Is murder now a public policy?

Pandayan condemns the murder of one of our members in Negros Occidental, Rico Adeva, who was killed in front of his wife. It is unfortunate that Rico, an organizer of the Task Force Mapalad, became another statistic in the on-going campaign of summary executions against activists around the country.

It is no secret that violence related to agrarian reform has been happening in rural communities in Negros and around the country. Rico’s death looks like another incident of muzzling the efforts of agrarian reform advocates to distribute land to the powerless and hungry Filipino farmers. This demonstrates the failure of the government to act decisively on the issue of agrarian reform. It is a testament to its pathetic implementation of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

Moreover, this cowardly act of killing a defenseless NGO worker and agrarian reform activist also highlights the inefficiency of the Arroyo government to deal with people instigating these attacks against progressive elements of our society. It shows that her administration is really no different from Marcos’ repressive and brutal regime. It is getting to be really difficult for NGO workers and activists to continue their work under this climate of fear.

We ask the president: is the practice of murder now a public policy? If President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo truly values the sanctity of human life she should now put the brakes to these senseless killings. The culture of impunity must stop now.

Pandayan calls on the Filipino people and the international community to break their silence on the Arroyo administration’s grotesque human rights record. We must act now before it is too late. Public apathy will only encourages more killings.

Finally, Pandayan salutes Rico Adeva. We will continue his work in upholding the rights of the millions of Filipino peasants nationwide. We pledge to continue to pursue the ideals of freedom, democracy and justice.

Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas (PANDAYAN)
Room 207, Center for Community Services Building,
Social Development Complex, Ateneo de Manila University,
Loyola Heights, Quezon City

mabuhay ka rico!

At 12:25 yesterday afternoon I was suddenly awaken by the loud ringing of my mobile phone. I picked up the damned phone and asked grumblingly who the caller was. It was Elaine. What happened next was a blur. I only recalled snippets of our conversation, all I know was i kept on cursing.

me: natutulog ako!
elaine: kaya ako tumawag kasi....ano...may pinatay na pandayan sa negros
me: huh?! tangina! bakit?
elaine: TFM organizer...si rico.
me: tangina talaga

I'm not sure if i've met Rico. I tried to recall the names and faces of kahanays from the regions but I can not remember him. Elaine said Rico was a new kahanay. She said Rico, who was a peasant organizer in Negros, was shot in front of his wife. He also left behind three of four small children. Tangina talaga nila. I felt anger swelling within me. Yes, I did not know Rico personally but he was a kahanay. He was just doing his job so that the farmers can own the lands they have been working on for generations. Wala siyang kalaban-laban.

According to Nante, Rico's buddy in TFM, the men who shot Rico were hired guns. The police authorities are now eyeing the landowners as suspects. Two years ago, a 60-year old woman farmer from Negros, an agrarian reform beneficiary from the same area, was also gunned down. Is murder a public policy now? Are we back to the dark days of the Marcos dictatorship when thousands of activists and human rights workers were hunted down and killed? Parang hindi nangyari ang EDSA.

So far, 30 activists have been killed since last year. Sino naman ang susunod? Are we going to let this government to continue to trample on our rights? When will the majority of Filipinos realize that enough is enough?


"First they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak out because I was not a Jew.

First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak out because I was not a Communist.

First they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."
- Pastor Niemoller

brokeback to the future

I was reading the weekend edition of Business World and found this article about this fake movie trailer made by college kids from the comedy troupe of Emerson College, Chocolate Cake City. This video parodies Ang Lee's groundbreaking movie, Brokeback Mountain, and took clips from Back to the Future series.

The trailer wants us to believe that Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and Doc were lovers. Harharhar. I can't help but laugh my head off. It's the BEST joke about Brokeback Mountain.



For ipod version go to this link. Other hosts for the Brokeback to the Future trailer are:
1. Google
2. IFILM

food trip

One thing I like about working in a non-profit organization is the travel opportunities i.e., we get to be invited to far-flung places in the country and attend seminars or conferences abroad. Last week, for our company R&R my officemates and I decided to embark on a culinary journey in Laguna.

First stop is Villa Escudero in San Pablo City. For 885 pesos you'd get to enjoy riding the carabao cart and hear Pinoy kundimans; ogle at the antique life-size santos in the Escudero family museum; rafting at Lake Labasin; and most of all gorge on Pinoy food at the Labasin Falls!

riding 'sexy', the carabao

stuffing myself with inihaw na tilapia, pork bar-b-q, kalderetang baka, itlog na maalat, pancit canton until i passed out. yes, hang me for i'm guilty of gluttony

marker for the dam and power plant

one of the first hydroelectric power plants in the country

After an afternoon stroll around Villa Escudero, we proceeded to the town of Liliw, which is famous for tsinelas! But we did not go there to stockpile on flipflops, we were after native delicacies such as espasol, broas, apas and otap.

For supper we chose Kusina Salud. It is located in Barangay Santa Cruz in San Pablo City. This quaint little restaurant is actually the country home of renowned designer, Patis Tesoro. The ground floor is the restaurant while the upper floor is where Patis and her son stay. During our visit Patis was entertaining some Spanish-speaking people.

Must order food at Kusina Salud: sinigang na isda sa miso, binagoongang baboy, pako salad and the sinful leche flan!

If you're not sure what to order just ask the chef, Paul Poblador, Patis' son-in-law. He's quite friendly.

entrance to the rustic and charming Kusina Salud

a visit to Kusina Salud is a reminder of a long gone era.

a painting of youthful sabungeros will greet you
at the reception area of the restaurant

remember your lola's TV set?

Asian-inspired decors

it's like eating at your country cousins' home

beh buti nga

I was channel surfing last night, when I chanced upon the George Bush-Helen Thomas exchange during the presidential press conference at the White House. It was clear that Dubya was verbally clobbered by Thomas. She was relentless in her attack against Bush who was obviously upset with how things turned up. It was supposed to be HIS show. He was there to convince the American people and the world that he knows what he is doing in Iraq and he is IN CONTROL. To the millions of viewers last night, it was clear that three years after the invasion Bush is still not sure why he went to war.

For those who missed it, Helen Thomas 'outed' Bush and showed the whole world he did not know that Iraq and Afghanistan are two different countries. Nagmukha syang tanga.

Here is the exchange:

DUBYA: Excuse me, excuse me. No President wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. My attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th. We -- when we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people. Our foreign policy changed on that day, Helen. You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life. And I'm never going to forget it. And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people that we will do everything in our power to protect our people.

Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy. And that's why I went into Iraq -- hold on for a second --

HELEN THOMAS: They didn't do anything to you, or to our country.

DUBYA: Look -- excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second. They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where al Qaeda trained --

HELEN THOMAS: I'm talking about Iraq --

DUBYA: Helen, excuse me. That's where -- Afghanistan provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where they trained. That's where they plotted. That's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.

I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That's why I went to the Security Council; that's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences -