established in 2006 by then AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. amid allegations of military involvement in political killings. Human rights advocates dismissed its establishment as a mere public relations gesture.

“Hopefully, by giving more teeth [to the office] and emphasis on human rights, it will be able to translate human rights policies to the lowest level,” Mabanta said.

This will enable the AFP to help soldiers carry out combat missions while observing human rights, he added.

In 2007, a representative of the United Nations Human Rights Council blamed many of the killings on the military.

“In some parts of the country, the Armed Forces have followed a deliberate strategy of systematically hunting down the leaders of leftist organizations,” said Philip Alston, the UN rapporteur.

Motive may be politics

Police in Camarines Sur were looking into politics as the probable motive in the shooting and wounding of radio reporter Belen after two witnesses surfaced Monday.

SPO3 Adonis Lomatao of the Nabua town police said it was becoming clear there was a political angle in the attack.

Lomatao said the two witnesses were already helping the police produce artist sketches of the suspects, who remain at large.

Doctors at Doña Josefa Hospital in Iriga City said Belen was recovering and in a stable condition. Belen sustained at least seven gunshot wounds after he was shot by motorcycle-riding men while on his way home.

Belen was also a barangay captain in Iriga City and had been a supporter of Camarines Sur Rep. Salvio Fortuno. The lawmaker said Belen had been receiving death threats from his (Fortuno’s) political opponent.

Land quarrel

In Nueva Ecija, the Army has started a separate investigation of the murder of Guevarra, a leader of a farmers’ group in a community that was once part of a military reservation.

But Col. Felicito Trinidad, commander of the 702nd Infantry Brigade, said initial information showed that Guevarra, who was among the peasant leaders fighting the military’s claim over lands around Fort Magsaysay, was “helping other people with land problems outside the military reservation.”

Anakpawis Rep. Mariano believed that Guevarra’s murder was connected with the conflict between farmers and the military over 3,100 hectares of land inside Fort Magsaysay.

Guevarra’s group, Almana 3100, was formed to stop the efforts of the Army to recall from the farmers the 3,100 ha covering several villages.

The lands were originally intended for the victims of Mt. Pinatubo’s eruptions in 1991.

Part of Monday’s conference at Camp Aguinaldo also tackled the modernization of the military.

Aquino also asked AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Ricardo David to furnish him with a full copy of the Mayuga Report into the alleged involvement of generals in purported cheating during the 2004 presidential election.

“The Mayuga Report was supposed to address that, but I will be very honest with you. The copy that I got was a very thin document. I want the Mayuga Report and all of the attendant annexes,” Aquino said. With reports from Marlon Ramos and Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. in Manila; Mar Arguelles and Jonas Cabiles Soltes, Inquirer Southern Luzon; and Armand Galang, Inquirer Central Luzon

Senators Raise Prospect of US Attack on Iran -- News from Antiwar.com

Senators Raise Prospect of US Attack on Iran

McCain Says Israel Won't Attack, Lieberman Says US Will

by Jason Ditz, July 07, 2010

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Senators Joe Lieberman (I – CT), John McCain (R – AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R – SC) are in Israel today discussing as they so often do the prospect of America launching yet another massive, ill-conceived war, this time against Iran.

Sen. McCain opened with comments suggesting he did not believe that Israel, which has repeatedly threatened to launch a military attack on Iran, was close to making any such decision. Sen Lieberman was quick to add that he believes that even if Israel doesn’t attack, the US is prepared to.

Lieberman insisted that one way or another, Iran would be prevented from becoming a “nuclear power,” adding this would be either through “economic sanctions if we possibly can, through military actions if we must.”

Sen. Graham was even more blunt in his support for launching the war on Israel’s behalf, saying that “the Congress has Israel’s back.”

The officials went on to condemn Turkey for its “hostile rhetoric towards Israel,” with Senator McCain calling Turkey’s behavior “disturbing.” Turkey, a long time ally of Israel, was critical of last month’s Israeli attack on a Turkey aid ship, an attack which left eight Turkish aid workers and one American dead.

Obama Administration: Israel Has ‘Right’ to Nukes -- News from Antiwar.com

Obama Administration: Israel Has ‘Right’ to Nukes -- News from Antiwar.com

Call for a Nuclear Free Middle East 'a Mistake'

by Jason Ditz, July 07, 2010

A statement released yesterday by the Obama Administration has made public America’s long-standing support for the Israeli government’s large, undeclared nuclear arsenal, and insists that Israel has an inherent “right” to possess such an arsenal for “deterrence purposes.”

Officials have also reportedly acknowledged that the Obama Administration has labeled its previous support for a “nuclear-free Middle East,” including a vote in favor of this at a Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) conference, had been “a mistake.”

The Obama Administration complained at the time of the vote that it unfairly “singled out” Israel, apparently oblivious to the fact that Israel is the only nation in the Middle East with nuclear weapons, as well as the only nation which is not a signatory of the NPT.

Israel has ruled out ever signing the NPT, though it has called for the treaty to be strengthened to punish signatories like Syria and Iran for what it perceives as “violations.” Israel has likewise never publicly acknowledged the size of its nuclear arsenal, though the fact that it exists is not generally considered a secret.