Landlordism in the Philippines :Hacienda Luisita as large as Makati and Pasig Cities combi (tags)
Pesante NEws reported today through a special report to the Inquirer Daily in the Philippines on a research that Hacienda Luisita is a 6,000-hectare property in Tarlac straddling Tarlac City and the towns of Concepcion and La Paz. It is as large as the cities of Makati (2,986 hectares) and Pasig (3,100 hectares) combined. Hacienda Luisita was originally part of the landholdings of the Compañia General de Tabacos de Filipinas, or Tabacalera. The estate was named after Luisa, wife of Don Antonio Lopez, who headed Tabacalera when it acquired the estate in 1882. It is now owned by the Aquino Family. Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino is running for president this coming elections.
Journalists cry foul over Makati RTC dismissal of media class suit (tags)
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) on Saturday said it is ready to contest the decision of the Makati Regional Trial Court dismissing the class suit filed by several media organizations and practitioners in connection with the arrest of journalists in the failed November 29 rebellion in Makati. "We do not agree with the decision and will contest it all the way to the Supreme Court if necessary. We view the court's decision as a minor setback that will not discourage us from seeking justice and ensuring that no such injustice shall ever again be committed by the police and other security personnel," the NUJP said in a statement.
On the Makati City November 29 Incident and the UN Human Rights Report (tags)
—The calm before the storm, comes the small typhoons. The Alliance For Just And Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP) is not surprised at all by the dramatic action staged by military rebels led by cashiered General Danny Lim and Ltsg. and now Senator Antonio Trillanes IV last November 29 in Makati City. They have the right to defend themselves against the persecution of the unjust and fake US –Arroyo regime and have the right to express themselves in protest against the use of the courts against them.
US cancels Balikatan War Exercise in the Philippines, So What? (tags)
The United States has canceled the joint Balikatan war games in the Philippines. US officials said the decision was reached because courts here refused to give in to its demand for the immediate transfer of rape convict Lance Corporal Daniel Smith to American custody. The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP)-USA is not surprised with the U.S Forces Pacific Commander's decision that also stopped "all humanitarian missions and aid" to the Philippines. This form of imperial arrogance is a common reaction of a modern imperialist empire whose was not able get its demand from a lackey client nation. Only the brazen puppets will cower under this form of brinkmanship. But for the Filipino people, they will just shrug it off and say; So what?" AJLPP exclaimed.
AJLPP-USA Hails Philippine CA Decision To Junk Smith plea for TRO (tags)
The Alliance for Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines (AJLPP)-USA , today hail the decision of Philippine's Court of Appeals on Tuesday that junked rape convict Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith’s plea to be returned to United States custody. The court’s Special 16th Division denied Smith’s prayer for a temporary restraining order on Makati Regional Trial Court Judge Benjamin Pozon’s decision to keep him at the Makati City Jail, noting that his petition “precisely involves a determination of the regularity of the act of respondent judge… “We do not share with petitioner’s view and that a grave and irreparable injury would befall him pending determination of this petition,” the court ruled. “The long and short of it is that a full-blown trial has been held with all the rights of the accused accorded to hi
Philippine CA junks Smith plea for TRO (tags)
Manila-- The Court of Appeals on Tuesday junked rape convict Lance Cpl. Daniel Smith’s plea to be returned to United States custody. The court’s Special 16th Division denied Smith’s prayer for a temporary restraining order on Makati Regional Trial Court Judge Benjamin Pozon’s decision to keep him at the Makati City Jail, noting that his petition “precisely involves a determination of the regularity of the act of respondent judge… “We do not share with petitioner’s view and that a grave and irreparable injury would befall him pending determination of this petition,” the court ruled. “The long and short of it is that a full-blown trial has been held with all the rights of the accused accorded to him.”
ON SMITH CUSTODY RULING (tags)
News sources today reported that the ruling of Makati trial court Judge Benjamin Pozon for convicted US Marine Daniel Smith to remain at the Makati City Jail “reflects a misunderstanding of Philippine obligations under the terms of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) during judicial proceedings,” the United States embassy said Wednesday. The embassy statement, issued a few hours after Pozon’s ruling, reiterated the American position that Smith, being a member of the US military, should remain in US custody pending final judicial proceedings -- including the appeal of the 40-year sentence on Smith for raping a Filipina last year -- of the case.
PHILIPPINES: Resist Arroyo’s “mad dog” campaign to cripple the political opposition! (tags)
The Department of Interior and Local Government’s “preventive suspension” of Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and his entire city council based on flimsy administrative charges marks the height of the Arroyo government’s “mad dog” campaign to cripple the political opposition by all means.