LETTER

The AFP is the definite culprit in Balao’s Abduction

Shameful, cowardly and accountable – the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) exemplifies such all at the same time in their recent attempt to pin the blame on the New People’s Army (NPA) for the case of James Balao, legal activist and the Cordillera region’s first desaparecido.

Balao, who was last seen on September 17 in Tomay, La Trinidad, Benguet, was standing waiting for a bus, bound for vacation when a van pulled near and armed men stepped out to forcibly “arrest” him, as one of these men announced according to witnesses, on charges of him being a “drug pusher”. Fact-finding missions, however, failed to find Balao at places where he should rightfully be, assuming that he was indeed arrested – military camps or regional offices of the Philippine National Police.

The pinpointing of this illogical AFP on the NPA is easily refuted by the fact that the revolutionary army is by the people and for the people – a solid fact this puppet Arroyo administration and its lackeys should know. Secondly, the NPA places high value on human rights, vastly enough to cover proper conduct on civilians and prisoners of war - yet another characteristic that the AFP has not, in any way, managed to either learn or simply just ceased to practice.

Thirdly, Balao, with Mountain Province roots, has been significantly active in conducting researches concerning indigenous peoples, and is surely not in any way connected to the armed movement or a possible subject of revolutionary justice as he is obviously serving the masses through legal and legitimate means.

It should therefore be clear that Balao’s disappearance boils down on his active participation on people’s issues – that which deemed by this US-Arroyo regime as a part of the communist insurgency and therefore terrorism. On the record-high cases of human rights violations which includes political killings, surveillance, harassments and enforced disappearances, it has been clear that the government and not the revolutionary movement is accountable.

The Leonardo Pacsi Command ultimately declares the AFP as culprits in Balao’s abduction and condemns the scapegoatism of Arroyo’s pawns. Such attempt to fool the masses is futile as the entire nation already knows such dirty work of the military, as this US-backed Arroyo’s tool in their devious attempts to counter the inevitable uprising.

It is in this light that the LPC challenges the AFP to leave legal, unarmed activists alone and should instead be one with the people in dismantling the fascist, reactionary, puppet regime as perpetuator of oppression. Or instead concentrate in their desperate attempts in liquidating the armed insurgency by 2010 as they claim. Leonardo Pacsi Command NPA Mountain Province

LETTERS

Who is to blame for mine tragedy in Itogon, Benguet?

As a mining engineer and geologist in the private sector, I vote “yes” to the call of Gov. Nestor Fongwan for Malacanang to conduct a no-nonsense and impartial probe of the Antamok tragedy that took the lives of six pocket miner.

Who is to blame? Is it the small-scale miner, Benguet Corp., the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, or the local government units? I submit that anyone of them cannot come out with the truth. They will just blame each other and we can expect the usual half-truths and white lies.

For one thing, Mining Geosciences Board-Cordillera cannot investigate itself. BC will wash its hands and blame the end, the death of the six miners will be treated as another statistics in the mining industry.

It is crucial to ferret out the truth if the small-scale mining industry in the Cordillera Administrative Region or in the entire Philippines for that matter is to bury its past record of unsafe mining practices and wanton destruction of the environment which is giving a black eye to the mining sector.

The move of Fongwan for Malacanang to step in is the proper approach and I suggest that it be conducted in a transparent way. It must be held at a venue open to the general public and should take the form of a public hearing submitted to the President and Congress in aid of much-needed legislation to revisit our antiquated small-scale mining law. For example, is the present setup conducive to good governance and to the effective exercise of the oversight function? Should small-scale mining be put directly under the Office of the President, say, under PMDC; or should it be under a new division in the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources?

To me, records will show that MGB nationwide has not done a very good job in helping the small-scale mining industry become a pillar in community development and in enhancing the environment. The evidence of deaths of small-scale miners in Compostella valley and here in our province as exemplified in last month’s Antamok tragedy speak for themselves. How about the unrecorded accidents in less publicized incidents all over the country?

Let not the deaths of six small-scale miners in Antamok be in vain. Let us rally behind Gov. Fongwan to ask for intervention from Malacanang in getting at the bottom of the Antamok tragedy.

P.T Quinto Jr.
Pinsao Pilot Project Baguio City
Telefax 619 4204



An open letter to Rep. Manuel Agyao, caretaker congressman of Mountain Province, Gov. Maximo Dalog and Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey

This respectfully concerns the circumstances of the P70 million Bontoc Water System which appeared in various local newspapers and the plan to save it among others. With all due respect, to save this project, I respectfully suggest that a full scale investigation without fear or favor should be initiated so that these hereunder questions to be answered for the benefit of the people. They should know the truth behind:

1. What was initially bidded for the water system? Was it G.I. pipes or the plastic pipes?
2. Was there a written authority for the transfer of the source from Mainit to Bay-yo?
3. Why did it take the DPWH-MPDEO almost two years to finish four phases.
4. What is the reason that two phases of the project under RIM Construction were terminated?
5. Granting that RIM Construction already collected his 15% mobilization for the terminated projects (which I believe he did) , how will the DPWH-MPDEO collect back said amount? That is for the people of Bontoc!

We have already an "Ong" who made a fool out of the people of Mountain Province. I honestly believe that your honorable selves can prevent the proliferation of many more or "banish" them.

Thank you very much and God Bless!

Juniper Dominguez
Resident Mountain Province



’AFP commanders concocting more lies to cover up human rights abuses in Kalinga’

Last July 21, AFP Lt. Jay Alambra, Lt. Aries Apduhan and Major Domingo, reported to their headquarters that they had an encounter with the NPA in Duyaas, Upper Uma, Lubuagan, Kalinga. They claimed that the encounter resulted in the death of an NPA guerrilla and the recovery of one .30 cal carbine and a magnum cal .22 revolver. They also announced that they discovered the headquarters of the NPA-Kalinga command in the mountainous areas of Upper Uma.

The report made by these officers is a brazen lie. The truth is that army murdered Rocky Aboli, married, and a resident and barangay kagawad of Upper Uma. Aboli was shot to death by troops led by Lt. Jay Alambra, Lt. Aries Apduhan and Major Domingo in Mount Bulos, Upper Uma, Lubuagan at 4 p.m. of July 20.

This is the second time this year that AFP troops killed a Kalinga civilian. Last April 4, soldiers from the 21st IB killed Rey Lugao in Kalasan, Mabongtot, Lubuagan. Two witnesses interviewed by the Provincial PNP positively identified Lt. Aries Apduhan as the commanding officer of the troops who murdered Lugao. Until now the soldiers who committed these murders and other deplorable acts are scot-free and able to wreak havoc on innocent civilians.

Aboli's murder is now the 19th incident of human rights abuse committed by elements of the AFP-PNP-CAFGU in Kalinga since 2001. These 19 incidents include 11 murders, five attempted murders, two massacres and one attempted massacre. There have been 44 civilian victims, including 26 of whom were killed, 11 wounded and 6 highly traumatized.

For some time now, Lt. Col. Antonio Lastimado, CO of the 21st IB, Col. Remigio de Vera, CO of the 501st Infantry Brigade, and Gen. Melchor Dilodilo, CO of the 5th ID, have been proclaiming over Kalinga and Cagayan radio stations that they are victorious in their counter insurgency operations, that the NPA is losing ground in Kalinga and Northern Luzon, that NPA guerillas are surrendering in droves with their firearms, and that the number of NPA guerillas has been reduced by 70 percent.

All these are outrageous lies that are woven by the twisted, craven and malicious mindset of the AFP.

But the people are not deceived. Each day they witness and are victimized by the terrifying Re-engineered Special Operations Team (RSOT) operations conducted by the 21st and 17th IB in the municipalities of Balbalan, Pinukpuk, Tabuk, Lubuagan and Pasil. Since January, AFP troops have been forcing residents in these municipalities to sign documents pledging allegiance to the Philippine government and the AFP. Able-bodied men in these areas have been forcibly conscripted into the CAFGU.

The increasing human rights abuses perpetrated by the AFP in Kalinga and in other parts of the country are all part of Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) 2, the ambitious overall security plan of the Arroyo regime to crush the revolutionary movement by 2010. But OBL 2 is a failure, for even the regime's generals and high-ranking defense department personnel say that the revolutionary movement cannot be defeated by 2010.

Ka Tipon Gil-ayab
Spokesperson
Lejo Cawilan Command New People's Army
Kalinga

LETTERS

The Itogon landslide: A result of prolonged large mining operations

There is much for Benguet Corp. to account for in the horrendous disaster in Itogon that severely affected the lives of local residents from 80 households in the indigenous community of Beda, and in Antamok last Sept. 22. putting the blame solely on natural calamities like Typhoon Nina and small-scale mining as done by BC, while the Mines and Geosciences Bureau and the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources are both lame and weak, when we know for a fact that BC’s socially and environmentally destructive large mining operations since 1903 is to answer for the disaster.

What happened in Itogon already happened in Colalo, Mankayan in July 1999, where Lepanto Mining operated the past 72 years in massive underground operations which softened and weakened Colalo grounds, such that any typhoon can aggravate a disaster waiting to happen.

The 14 miners trapped must be immediately rescued, because BC is accountable for this and to the families. Their effort to rescue is the least they can do and it must not cover up their responsibility and accountability in the whole disaster – the killings or loss of lives, the environmental disaster, displacement of the families and the demolished ili that will never be built again.

What future awaits the displaced families who have lost their loved ones, their home and ili? Is BC going to pay for the long term effects of its destructive operations? As do other mining companies, BC will resort to a media blitz of corporate responsibility through technical assistance to the victims. That however, is not a long term solution but a cover up of the real situation.

This is what happened in Itogon. The environment, the mountains should never have been disturbed in the first place. The mining disaster in Rapu-Rapu where Lafayette Mines operated since 2005 and in Marinduque, where Marcopper created the country’s largest mining disaster in 1996 prove that the Itogon landslide is not an isolated, naturally occurring incident.

There will always be environmental and social disasters in areas of large mining operations in the same manner that there will always be militarization and human rights violations also therein, as long as the government doesn’t address these properly.
We call on the National Commission on Indigenous People, Commission on Human Rights, including the municipal and provincial governments to look into the interest and welfare of the Itogon community – both those directly and indirectly affected.

The provincial government must decisively act to put a stop to such disasters, for environmental protection and socio-cultural preservation by placing a ban or moratorium to large mining operations in the province.

The historical injustice done to the Ibalois and Kankanaeys in Itogon as a result of development aggression – large and destructive mining, in particular must be corrected. The people of Itogon including those of other Cordillera provinces, especially those threatened by large and destructive mining operations and overlapping applications, must unite and resist the further plunder and destruction of the Cordillera homeland.

Benguet Corporation, including Philex and Lepanto must be accountable for the environmental and social damages they have caused in indigenous communities in Benguet. An independent investigation that will not again be another case of impunity must be urgently carried out.

Windel Bolinget
Secretary General
Cordillera People’s Alliance

LETTERS

On Amlusong Bridge brouhaha in Mt Prov

This respectfully concerns the issue regarding the stolen sway braces of Amlusong Bridge. How can it be repaired with all the statements of our beloved politicians in Mountain Province which was printed by your widely read paper the past weeks?

First, it does not need a structural engineer for this problem to be solved. It needs only plain common sense. The DPWH-MPDEO should just moderate their greed in corrupting the development funds for our province and this problem will be solved. Instead of purchasing diesel fuel, office supplies, guard rails obviously super overpriced, instead of putting maintenance funds on obviously sub-standard ripraps and non-existent toad graveling, use it for the emergency repair of Amlusong Bridge.

For the information of our kakailians, the bridge in Sabangan was in near collapse due to rust literally caused by human urine. The noise caused by the vibrations of the bridge especially when trucks pass by at night, keeps the neighborhood awake. I insisted to the late Congressman Dominguez then to allocate at least P300,000 for its repair. He readily allocated P350,000.

After a month, the DPWH, with the use of some condemned bridge beams at the DPWH compound fixed it. Presto, there were no more vibrations hence a peaceful sleep for the neighborhood and no more danger to the public.

I challenge the DPWH-MPDEO headed by District Engineer Leyaley to use at least P800,000 to P1 million of the maintenance funds for the repair of the Amlusong Bridge and use some of the condemned bridge beams (if your office did not sell it por kilo).

If there are no takers for the project, then let me handle it. I did it to the Sabangan Bridge, I can do it my way with the Amlusong Bridge. But maid met a SOP (But no SOP.) The workmanship of an ex-convict might be at par with the original.

To the people making so much noise regarding the Amlusong Bridge, please be reminded that there were bridge pins stolen in some road bridges like Kalakaban, Balikyan etc. There were millions worth of guard rails stolen and re-installed and paid.

There were foot bridge steel matings stolen like near Bay-yo and Balikyan. There were water pipes stolen, and what did you do? The plunder and corruption of development funds for our province is continuing and what are you doing? Tama na muna ang corruption! Think of the welfare of the people for at least even this time only. Irepair ninyo na!

Juniper C. Dominguez
E-Sabangan



CSC bares guidelines on gov’t designations

The Civil Service Commission has adapted the following guidelines on designation in the civil service through CSC Resolution No. 050157:

Employees to be designated should hold permanent appointments to career positions.
Designees can only be designated to positions within the level they are currently occupying. However, division chiefs may be designated to perform the duties of third level positions.

First level personnel cannot be designated to perform the duties of second level positions.
For positions with incumbents who temporarily cannot perform the duties of the position (vacation or sick leave, study leave, scholarship, maternity leave, special assignments), the designations should be synchronized with the absence of the incumbent provided that in no case shall a designation exceed one year.

For positions without incumbents, a designation may be made only for a maximum of one year.
Designations shall be made through an office order issued by the head of agency or the head of office concerned. Designees cannot be granted the salaries of the positions they are being designated to, except allowances that go with performance of the functions such as RATA (representation and transportation allowance).

These guidelines supplement Section 6 (e), Rule III of CSC Memorandum Circular No. 40, s. 1998 as amended by CSC Memorandum Circular No. 15, s. 1999.

Lorenzo Danipog
Regional Director
CSC-Cordillera



Prostitute or protestant?

An Irish daughter had not been home for over five years.

Upon her return, her father cussed her. “Where have ye been all this time? Why did ye not write to us, not even a line? Why didn't ye call? Can ye not understand what ye put yer old Mother thru?”

The girl, crying, replied, 'Sniff, sniff....Dad. ... I became a prostitute.”

Ye what? Out of here, ye shameless harlot! Sinner! You're a disgrace to this Catholic family.”

“OK, Dad-- as ye wish. I just came back to give mum this luxurious fur coat,
title deed to a ten bedroom mansion plus a $5 million savings certificate. For my little brother, this gold Rolex.

And for ye Daddy, the sparkling new Mercedes limited edition convertible that's parked outside plus a membership to the country club....(takes a breath) and an invitation for ye all to spend New Years Eve on board my new yacht in the Riviera and... ...”

”Now what was it ye said ye had become?” says Dad.

Girl, crying again, 'Sniff, sniff....a prostitute Daddy! Sniff, sniff.

Oh! Be Jesus! Ye scared me half to death, girl! I thought ye said a Protestant. Come here and give yer old Dad a hug.' -- Jorge Pawid, California, US

LETTER

P15 not enough for round trip fare

The issuance of the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board – Cordillera Administrative Region last May 27 granting a P15 increase to the cost of living allowance (COLA) for employees within the BLIST (Baguio, La Trinidad, Itogon and Sablan ) is another show of insensitivity to the real economic conditions of the lowly-paid workers. Obviously, the RTWPB did not again base their said increase on the real plight of the workers not only here in the BLIST areas but in the entire Cordillera region.

The Cordillera workers in general are receiving wages that are not enough to cope with the actual standard cost of living which is already reaching to P800 for the family of six. It’s true that the minimum wage here in the region will rise to P260 a day for workers in the non-agricultural sector and P243 in the other areas of the Cordillera, but it is still far away from the actual needed expenses for a worker and his family for a day.

It is not even enough for a worker’s round trip fare going to his work and going home as the fare hike was already implemented. Worst, the workers like the rest of the Filipino poor can no longer have a stable 3 meals a day as the price of the Filipino staple food rice, is too much. With the sky-rocketing prices of oil and other petrol products causing the prices of basic commodities and social services to continuously rise up, the workers will never have a decent life.

Last year, the region’s workers received the lowest increase in the country. The militant workers under the flag of KMU-Cordillera still demand a true living wage that can feed the workers and their family. The workers have all the rights to be given such to buy food, medicines, clothing and shelter and to be able to send their children to school as they are the ones molding the economy through their hard works. They should be given what is due to them in order to live decently. KMU strongly upholds the long cry for a P125 wage increase across the board nationwide.

The workers of the Cordillera like their colleagues all over the country waited for a long period of time for the passage of the said demand into law. P125 wage increase was proposed through a bill principally authored and passed by ANAKPAWIS Party List Crispin “Ka Bel” Beltran in 2001 when he is then one of the first representatives of Bayan Muna Party List but until his death on May 20 and burial on May 28, it was never approved. At present, it is again hanging in the house of congress as House Bill 1722.

KMU and other progressive workers’ organizations together with the progressive party lists and democratic organizations and sectors will push through with the demand for the legislation of the P125 wage increase. This also will be part of our pledge to continue the fight of Ka Bel for peoples’ rights and welfare. P125 Wage Increase Across the Board Nationwide pa rin!

We don’t need petty increases as prices of necessities rise fast. We demand for the abolition of the wage boards as we ask for wage increases to be done nationwide and not according to regions!

Aldwin Quitasol
Spokesperson
Kilusang Mayo Uno Cordillera

LETTER

50th IB commits ‘barbaric Acts’ against NPA guerilla

The Agustin Begnalen Command and the people of Tubo, Abra vehemently condemn the gross violations of the 50th Infantry Battalion of the provisions and articles of war specified under Protocol 1 of the Geneva Convention and reaffirmed under the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law signed by the National Democratic Front and the Philippine government.

Specifically, we condemn the C Coy headed by 1Lt John Pedrigosa and 2Lt Abdul Rashid Avila for beheading and desecrating the remains of Sammy Rey "Ka Cholo" Cayago, a Red fighter slain in an encounter with the said troops last March 24 in a forested area of Barangay Tubtuba, Tubo.

After almost a whole month of searching, Ka Cholo's decomposing body was retrieved by the NPA last April 21, while the 50th IB and 52nd Recon Coy were still on combat operation in the Ampis area or triboundaries of Abra, Mountain Province and Ilocos Sur. One hand and one foot were missing.

His head was separated from his body. The back portion of his skull was shattered to pieces. Ka Cholo's remains were placed in a makeshift coffin and buried until it was exhumed last May 2 and turned over to his grieving and outraged family.

Earlier, soldiers of the C Coy bragged to the people of Pananuman and Tubtuba how they riddled Ka Cholo's body with more than 50 bullets. They proudly boasted that 2Lt Avila hacked off Ka Cholo's head with a bolo and how another soldier smashed the head with a rock, shattering the back portion of his skull.

These flagrantly inhuman acts can only be committed by madmen. The 50th IB is notorious for being bloodthirsty terrorists. The savagery they have done to Ka Cholo are an addition to their already long list of heinous crimes committed against the revolutionary movement and the people.

For the recent war crimes they have committed, the Agustin Begnalen Command and Ka Cholo's family will file a formal case against the 50th IB and 503rd Infantry Brigade through the Joint Monitoring Committee. Furthermore, the ABC vows that the 50th IB will pay dearly for the injustice they have done to Ka Cholo.

Ka Diego Wadagan
Spokesman
Agustin Begnalen Command
New People’s Army-Abra

LETTER

Pannakidangadang para ti nailian a demokrasya

Maysa a nalabaga a kablaaw kadakayo amin manipud iti Cordillera Peoples' Democratic Front! Kasta met nga ipadanon ti CPDF ti pammadayaw kadagiti umili ken opisyales ti Licuan-Baay partikular iti Poblacion, ken ti organisasyon a Baay-Licuan Takderan Omnu a Kalintegan (BALITOK) iti panag-host yo iti maika-24th a selebrasyon ti Cordillera Day.

Naimpanawenan ti tema ti Cordillera Day 2008 a Labanan ti Panagraut dagiti Minas ken Terorismo ti Estado.

Agarup 61% ti kabuklan nga erya ti intero a rehiyon tayo ket isalsalda ni Gloria Arroyo kadagiti dadakkel a kompanya ti minas, a kas met la ti ar-aramiden na iti dadduma pay a paset ti Pilipinas. Nasikap ti rehimen Arroyo ken dagiti dadakkel a kompanya ti minas nga agaramat kadagiti narurugit a taktika, panangallilaw, panagsuitik, ken panagpasuksok tapno banniitan ti umili.

Mangiwarsi da ti sangkabassit a pondo kasukat ti dagdaga tayo a ginasut a tawen a nangbibiag kadagiti kaapuan ken adu a kaputotan. Agusar da kadagiti lokal nga opisyales ken kakailian a propesyonal a mangpaamo iti rikna ti umili ken mangpangudel iti takder a mangsalaknib kadagiti ansestral a daga ken kinabaknang.

Makitulag ken makisosyo da kadagiti sumagmamano a babaknang ti ili babaen iti "Memorandum of Agreement" tapno makaserrek da iti ansestral a daga. Pagparangen da a ti minas ket mangisangpet ti panagdur-as ken panggedan, idinto a napaneknekan iti kapadasan ti Lepanto Mines ken dadduma pay a minas iti Benguet a sumagmamano laengen ti kasapulan a minero gapu ta makina ti agminas, ken dakkel a didigra ti ipaay ti polusyon ti minas kas iti mapaspasamak iti Mankayan ken dadduma pay a komunidad ken naperdi a taltalon iti abay ti Abra River.

Ti Licuan-Baay ket gandat a serreken ti Olympus Pacific Minerals, maysa a kompanya a kukua ti ganggannaet a Canada, kakumplot ti Abra Mining & Industrial Company (AMIC) ken Jabel Mining. Gapu iti proteksyon ti mersenaryo nga 41st IB ken 503rd Infantry Brigade kadagitoy a minas, napangas da a sumsumrek uray iti sango ti napinget nga oposisyon ti umili. Iti boundary ti Abra, Mountain Province, ken Ilocos Sur wenno AMPIS erya, agkatkatay a sumrek ti Phelps Dodge, maysa kadagiti kadakkelan a kompanya ti minas ti imperyalismo nga US. Gandat pay ti Phelps Dodge nga ag-explorasyon iti uneg ti ansestral a daga ti Balatoc ken Guinaang, Pasil.
Sumsumrek met ti Wolfland Resources iti ansestral land ti tribu a Guilayon, Tabuk. Ken dadduma pay a nakawaras iti nadumaduma a lugar ti rehiyon. Gastosen dagitoy a kompanya ti uray inggana 40% ti iserrek da nga inisyal a kapital para iti nadumaduma a taktika ken maniobra tapno laeng allukoyen, allilawen ken alaen ti pammalubos wenno "free and prior informed consent" ti umili! Nalaka da ngamin a subboten to ti gastos da babaen iti binilbilyon a ganansya apaman a malukatan dagiti minas.

Kakuyog dagiti minas ti panangibulos ti rehimen Arroyo ti adu a mersenaryo a tropa ti AFP/PNP, panagrekrut iti CAFGU, ken panangimula iti adu a sipsip. Ti Cordillera ken Ilocos ket paset ti saklaw ti napeklan a 5th Infantry Division. Kakadlaw a dagiti luglugar a target a maminas ti nakaibukbokan dagiti adu a tropa ti AFP ken PNP. Kanayon a kagiddan ti militar dagiti proyekto a sumrek kadagiti ili tayo. Adda ti 41st IB ken 50th IB a yunit ti 503rd Brigade iti Abra ken Ilocos ; adda ti 54th IB ken paset ti 77th IB a yunit ti 502nd Brigade iti Mountain Province, Ifugao ken Northern Benguet; ken adda ti 45th IB, 21st IB ken 77th IB a yunit ti 501st Brigade iti Kalinga ken Apayao.

Itay laeng nabiit, manipud March 2 inggana April 12, nangisayangkat ti 5th ID iti maysa a naulpit nga operasyon a nangtarget iti makunkuna nga "AMPIS Complex" a sakup dagiti sumaganad: Pananuman, Tubtuba, Beew, Alangtin ken Dilong iti Tubo; Lamag, Bab-asig, Patiakan iti Quirino; ken Dandanac, Tamboan iti Besao.

Sangagabsuon a tropa ti naibulos. Nagaramat da ti heligunships nga MG-520 ken fighter planes nga F5 ken OV-10 a nangitinnag iti nasurok 95 a bomba a 250 lbs ken 500 lbs iti nagsasaruno nga aldaw. Kagiddan daytoy ti awan sarday a panagbombomba iti kabambantayan babaen iti 60 mm ken 81 mm mortar ken 105 mm howitzer a kanyon a naipwesto iti uneg mismo ti sityo Pananuman. Awan kaes-eskan a binusbos ti militar ti minilmilyon a piso a bomba ken bala ngem awan ti natamaan da malaksid iti kakaisuna a "Ka Labaw" ni Lakay Lay-ab.

Iti bangir na, nabaelan dagiti natataer a komander ken mannakigubat ti New People's Army a sanguen dagitoy nga atake ti kabusor gapu iti kinahusto ken kinalinteg ti rebolusyon ken awan kupas a suporta dagiti umili a pagserserbian da. Awan nagmamaayan ti superyor a pwersa, armas, ken treyning ti militar iti sango ti mas superyor a panangaramat ti NPA iti umannatup a taktika ken teknika ti gerilya a pannakigubat ken ti nairut a silpo ti umili ken ti NPA.

Ti ambisyoso a gandat ti militar a mangparmek iti 17 a larangan a gerilya iti Pilipinas iti tallo laeng a bulan manipud Enero inggana Marso 2008 ket napaay ken awan nagmamaayan na. Uray ti dua a larangan nga ipangpangas na a naparmek ditoy rehiyon tayo ket awan kinaagpayso na.

Ti dangadang laban iti Chico Dams ken iti Cellophil Resources Corporation idi panawen ti diktador a Marcos ket napnuan kadagiti naimbalitokan nga adal. Nagballigi dagitoy a dangadang ti umili gapu ta adda dagiti soldados da – ti New People's Army – a nangpaay kadagiti karurungsotan nga atake dagiti pwersa militar ti agar-ari a dasig ken ti amo da nga imperyalista. Awan nagmamaayan ti imbaon ni Marcos a Presidential Guard Batallion a manggwardya iti Cellophil gapu iti determinado a panangsupyat ti umili ti Abra ken kabangibang na a probinsya. Kasta met idiay Mountain Province ken Kalinga, awan ti nagbanagan ti imbulos ni diktador Marcos ken dagiti berdugo nga heneral na a Phillippine Constabulary nga idadauluan idi ni Hen. Fidel Ramos a manggwardya iti NPC ken dagiti nagsasaruno a yunit ti militar.

Uray ti nagkombina nga MBLT 6, 1st GHQ ken 54th Battalions a nangiwayat iti Oplan Chumanchill, kaunaan a pigsa-brigada nga operasyon ditoy Cordillera tapno parmeken ti dumaldalluyon a protesta ken oposisyon laban iti Chico Dams ket awan naaramidan na iti pursigido a tignay dagiti umili ti Bontoc ken Kalinga, kaabay ti NPA.
Kabaliktad daytoy ti napasamak iti Ambuklao ken Binga dams idi 1950s idiay Benguet no sadino nga awan pay ti NPA idi a panawen. Gapu ta awan ti armado a pannakidangadang ti umili, nalayos ti dagdaga dagiti kakailian tayo nga Ibaloy.

Nasuroken a 50 tawen ti napalabas, ngem inggana itatta, saan pay laeng a nabaybayadan dagiti dagdaga da.

Iti daytoy a gundaway, ipadanon tayo kadagiti kameng ti AFP, PNP, CAFGU, ken BIN nga adda nga agdengdengngeg dita ig-igid – iti panagpausar yo kas naranggas nga instrumento ti estado, dakayo ti mangtuktukod iti pannakaitantan ti pannakarippuog ti turay ni GMA. Dakayo ti kangrunaan nga instrumento na iti ranggas ken pannakalabsing dagiti karbengan-tao. Adda kadi dayaw ti panagserbi iti naulpit a rehimen – mangpatpatay kadagiti rumbeng a protektaran na ken agserserbi iti turay a mangraraut iti ili tayo?

Nadayaw kadi ti mangtraydor iti mismo a kadasig na, iti naruay a masa a naggapuan na? Nadayaw kadi ti maisubsubo kayo iti labanan bayat nga adda dagiti heneral yo a bumakbaknang iti panagkurakot ken panagkusit uray iti pondo a pang-operasyon ken ramit pangkombat yo? Bayat nga agbisbisin kayo no tiempo ti operasyon ken agtakaw kayo iti mula ken dinguen ti masa, adda met dagiti opisyales iti ngatuen yo nga agnamnam-ay iti biag da. Saan kayo a tuleng, bulsek, ken awanan puot kadagitoy a mapaspasamak. La ketdi tumakder kayo iti kinalinteg ken kinapudno ken makikaykaysa kayo iti umili, nalaklaka a marippuog ni Arroyo.

Ti agtutuon a krisis iti agdama – krisis iti gasolina, krisis iti bagas, krisis iti makan, krisis iti politika – kagiddan ti awan sarday ken awanan bain a panagtaktakaw iti binilbilyon a pondo ti umili – ket saan nga agsardeng agingga a di ta'y paksyaten ti turay ti rehimen nga US-Arroyo ken ti kabuklan a mala-kolonyal ken mala-pyudal a sistema iti Pilipinas. Saan nga umanay ti people power ken adda patingga ti ligal a panagtignay.

Agasem ti nasurok 800 a saan nga armado a sibiliyan, aktibista a kameng ken lider dagiti ligal nga organisasyon a pintatpatay dagiti berdugo a death squad na! Malaksid pay kadagiti nadukot ken saanen a mabirokan, ken rinibribu a biktima ti amin a klase ti kinaranggas. Adun dagiti martir, adu unayen ti abuso ken panangparigat. Saan tayo nga urayen a kumaro pay. Saan tayo nga urayen a dumanon ti kabusor iti paraangan sakbay nga agtignay.

Saan tayo nga urayen nga adda matay a kailian, kabsat, wenno annak tayo sakbay a lumaban. Rumbeng nga ibelleng ken iwaksi tayo ti panagkampante ken panagduadua, ti petiburges a panagrelax-relax, ti aglaladut ken agalla-alla a panagtignay, ken ti legalismo nga agpapaigalut iti uneg ti komportable ken akikid nga opisina. Ita ti panawen ti rebolusyon!

Kasla agmauyong nga aso ti rehimen nga US-Arroyo iti kinairteng ken kinarungsot ti Oplan Bantay Laya 2 a nakapaturong saan laeng nga iti rebolusyonaryo a tignayan no di ket uray kadagiti legal ken progresibo a puersa. Inartapan ti rehimen Arroyo ti kinadakes ken kinaranggas dagiti napalabas nga aso-aso a rehimen.

Kakailian ken kapadak a Cordilleran, saan tayo ipalubos ti kontra-umili ken kontra-pagilian a rehimen Arroyo a mangguyod kadagiti annak tayo a pagbalinen da a CAFGU, AFP, PNP, CPLA, BIN, CI, wenno sipsip a panglaban ken pangpatay kadatayo. Ketdi, allukoyen ken wayaan tayo dagiti annak tayo a tumipon iti NPA ken tumipon kadagiti pannakidangadang a mangitantandudo iti pudno a demokrasya ken bukod-a-panangikeddeng ditoy Kordilyera ken intero a sangapagilian – daytoy ti natan-ok a dalan a rumbeng a suroten ti agdama ken sumarsaruno pay a kaputotan.
Fetad! ti panawagan tayo iti rehiyon Cordillera ken Ilocos – labanan ti Oplan Bantay Laya 2.

Di tayo lipatan a ti kombinasyon ti tuloy-tuloy a rebolusyonaryo nga armado ken pangmasa a pannakidangadang ti nangpasardeng iti Chico dams ken ti Cellophil. Isu met laeng ti inar-aramat tayo tapno labanen dagiti simmarsaruno a nangingisit a gandat ken aramid ti reaksyonaryo a gobyerno ken dagiti pagserserbian na a dadakkel nga apo't daga, komprador burgesya ken imperyalista nga ibusen ti kinabaknang ken dadaelen ti Kordilyera.

Simon "Ka Filiw" Naogsan
Tagapagsarita
Cordillera People’s Democratic Front

LETTER

Abra NPA command assails army troopers’ ‘terroristic operations’

The Agustin Begnalen Command condemns in the strongest possible terms the continuing violence and terrorism inflicted by troops of the 50th IB and 52nd Recon Coy on the people of Tubo, Abra. Victims of the ongoing military operation are the indigenous communities of Pananuman, Tubtuba, Beew, Alangtin, and Dilong, all in Tubo, and the nearby community of Lamag in Quirino, Ilocos Sur.

Worst affected in the military operation which has been going on for more than a month already are the communities of Pananuman and Tubtuba which are now under virtual martial rule. Since arriving in Pananuman on March 12, the military troops turned the community into a garrison. They forcibly occupied the elementary school buildings, barangay hall, church, and village dap-ay (traditional council house). They set up their 60 mm and 81 mm mortars and a 105 mm howitzer cannon right within the residential area and turned the school ground into a helipad.

Heavy artillery bombing continues to be launched from within the residential area of Pananuman. Since March 25, more than 95 mortar and howitzer cannon shells have been fired day and night. The people of Pananuman, Tubtuba and nearby communities could not sleep at night due to the continuous bombing. After conducting a population census, the military put every citizen under constant surveillance. The villagers were accused as NPA supporters. The military troops conducted illegal searches in all households and confiscated several people's properties they claimed belonged to the NPA. These included some hunting rifles, VHF radio handsets, cell phones, and even clothing.

The VHF radios in Pananuman and Tubtuba have long been used for daily and emergency communications with other barangays and towns. The military confiscated these on suspicion that the people might use the radios for transmitting information to the NPA regarding the location and movement of the operating troops. No one could leave the community without permission. For more than a month, the military prohibited the people from going to their swidden farms, ricefields, pasture lands, and forested areas. The people's agricultural activities have been disrupted and severely affected. Swidden farms and ricefields continue to be left unattended and grazing animals could not be tended. Even the community waterworks system that has been damaged could not be fixed because the people are not allowed to do so.

Clearly, the militarization of Tubo has resulted in serious economic losses that has only worsened the already impoverished state of the peasant masses The military troops and threatened that if ever the military were to encounter the NPA within the peripheries of Pananuman, they will declare the area as a "no man's land", enforce an evacuation, and bomb the community. Recently, they warned the people of Lamag that they will shoot anybody they encounter in Sakabo, a mountain ridge and swidden area between Pananuman and Lamag.

As the military operation continues in the Ampis tri-boundary of Tubo, Abra; Besao, Mountain Province, and Quirino, Ilocos Sur, human rights violations also continue to pile up and worsen. Mariano Galisen, a 60-year-old farmer from Tubtuba, has been missing since April 1 after he attempted to visit his swidden farm. His decomposing body was found only recently in the forest. The people of Tubtuba strongly suspect that he was shot dead by the operating troops when they occupied his farm. The troops led by 1Lt John Pedrigosa and 2nd Lt Rashid Abdul Avila forced civilians to be used as guides and cargadores.

Last March 26, they commandeered 27 civilians from Pananuman and Tubtuba to fetch the remains of a soldier who was killed in an encounter with the NPA two days earlier in Ampungan, a swidden and pasture area several hours hike from Pananuman. After fetching the body and the civilians were about to leave Ampungan, more than 50 soldiers who were out on patrol suddenly showed up and joined them on their return to Pananuman.

Obviously, the soldiers who were out on patrol used the civilians as human shields for fear of being ambushed by the NPA on their way back to the village. The continuous bombing, strafing and mortar shelling of the mountains and forested area along the boundary of Tubo and Besao and nearby communities have traumatized the villagers, especially the children, women, and elderly. Daily from March 23 to 28, two OV-10 bomber planes continuously dropped 125- and 250-pound bombs and strafed the area. In over six days, 117 bombs were dropped by these bomber planes. Two F5 fighter jets also accompanied the bomber planes last March 28.

Contrary to the 50th IB's persistent propaganda that their purpose is to "bring back peace" in Tubo, the operating troops have only brought more suffering and misery upon the people and worsened the already dire situation in the area. As clear proof that these fascist troops do not serve the interest of the people, the 50th IB and 503rd Brigade arrogantly rejected the resolution of the people and municipal officials of Tubo requesting an end to the combat operations and bombings.

In utter disregard of the people's clamor for peace, the military asserted that the combat operations and bombings were necessary to drive away the NPA and pave the way for development projects such as large scale mining. By its own declarations, the military has unwittingly revealed whose interests it truly upholds and serves – that of big corporate mining firms that have long been coveting the gold and other mineral reserves in the Ampis area. The national minority communities of Ampis know too well that large scale mining, like the ongoing militarization of the area, will only bring catastrophe instead of progress. The people have learned this from the unfortunate experiences of their neighbors in Benguet and the communities along the Abra River who continue to suffer from Lepanto's pollution.

We call on the people of Tubo and the entire Ampis area to expose, condemn, and oppose the military's terrorist activities. The people should assert their rights and demand justice and indemnification for the abuses committed by the military. The NPA is one with the people of Tubo and the entire Ampis area in their legitimate demands and assertion of their rights as national minorities to protect their ancestral lands against corporate mining and as civilians against the accompanying terrorism inflicted by the military.

Since March 21, the casualties of the 50th IB and 52nd Recon Coy reached 13 (10 killed in action and at least 3 wounded) from successive engagements with the NPA along the boundary of Tubo and Besao. Three died in an ambush last March 21. One died in an encounter last March 24. Two were killed while another was wounded in an ambush last March 25. The pilot of a Huey helicopter was also wounded last March 25. In the latest battle on April 5, four troopers of the 52nd Recon Coy were killed and at least one was wounded. Neither the army’s massive operating troops nor its superior weapons such as mortars and cannons, OV-10 bomber planes, Huey helicopters and F5 fighter jets can deter the NPA from achieving more military victories. The operating troops will pay dearly for their incursions and crimes against the people to attain revolutionary justice.

Ka Diego Wadagan
Spokesperson
Agustin Begnalen Command New People’s Army, Abra

LETTERS

‘Lt. Gen. Maclang's men killed a civilian, not NPA’

Last April 6, DZRH radio reporter Joe Dasig cited Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang's claim that the 21st IB and the 77th IB under the 501st Infantry Brigade of the AFP killed an NPA guerrilla and wounded two others in Mabongtot, Lubuagan, Kalinga. This is entirely false. Shot to death by the fascist AFP was a civilian teenager, Rey Lugao, 17 years old, from the Mabongtot tribe in the municipality of Lubuagan.

On April 2, a platoon of soldiers from the 21st IB and the 77th IB from Dupag, Tabuk, and another platoon from Cagaluan, Pasil launched combat operations in Dupag, Tabuk. On the evening of April 3, these platoons converged at Tanglag, Lubuagan.

They proceeded to Mabongtot the next day where they met Rey Lugao who was on his way to the tribe's communal pastureland to tend his family's carabao. He had with him a hunting rifle. The soldiers investigated and tried to force him to admit that he was an NPA guerrilla. They hit him repeatedly trying to force the innocent teenager to point to the location of NPA camps. Not getting any information, the trigger-happy soldiers shot him to death and took his gun. His body bore several gunshot wounds.

Mere possession of a firearm does not warrant death. The murder of Rey Lugao is a gross violation of human rights. The military has again displayed its ignorance of tribal tradition and blatant diregard for international protocols of war and human rights,
considering that Rey was disarmed and rendered helpless. He should have been accorded due process.

This is not the first time that the Mabongtot tribe has suffered from militarization and human rights violations. In the 1980s, the AFP unleashed untold violence on the Mabongtot people and other tribes who opposed the Chico dam projects of the US-Marcos dictatorship. In 2004, a operating troops of the AFP fired on a Mabongtot youth named Pallong, and was wounded in the arm. He was falsely declared as a captured NPA by MIG Agent Galang Dumallay, who also belonged to the Mabongtot tribe. Then in 2005, the army troopers beat up Pallong's brother for several hours on suspicion that he was supporting the NPA.

Rey Lugao is the 25th civilian killed by the AFP-PNP in Kalinga since 2001 when Arroyo climbed to power. Four other civilians were wounded during combat operations launched by the AFP in their counter-insurgency campaign under Oplan Bantay Laya.

Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang's claims – that the AFP has inflicted many casualties on the NPA, cut down the strength of the revolutionary people's army, and destroyed several guerrilla fronts in Northern Luzon – are just part of the US-Arroyo regime's delusion that it will significantly defeat the CPP-NPA by 2010.

These lies, incessantly chorused by Arroyo and her henchmen, are but a result of their daydreaming and part of their desperate attempt to shore up the sagging morale of the mercenary armed forces that keep on suffering one defeat after another from the tactical offensives of the NPA nationwide. These lies are also meant to cover up the spate of extrajudicial killings, abductions and other fascist terrorist acts against unarmed progressive forces, and to divert the attention of suffering Filipino masses who are victimized daily by worsening poverty and hunger.

These liars, led by the terrorist Arroyo, want to hide their defeats in the battlefield. Particularly in the armed struggle in the Ilocos-Cordillera Region, Comrade Martin Montana of the Chadli Molintas Command has clearly pointed out in his statement for the 39th Anniversary of the NPA that "the victories achieved by the people's army in the field of battle in 2007 exceed those of 2006. In 2006, the enemy suffered 53 casualties and the NPA seized 29 firearms in 26 battles. In 2007, the enemy sustained 61 killed in action (the equivalent of a company), 39 wounded, four captured and later released, and 12 firearms seized in 27 battles. Of these, 21 were initiated by the NPA."

The Lejo Cawilan Command of the NPA in Kalinga has contributed significantly toward advancing the armed revolution. From 2003 to 2007, the LCC fought 29 battles, 21 of which were tactical offensives initiated by the people's army. The enemy forces suffered 29 killed, 27 wounded, and 31 high-powered rifles and a handgun seized by the NPA. On the NPA side, there were two killed, five wounded, two captured, and two firearms lost.

With the worsening economic and political crises nationwide due to the continuing exploitative and oppressive rule of the big landlord-comprador classes and the persistent terrorism and corruption of the Arroyo puppet regime, more and more Filipinos will join the NPA. The revolutionary forces will keep on advancing day after day and will win more victories in terms of revolutionary base building, agrarian revolution, and armed struggle. Like OBL 1, OBL 2 will surely fail and the Filipino people will kick out the stinking Arroyo gang from power.

We call on the Mabongtot tribal elders to exact justice for Rey Lugao by sending their sons and daughters to the NPA. We call on all families who have been victimized by the fascist AFP-PNP to join the people's war, inflict more casualties on the reactionary AFP-PNP, and put an end to this disgusting Arroyo regime.

Ka Tipon Gil-ayab
Spokesperson
Lejo Cawilan Command
New People’s Army, Kalinga



Lady wants money back from former cop boyfriend

This is to seek your views about this matter, and to clear my mind in coming up with the right decision. I wasn't exactly sure if I would post this, mainly because I thought it might go somewhere. But anyhow, this is my story:

Things have finally come to a head in me rather tumultuous relationship with my boyfriend, and I’ve finally gotten the courage to pull the plug. The only problem is that he still owes me P15, 000 that I loaned him over two months ago. I now realize that loaning him anything was a rather stupid move, but I really want to get my money back. He’s completely irresponsible, which is half the reason why I ended things with him to begin with, so I know it's not going to be as simple as just asking him nicely.

This boyfriend text messaged me that he was problematic about need of money because he’s broke and he needed to travel for work to Makati back in February. He said he can’t borrow from his parents because it will just end in arguments. Because of sympathy I met him up then lent him P3,000. The next time he was back to Baguio City , he was settling a case filed against him because of hurting a guy.

The complainants were asking for P25,000, and this boyfriend didn’t have enough money to cash it. Because of the idea of helping him solve his problem, I loaned him P7,000. He moved to Palawan the following days, and came back for the flower festival. He spent sometime in the city, and before he left for work he asked again for money because he was short so I then handed him P5,000 with the promise that it will be re-paid after he gets his salary.

This money was originally intended for my balance (consultancy/agency fee) for abroad, and he understood that. I was told he gave his salary for his uncle’s child tuition fee after a month so I can understand why he wasn’t able to pay as originally promised but it is April now and my money still hasn't arrived.

How can I force this person to pay back my money? Some friends said it is worth it to file in small claims court for P15, 000.00. My trust and friendship to him is already kind of ruined since he never paid no matter how I try to remind him through text messages.

This person, Rico Sandoval is a new police captain as I was told by him.

Sincerely,

Conifer

(You may approach your former boyfriend’s PNP superiors first to convince him to pay the money. If not, you may consider legal options. – NPT)

LETTER

‘Army sowing terror in Abra’

In its desperate attempt to quell the growing people's armed revolution, the armed forces of the P:hilippines is still going on with its two-month "offensive" operations in the tri-boundaries of Tubo, (Abra), Besao (Mountain Province) and Quirino (Ilocos Sur), also known as the AMPIS (Abra-Mountain Province-Ilocos Sur).

Since the first week of March, the entire troops of the 50th IB and the 53rd Recon Coy have been deployed for RSOT (Reengineered Special Operations Team) and combat operations in the said area.

The AFP has been drumbeating its so-called "victorious" military offensive in the Ampis area. Through its weekly radio program, "Timek ti Soldado", the 50th IB's psywar agent Sgt. Marcelo Garcia vaguely estimated that many NPA combatants were killed in encounters and bombings during the past two weeks when in fact, the only casualties were the flora and fauna in the forests.

Daily from March 23 to March 27, two OV-10 bomber planes dropped 250-pound bombs and strafed the forested area and mountains along the boundary of Tubo and Besao and the peripheries of the communities of Pananuman and Tubtuba. Ninety eight (98) bombs have been arbitrarily dropped throughout the area. The military also continuously shelled the area with mortar fire day and night from March 25 to 29.

Contrary to its proclaimed objective of bringing peace and order, the military disrupted the peaceful communities of the Maeng and Kankanaey tribes in the area. The 50th IB and 53rd Recon Coy have a notorious record for committing acts of terrorism during their large-scale operations in Ampis these previous years.

Without search warrants, troops of the 50th IB and 53rd Recon Coy forcibly entered, searched and ransacked all the houses in Pananuman on March 14. They harassed, threatened and accused the people as NPA supporters. They seized some rifles owned by peasant hunters, confiscated handheld radios and cell phones that they claimed to belong to the NPA, and even stole the clothing of hapless peasants. The operating troops also butchered a cow they chanced upon in the mountains. They attempted to recruit CAFGU members among the people to no avail.

The purpose of the successive full-scale military operations in Ampis is to drive away the NPA and pacify the people toward the smooth entry of destructive large-scale mining projects in the area. This is also the reason for the ongoing military operations of the 41st IB in the town of Licuan-Baay in the northeastern part of Abra.

The mineral-rich mountains of Ampis have been the target of mining companies since the 1970s despite the people's continuing opposition. The people of Tubo and Quirino successfully thwarted several attempts by Benguet Consolidated Inc. (now Benguet Corporation) and Philex Mining Corporation to set up mining operations in their communities in the 1970s.

Since 1998, all attempts of foreign and local mining firms like Newcrest, Phelps Dodge and Almagan-Mayantoc mining companies have failed due to the people's militant protests. Last year, the people of Dilong valley in Tubo drove away representatives of the Chinese Geological Bureau who attempted to set up an exploration program in the area.

The latest of these mining attempts is that of the Philippine Metals Corporation (PMC) actually owned by an Australian mining firm. With Mailed Molina as their local negotiator, representatives of PMC visited Mayabo, Tubo last February of this year to convince municipal officials into approving their plan to set up a mining operation in Tubo. Again, the people vehemently opposed this plan.

For terrorizing the Ampis area and for serving the interest of mining firms that aim to grab the Maeng people's ancestral lands, the fascist military forces deserve no less than the people's wrath. Thus, as punitive measures, Red fighters of the Agustin Begnalen Command successfully launched military actions against the operating troops of the 50th IB and 53rd Recon Coy.

Five enemy troops, including a lieutenant, were killed in an ambush on March 21 while two more troops were killed and another was wounded on March 25. On the same date, the Red fighters fired on one of the helicopters, causing damage to the aircraft and wounding its pilot, forcing it to make an emergency landing in Pananuman.

Along with the Operation Bantay Laya II counter-insurgency campaign of the US-Arroyo regime, the ongoing combat operations of the 50th IB and 53rd Recon Coy in Ampis is doomed to fail.

Ka Diego Wadagan
Spokesperson
Agustin Begnalen Command (NPA-Abra)

LETTERS

Rejoinder to the commentary of
Bishop Francisco F. Claver on the Ifugao Rice Terraces

This is a rejoinder to the commentary published sometime ago in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, charging that the Ifugaos “had been arrogating the Unesco World heritage title to themselves.” The Bontoc-Igorot Bishop claimed that the Ifugaos made a “false claim” to the title because the World Heritage title was awarded to the entire Cordillera rice terraces complex and not to the Ifugao rice terraces alone.

I am conversant with the nomination of the Ifugao Rice Terraces to the Unesco World Heritage Commission made by the Philippine government in 1994 through the Dept. of Foreign Affairs. I have a copy of the nomination dossier signed and submitted by then Acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Unesco National Commission of the Philippines Tomas R. Padilla. I find it necessary therefore, in the interest of truth and fairness to the Ifugaos, to set the record straight and clear whatever misimpression the Bishop’s commentary may have created in the public mind.

Secretary Padilla nominated for inscription in the World Heritage List four selected rice clusters of Ifugao rice terraces. The four clusters were: The Rice Clusters of Batad and Bangaan Banaue, the Rice Clusters of Mayoyao Central in Mayoyao, the Rice Clusters of Nagacadan in Kiangan, and the Rice Clusters of Hungduan.

Under “Specific Location” in the Unesco nomination form, Secretary Padilla stated: “Ifugao Province, Cordillera Region, Luzon Island”, and under “Description and Inventory”, the Secretary said: “This nomination presents four clusters of the best-preserved sites within the vast extent of rice terraces in the Cordilleras. Each cluster still remains complete, composed of a buffer ring of private forest (muyong), terrace group, village and sacred grove”.

Nowhere in the nomination dossier was there any mention of a specific cluster of rice terraces outside Ifugao; nowhere in the nomination was it also mentioned, or even implied, that the entire Cordillera rice terraces complex was recommended for inscription in the World Heritage List.

It may be noted, and Bishop Claver may not even be aware of it, that the rice terraces in the vicinity of Viewpoint and Poblacion in Banaue were not included in the nomination because, as an ICOMOS official told me, the rice terraces in these areas have been permanently scarred and defaced by the proliferation of residential buildings and other modern structures.

In its meeting on December 4-9, 1995 in Berlin, the World Heritage Commission approved the inscription of the four terraced clusters of Ifugao under new category of “Living Cultural Landscapes”.

The brief description of the inscribed rice terraces reads:

“For 2,000 years, the high rice fields of the Ifugaos have followed the contours of the mountain. The fruit of knowledge passed on from one generation to the next, a shared tradition and a delicate social balance, they helped from a landscape of great beauty that tradition and a delicate social balance, they helped from landscape of great beauty that expresses conquered harmony between humankind and the environment”.

I talked to Mr. Augusto Villalon, Chairman of the Philippine Committee of the International Committee on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) about Bishop Claver’s claim that the Ifugaos “arrogated” the World Heritage title to themselves and that the Unesco “had fallen for their false claim”.

Mr. Villalon, who with me accompanied the ICOMOS team when they inspected the four Ifugao rice clusters, explained that the Unesco was impressed by the Philippine nomination because the nomination dossier was supported by adequate legal and traditional mechanics for the terraces’ conservation. He cited the issuance by President Fidel V. Ramos of Executive Order No. 158 creating an agency to oversee the conservation of the Ifugao rice terraces, the preparation of the Six-Year and Three-Year Masterplan for the conservation of the rice terraces in Ifugao Presidential Decrees 260 and 1505 declaring the Ifugao Rice terraces as a National Treasure.

On the other hand, the rice terraces outside Ifugao lacked similar mechanics to assure full protection, maintenance and conservation.

Like most heritage sites, the terraces of Ifugao are in grave danger of deterioration due to a host of factors such as a changing economy, social and economic pressures, the negative effects of tourism and globalization and neglect caused by out migration and the preference of farmers’ children to gain education and employment than do back-breaking work in the rice terraces.

It may interest Bishop Claver to know that the successful Christianization campaign in Ifugao starting at the turn of the 20th century cast a negative aspect on paganism and ended many traditional practices and rituals essential to the continued cultivation of the rice terraces. This campaign and modernization have combined to break the line of strong cultural traditions that for centuries had intimately bound the Ifugaos to their beloved terraces.

But despite the continuing threats to their survival, the rice terraces of Ifugao have endured to this day. It is the mission of the Ifugao people to make their rice terraces continue to live by presiding over the terraces’ annual rebirth as they have done over the past 2,000 years.

With proper government support especially not that these have been deservedly inscribed in the World Heritage List, the Ifugao Rice Terraces may yet endure through the present millennium, be use to future generations, and continue to be recognized as the primary symbol of the cultural heritage of this nation.

JUAN B. DAIT, JR.
Kiangan, Ifugao
(Former Executive Director, Ifugao Rice Terraces Commission)

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Militant studes question mayor on upped tuition

“An education program that is accessible and that strengthens quality education” This was one of the promises of Mayor Peter Rey Bautista in answer to the question “Why I merit to be the mayor of Baguio” published in a local paper during elections last year. Many times, Mayor Bautista had also declared his “support” for the youth in his jurisdiction (who hugely composed his voters) and had been praised for this.

Now, such promises are again being challenged.

The University of Baguio (UB), which is owned by the mayor’s family, announced that it will be increasing its tuition by 7.5-10 % for enrollees this coming June-- merely two years since its raised its miscellaneous fees by similar percentage. Obviously, UB has a lot to explain to justify this move.
This is unreasonable since the university had declared a net income of P26 million in 2006. It has to consider its students whose parents’ sweat and sacrifice are sending them to school.
In view of his promises, Mayor Bautista is now torn between his “family’s business” and his obligation to serve the public--particularly the youth sector he vowed to support. If he chooses to be an honorable public servant, we are then asking him to intervene in the following:

1. for UB to declare “no classes” on a weekday between January 19-22 to give way for a mass consultation with the students regarding the tuition fee increase. The consultation day set by the UB administration on February 16 is a Saturday, during which only a few students are in the university. To really hear the “majority” of the students and to prove UB’s sincerity, the university should put no barriers to the participation of its students in the consultation.
2. for UB to allow students to articulate their sentiments through gatherings at the Avencleto Street in front of UB. Since UB was established, the Avencleto Street was declared by UB as “private.” This no longer holds true as the public is utilizing the street. Hence, students are free to also use it to express their freedom to speak.

If Mayor Bautista genuinely keeps the interests of the youth at heart and aims for them a quality education that is “accessible,” then we hope he heeds these calls.

May he be a man of his words.

Alliance of Concerned Students
Against Tuition and Other
Fees Increase-University of Baguio
09204813063

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Another killing

The militant workers of the Cordillera Region under the Kilusang Mayo Uno-Cordillera condemns the latest killing against a labor leader who had done nothing wrong but to fight for workers’ rights and welfare.

Gerry Cristobal, the former union president of Japanese semiconductor firm Emi-Yazaki and an official of the Solidarity of Cavite Workers was gunned down on the morning of March 10.
This is the third time that Cristobal was ambushed, he managed to survive the first two. The first time was on April 28, 2006 when he was shot and seriously wounded by a certain SPO1 Romeo Lara of the intelligence division of the Imus police station.

The second was on February 9, 2007 where he was shot three times by unidentified motorcycle riding men, he escaped the attempt unhurt. Two years ago, the vice-president of the same union was also shot by a lone gunman in front of the gate of the semiconductor factory in Imus, Cavite.

The killing of Cristobal is one of the many attempts against the workers who are only struggling to survive and fighting against labor exploitations and repressions. The workers of the Cordillera and the rest of the country have seen many forms of harassments and persecutions against their ranks.

These they experienced from their workplaces, every time they try to practice their democratic rights and more in the picket lines where many of them were violently dispersed and illegally arrested and incarcerated by no other than the police and military being paid by merciless businessmen.

Whoever masterminded the killing of Cristobal will certainly be able to roam free just like the other murderers of trade union as well as peoples leaders unless the Arroyo administration will seriously look into protecting its people from extra judicial killings instead of branding people who are fighting for what they know is right as terrorists thus making them probable targets in its Us dictated “war on terror”.

We also condemn at the strongest point the latest violent dispersal against the workers together with their colleagues and friends who were only staging peaceful protests demanding justice on their plight and the same time the ouster of the President Gloria Arroyo.

Many of them were seriously injured and were hospitalized after the dispersal. Truly, at this time where our country is being ruled by a tyrant, workers and the whole Filipino peoples’ lives will never be better until she’s on power.

Kilusang Mayo Uno
Cordillera

LETTERS

‘A web of lies’

A lie to cover up a previous lie. This is how Northern Luzon Command chief Lt. Gen. Rodrigo Maclang and his public relations boys react whenever their implausible claims are questioned. For instance, Nolcom claimed it dismantled seven guerilla fronts in 2007. Two of these fronts were allegedly in the Ilocos-Cordillera Region.

In a rebuttal statement, Martin Montana, spokesperson of the Chadli Molintas Command of the Ilocos-Cordillera NPA Operational Command, pointed out the incongruity that the two supposedly dismantled guerilla fronts covered only 15 barangays. He clarified that a guerilla front usually comprises five contiguous towns or the equivalent of a congressional district. This simple fact is clearly beyond the comprehension of Lt. Gen. Maclang and his public relations boys.

To cover up the embarrassment caused by their obvious blunder, Lt. Gen. Maclang and his PR boys again resorted to cooking up spurious data using the "dagdag-bawas" formula that has become the trademark of the corrupt Arroyo regime and all its lackeys and cronies. In a recent press release, Lt. Gen. Maclang and his parrots alleged that I made a statement published in national dailies claiming that guerilla fronts throughout the country increased from "100 to 230"! I never made such claim.

But as Comrade Martin Montana had stated earlier, Lt. Gen. Maclang most definitely learned his arithmetic from the Commission on Elections. Obviously, simple math is a daunting task for Lt. Gen. Maclang and his sycophantic psywar propagandists. Instead of wasting their time spinning a convoluted web of lies that will only embarrass them further, Lt. Gen. Maclang and his lackeys should ponder the current political crisis, rethink their loyalties and position, and follow the noble example of Jun Lozada by exposing the endemic corruption in the AFP.

They can start by looking into how their Commander-in-Chief diverted funds for the housing program of AFP and PNP personnel to fund the anomalous ZTE-NBN project. They can also look into the recent multi-billion peso helicopter procurement scam among many others. The officers, men and women of the AFP should do well to withdraw their support for Gloria Arroyo.

Or else, they can join the evil Gloria Arroyo on her pending trip to hell. Oplan Bantay Laya II, touted by Arroyo and her doggy generals as their "end-game strategy" against the revolutionary movement, will surely fail. It will be defeated by the well-disciplined and committed New People's Army, together with the entire Filipino people.

The AFP is demoralized, factionalized, wracked by never-ending corruption, and incompetently led by an isolated and fake Commander-in-Chief and her mercenary generals. If there is an end-game strategy here, it is this – the Arroyo gang will be battered by one crisis after another until it is brought down by the revolutionary forces and the people.

Simon "Ka Filiw" Naogsan
Spokesperson
Cordillera People’s Democratic Front


Reeking sickness

It’s a reeking sickness, the antidote of which seems to be out-of-reach. We hear and read it in the news again and again, get nauseated about, and see it in action. It gave birth to the phrase, “the rich get richer. The poor get poorer.” Diagnosed but with no prescription, corruption is the ailment of many of our politicians. Greedy, thick-faced, and scheming, they are those who wear fake smiles and pleading looks on campaign day, shake hands with you on election day, and ditch you after their victory.

Like magicians and even better than Harry Potter, they whisk away hard-earned cash from the tattered and patched pockets of the mass and let them smoothly fall into their already bulging designer wallets.

Before you can even say Abracadabra, it transforms into luxurious cars, flashy clothes, jaw-dropping mansions, grand vacations, and for some dirty old men, alluring mistresses. On the other side of the coin, wretched victims struggle with yawning poverty. Their stomachs groan, their sickness lays uncured because treatment does not come cheap, they live in the streets, their children do not go to school, and if worse gets worst, they die without even a decent funeral (coffins are dear there are also the mourners).

Then what’s for us to do? Loan our guns and shoot them, bang! Throw them into a deep ravine, or maybe mimic Robin Hood and steal their wealth? Definitely, the answer is a big no, they are criminals in their own way, and we should not follow their footsteps. Our bullets would be wasted on them anyway.

Right now, there are many ways on how our money is being corrupted. In fact, politicians are not the only ones who practice corruption. Any person dedicated to public service is a candidate for this appalling act. In the local government, it can manifest in the form of bribery, given in order to gain an unfair advantage or to bypass laws and regulations. Some also use extortion wherein threats or harm are inflicted to unjustly obtain something; blackmail included.

A politician can awfully use public funds to his advantage and get kickbacks from misappropriated funds through corrupt biddings. This can also be in the form of nepotism, wherein some officials give privileges and positions of authority based on relationships and regardless of their actual activities. Blah, blah, blah, there are so many ways wherein these corrupt do it under our noses.

Again, the question is what then should we do to stop these greedy people from dipping their hands into the public coffers, aside from us plotting evil deeds and making a mess out of things? How do we stop thee, let us count the ways.

First of all, don’t lose hope. The Lord up there in Heaven is looking after us and will never forsake us. While you’re reading this, He is smiling and is very much willing to help us. He knows if you are willing to help or not, and He wants you to help. But of course, the decision is in your hands.

Next step, be informed. Read the news and find out what is happening around you, especially those that concern the government. Learn about the allocated budget for the different departments this year and how will it be spent, the projects being implemented and being discussed about, about allegations of corruption and other government issues. Have a scrutinizing eye and as they say, have the hose for news. It may surprise you and may cause a minor headache (especially if you’re watching TV and the senators are screeching at each other) but it’s worth the effort.

Don’t forget to do your duties as a citizen. This includes indicating and paying your real Income Tax Return., among other things. You may say that it will be corrupted anyway, but then it is your responsibility to the country. Forget those scum, they shall pay for their sins soon, what is important is that you have done your duty. You can’t expect yourself to wage a fight against them if you are a law breaker yourself.

Disseminate information. Share articles to other people and educate them about this topic. The more people that you can convince, the better. It can be hard to do it, but summon your courage. Some people may slam their door at you because they don’t want to be involved but remember, it’s their loss, not yours. Ask pamphlets from government agencies and distribute it; many people in the government are still honest and they are willing to clean their ranks, too. Be creative, you can write your comments to the newspapers, send e-mails, text brigades, anything under the sun.

Here comes the most important part, do your responsibility on election day. Don’t get fooled by their big grins, by their incredible promises, their give-ways, their famous endorsers and their awe-inspiring speeches. Who cares if they promise to give you the moon, the sun, and the stars and if they shower you their goodwill?

Their platforms and their records are the most important thing you should know about. Never vote those politicians who give bribes. They will regain triple the money they spent after they are seated in public office. Remember, our right to vote is a very important power that we should use wisely.
Waging a fight against corruption is not easy, but is not impossible. It can’t be done in just a stroke of a magician’s hand, and it can also be very dangerous.

Those politicians may laugh out loud and continue to sit in comfort because they discern themselves as untouchables. But remember your history, even David was able to topple Goliath. Unity, shrewdness, and guts are our weapons. Not to mention, we have the ever powerful God as back-up.

If you’re still undecided, listen to this. Millions of money is shaved from the fund of the government due to corruption. That can build buildings and infrastructures, repair roads and bridges, improve health care and education, improve services, boost the economy and do a lot of things.

It can clothe and feed many malnourished and impoverished children especially those living and sleeping on the dangerous streets. It may sound like a fool’s dream and a thing out of sci-fi movie, but this reality we must fight with. Now, will you play safe or will you join in the clash against corruption?

Libnah Oakes
La Trinidad, Benguet