The summer solstice has yet to carve an arc to signal the end of a simmering season, yet I feel like my heart is on the verge of imploding, searing hot with the pain of the past few weeks' events. Never have I felt more disrespected, misunderstood, and taken for a fool. Here are a few of my realizations:

1. No matter how good your intentions may be, how much of yourself that you're sacrificing, you can never please everybody.

2. There is no such thing as a perfect intern; neither is there a perfect facilitator.

3. God always provides great opportunities to test your patience and the strength of a willing back with a heavy load.

4. The Book of Proverbs is correct: spare the rod, spoil the child.

5. Trust, Commitment, and Loyalty are the three most taken for granted concepts.

Despite all these, the infinite capacity of the human heart for forgiveness, perseverance, and love, can make it all seem oh-so-worth it. 

***

“Poets, too, must know how to fight.”  - Ho Chi Minh

The only thing on my mind is the late Cong. Crispin "Ka Bel" Beltran's voice echoing through the halls of the House of Representatives in a 10-minute privilege speech just 2 weeks ago. In a resonant declaration, the speakers reverberated with the verses of "Ang Manggagawa" by Amado V. Hernandez, as Ka Bel's tribute to the so-called primary forces of the Revolution.

It seems that death is the hammer that pairs with the sickle in the way that millions will gather to mourn a leader's end-of-contract with the Fates. Permanently. Despite my admitted bias against labor issues (I'm human -- I still have personal grievances against certain labor leaders from certain labor organizations in certain regions), I believe that the legacy of Ka Bel is a lasting cry, shouting out from rooftop to rooftop of each industrial park, obsolete factory, business district, and any other manufacturing enclave where the arm that turns the cog remains enslaved to a system that alienates and oppresses.

Paalam, Ka Bel.

Medina, Bello nominated to top CHR post

By Purple S. Romero
Exclusive to Abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak

He may have failed to clinch the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) chairmanship, but Carlos Medina might have a shot to lead the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) after current Chairperson Purificacion Quisumbing retires on May 5, 2008 along with four commissioners.

Medina leads the nominees of the Philippine Working Group (PWG) for the ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism for the top CHR position. Abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak got a copy of the list, which will be submitted to the Office of the President today.

Another contender for CHR chair is human rights lawyer and former Justice Secretary Silvestre Bello. We learned that outgoing Chairperson Quisumbing recommended him to the post.

We asked Bello if he has been offered the position. He said that he was informed that he’s being considered "but nothing is definite."

Bellos currently sits on the board of San Miguel Corporation as government representative and is one of President Arroyo’s advisers.

Aside from Medina, PWG nominated Loretta "Etta" Ann Rosales, co-chairperson of the Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court, and Ambassador Rosario Manalo, former chairperson of the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women for the CHR top post.

Rosales served as the representative of the party-list Akbayan in 1998 up until 2007 and is the founding chairman of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers.

Manalo is the undersecretary of foreign affairs in charge of International Economic Relations. She held various positions in women-centered organizations, one of them as the president of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women from1984 to 1986.

Mother and daughter

For the positions of four commissioners, PWG nominated two incumbent officers of the CHR – executive director Jacqueline Mejia and director for government linkages Karen Dumpit—and Sister Crescencia Lucero, executive director of the human rights group Task Force Detainees of the Philippines.

Informed sources told Abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak that Cecilia Quisumbing, daughter of the outgoing CHR chairperson, is being eyed as one of the four commissioners. Cecilia is currently executive director of the Presidential Human Rights Committee (PHRC), headed by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita.

Cecilia’s work includes overseeing and coordinating efforts of various law enforcement agencies in addressing human rights issues. Overall, the PHRC exercises oversight function.

Medina told abs-cbnnews.com/Newsbreak that PWG, a group of leading human rights advocates in the country, formed its own selection committee a month ago with former CHR chair Pauline Siocom as one of the committee members.

"I only learned that I’m one of the recommendees three weeks ago," he said.

Lack of transparency

However, Medina said the selection process for CHR posts lacks transparency.

He said that unlike the officials in COMELEC and the Civil Service Commission, the chair and commissioners of CHR are appointed directly by the President and need not go through the Commission on Appointments (COA).

"I think the selection of the CHR officials is more critical compared to other government offices because the public could not intervene in the process. Unlike in CSC or COMELEC, opposition to nominations could still be voiced when they [nominations] pass through COA," he said.

Medina lost the COMELEC chairmanship to retired Justice Jose A.R. Melo, who was appointed to head the election body in January 2008.

Melo, who served as executive assistant during the time of President Arroyo’s father, former Pres. Diosdado Macapagal, headed the Melo Commission which linked state agents to the spate of extrajudicial killings of activists.

While the odds were stacked in favor of Melo for the COMELEC‘s top seat then, Medina said that this time, "there could be a chance" that he gets the CHR leadership due to his expertise and experience on human rights work.

Fighting chance

Medina, secretary general of PWG, is the current executive director of the Ateneo Human Rights Center. He is also the co-convenor of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections, a civil society body formed in May 2006 which monitors the canvassing of votes during elections.

A graduate of law from Ateneo de Manila University, Medina completed Master of Laws at the University of London and earned his degree on Master of Public Administration from Harvard University.

He was legal counsel of One Voice, a group of topnotch lawyers chaired by former COMELEC chair Christian Monsod which challenged the Sigaw ng Bayan petition for people’s initiative.

In his argument, Medina pointed out that an initiative is a proper mechanism for a constitutional amendment, but not for a revision. Sigaw ng Bayan claimed in 2006 that they gathered enough signatures that showed the public’s support for a switch from a presidential form of government to parliamentary.

Medina now handles the Senate’s case filed against former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri and his use of executive privilege to dodge the Senate’s questions on Arroyo’s role in the approval of the now botched NBN-ZTE deal.

Expand CHR

Medina said that if he would be appointed CHR chair, he would expand the coverage of the constitutional body and create CHR provincial and city offices. He would also lobby for increased resources, equipment and more staff with human rights expertise in the commission.

Second, he aims to increase partnerships with the civil society groups and other stakeholders.

"It is important to expand partnerships with stakeholders both in the national and international level," he said.

Medina said that the resolution of extrajudicial killings remains to be one of the challenges of CHR.

...As seen by a Filipino novelist, a Filipino economics professor, and a multilateral development bank. 

“Why We Are Poor,” by F. Sionil Jose, Filipino novelist, 1980 Ramon Magsaysay Award for Literature and Journalism, 2001 National Artist for Literature, 2004 Pablo Neruda Centennial Award. In Why We Are Poor: Essays by F. Sionil Jose, Manila, 2005.

“Why does Poverty persist in the Philippines? Facts, Fancies and Policies,” by Arsenio M. Balisacan, Ph. D., Professor of Economics, School of Economics, University of the Philippines.  In Whither the Philippines in the 21st Century, R. Severino and L. Salazar, editors, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, 2007. 

Poverty in the Philippines: Income, Assets, and Access by Karin Schelzig, Asian Development Bank, Manila 2005.

Source: email from my Mama.

When I was 6 years old, an article in The Manila Bulletin caught my eye. The new prime minister of Pakistan was only 35 years old,  intelligent, Harvard + Oxford educated, and a Muslim woman! A first for an Islamic state that was rocked by armed conflict and racial tensions. It was the year of the Dragon and I spent most of my time reading whatever newsprint I could salvage from my dad's morning routine. It was the same year when Lolo Ismael, my maternal grandfather, came to visit and tell us how young women were supposed to behave.

At age 6, when people ask little girls what they'd want to when they grew up, the standard responses include secretaries, nurses, teachers, doctors and lawyers. Since the Ghostbusters was my favorite TV cartoon, I'd tell everyone that I  wanted to be like Dr. Egon Spengler. Secretly, I wanted to be the Prime Minister, just like Benazir Bhutto. Of course, my family would have none of that, so I chose to just read and read and read about the lives of all these gifted and gorgeous women who were making history all over the world.

Growing up throughout the '90s, news reports of the alleged corruption charges against her, mismanagement, her fall from political grace (twice!), and the melodramatic ways her family members were murdered, fueled my curiosity. Was it because legalistic traditions frowned on her defiance of gender stereotypes? Were her detractors taking advantage of her husband's non-involvement in Pakistani politics? Was it a generational curse for the Bhutto clan to always end in bloodshed?

As a law student, the beautiful Benazir Bhutto made me devour pages upon pages of The Wall Street Journal the moment she arrived in Karachi last October 2007. Even in the shower, when Deutsche Welle Radio would broadcast news about her, I would stop and listen. I'd raise a soapy fist, rooting for her Party, worried over Nawaz Sharif, silently annoyed with Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

She was definitely a charismatic leader and, like the Pakistani masses, I was smitten. I've never even been there! The closest brush I've had with that country is the cuisine served at Khas Canteen at the UP Arcade! Still, I was definitely a fangirl who could identify with everything from her being president of the Oxford Union (student leader!) to dental aberrations (butterfly upper central incisors!).

So it was that I found myself weeping in front of BBC and CNN footage of the Rawalpindi assassination. While critics say that she had several shortcomings during her term of office (inaction regarding adultery and rape laws, lack of socioeconomic reforms), the way she pressed on for democracy was really asking for reactionary forces to make a martyr out of her. The spontaneous rioting of the people reflects the dark side of how a nation in mourning can also be a nation clamoring for justice.

My mother said that Benazir Bhutto made a lot of enemies. That's what Time magazine also says. Different camps from terrorists to government conspiracy theorists are said to be under suspicion for her death. While I personally believe that the concept of terrorism is still quite nebulous at this point, the mere fact that someone could inflict that much damage for political/ideologically motivated reasons is enough to warrant a cry for meting out punishment where punishment is due. The perpetrators of such a heinous act are indeed liable -- but so should those who were negligent in their security duties.

In the Philippines, and other countries where assassinations can either galvanize a nation towards frenzied mass actions or fracture an already divisive system, Benazir Bhutto's death also made headlines and triggered a rash of commentaries. I wonder how the same situation with a similarly magnetic, almost demagogic politician, would turn out if it happens here, just before the 2010 elections? Or even the ARMM elections in August 2008?

The best soundbite so far was from the UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown: "Benazir Bhutto may have been killed by terrorists but the terrorists must not be allowed to kill democracy in Pakistan and this atrocity strengthens our resolve that terrorists will not win there, here or anywhere in the world." Wow. Whoever Mr. Brown's speechwriter is, thank you.

My hope and my prayer is for that nation to be able to recover from their shock and grief. For Benazir Bhutto's immediate family, all I can pray for now is grace, so that they can endure, and faith, so that they may believe. And maybe, other little girls who would pick up the newspaper today or chance upon a news channel's live update would eventually make a choice to cower not in the face of terror and live courageously as daughters of their country

------------------------------------
Happy Rizal Day, dear readers!

Start:	Dec 15, '07 09:00a
Location:	La mesa watershed

AHRC Adopt-a-Tree Project Dec 10, '07 6:06 AM
for AHRC's contacts

Dear All,

As part of our continuing celebration of the Center's 20th Anniversary, we are inviting all of you Adopt-a-Tree Project on 15 December 2007 (Saturday) at the La Mesa Watershed.

[Some info] The La Mesa Watershed covers a total area of 2,700 hectares, 2,000 hectares of forest lands and 700 hectares of man-made lake that serves as a water reservoir. It is the last forest of its size in Metro Manila and it straddles Quezon City, Caloocan City and Rizal Province. It is a vital link to the water requirements of 12 million residents of Metro Manila considering that 1.5 million liters of water pass through this reservoir everyday.

FAQs on the event:
Q: How can I help?
A: There are 2 ways:
1. Adopt a tree for just Php 300. It might seem like a big amount but it would also be a big in the continuing reforestation efforts in the La Mesa Watershed. Plus, you don't have to shoulder the entire amount by yourself (but, you're more than willing to do so), get your friends, org, block, or barkada to join you in sponsoring a tree, that way, more people are involved.
For more info on the Sales of the Seedlings, please contact the following people:
NASH - 0915.274.3161
BO - 0918.929.7595
or contact Atty. Lyan Carlos or Tita Vhangie at the Center (899.7691 local 2117)

2. Join us on Saturday in the Potting Activity in La Mesa. Here is the schedule on Saturday:
7:30am - assembly at rockwell drive entrance (cashier steps)
7:45am - we leave for la mesa
9:00am - expected time of arrival at la mesa

OR you can opt to go straight to la mesa and meet us there at 9am. The organizing committee will be arranging for transpo for those who will be coming from Rockwell. To be sure you're counted and not left behind on Saturday, please contact
MEG - 0917.862.1700
JO - 0917.938.9547

Q: How do I get to the La Mesa Eco Park?
A: Take Commonwealth Avenue towards Fairview. You will be passing the following landmarks: UP Diliman, Iglesia ni Cristo Templo Central, Ever Gotesco, Sandiganbayan, Litex, Mercury Drugstore. Turn right at East Fairview Subdivision’s Winston St. then right at Marlboro St. all the way to Pall Mall St. where you should turn left. Turn right at the first corner. You will enter the La Mesa Dam Guard House. There is only one road to take then turn left to the parking lot, in front of which is the gate to the park. The lagoon is further down the path.
For commuters, take a Fairview-bound FX, bus, or jeepney from Philcoa by the entrance to the UP-Diliman. Take note of the abovementioned landmarks and get off at the East Fairview Subdivision. At the gate, you should find plenty of tricycles that can take you to the Eco Park.

Q: How long will the activity take?
A: The activity proper would only take less than an hour. (so those who have Saturday classes can go back to school after)

Q: But what if I want to stay longer and enjoy nature after the activity?
A: By all means, you can stay longer in the EcoPark and enjoy the place. In fact, they have other amenities in the park, such as:
a. swimming pool (contrary to popular belief, you swim on a pool and not on the dam itself) - charge is only Php 80 (for people above 3 ft.) or Php 40 (if you're below 3 ft.)
b. boat ride - boats for rent at the rate of Php 100 for 30 minutes (each boat can accommodate 4 people at most)
c. biking - bicycles can be rented out for Php 50-80 per hour depending on the type of bike
d. they also have a picnic grove. but i suggest we bring garbage bag so we won't leave any trash in the park

Need more info? You can reply to this e-mail or contact me at 0917.817.4610 or 0922.816.5623.

Maraming Salamat!


Ryan Quan
Batch Buyonero
Summer 2005

SONETO NG SUMILAO 

Isang araw sa tapat ng DAR

Dalawang patak ng luha
ang dumaloy sa mata
ni Samuel Merida.

Tatlong madre
ang nakikipagtalakayan sa papag.

Apatnapu't apat at isang daang
ektarya ng lupang ninuno
pinuhunan ay dugo.

Limang taong gulang pa lamang
ang anak ni Nanay Hilda
nang iniwan niya sa
Sumilao, Bukidnon.

Ngunit sampung taon
na ang lumilipas,
wala pa ring
kongkretong lunas
ang masalimoot
na pagmamartsa
ng mga abang magsasaka

Libo-libong kilometro
mula doon hanggang dito.

Kahit nakapapaso ang araw,
mas mainit ang tawag
nilang sa katarungan ay uhaw.

Estudyante man
o ganap na abugado,
dalawang dekadang
nananatili ang hamon sa iyo.

Libo-libong kilometro
mula doon hanggang dito.

Libo-libong kilometro:
paglalakbay
patungo sa puso mo.

-----------------------
December 8, 2007.
Habang nagmamaneho
paikot ng Quezon Memorial Circle,
sa okasyon ng ika-20 Anibersaryo
ng Ateneo Human Rights Center.

Gusto ko sanang basahin ito noong Sabado, kaso, nahihiya naman ako at may nakahandang programa na ang mga Chabogets (ang bagong Sembreak batch ng AHRC). Siyempre, nahihiya din ako kasi hindi rin naman kagandahan ang tulang ito at madaliang sinulat sa biyaheng pa-Loyola. Salamat kay Quani at kumportable ang biyahe mula Rockwell. Salamat kay Patring at maginhawa ang biyahe pabalik.

Ngunit nang magsalita si Atty. Kaka ng Balaod-Mindanao, parang bumalik muli ang lahat ng mga gabing maalab sa piling ng mga hindi kasing swerte natin.

Sila na nagtatanim, ngunit siya namang nagugutom.

Sila na nagsilang ng lahing-ninuno ng bawat Pilipino, ngunit binabawian ng karapatang mabuhay ng may dignidad.

Hindi ko alam kung kakayanin ko pang matulog ng mahimbing muli.

By Dabet Castañeda
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
BULATLAT
VOL. VII, No. 42, November 25- December 1, 2007

One year and five months after their abduction, a witness testified that he had actually seen and talked to Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeño, the two scholars of the University of the Philippines (UP) who were abducted allegedly by soldiers on June 26, 2006 while doing research in a farming community in Barangay (village) San Miguel, Hagonoy, Bulacan. Farmer Manuel Merino was abducted together with the two.

The witness, Raymund Manalo, also confirmed what had been feared all along - that the UP students were raped by their abductors.

First meeting

Manalo, who was abducted together with his brother, Reynaldo, in their home in Barangay Buhol na Mangga, San Ildefonso, Bulacan, on Feb. 14, 2006, said he first met Cadapan sometime in November 2006 at the barracks of Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan. Camp Tecson hosts the First Scout Ranger Regiment (FSRR).

It was an uncanny meeting, Manalo said in his signed affidavit submitted at the Court of Appeals (CA) on Nov. 12. “Sa loob ng barracks ko nakilala si Sherlyn, isang estudyante ng UP,” (I met Sherlyn, a UP student, inside the barracks.) Manalo said as she described Sherlyn as a “babaeng nakakadena (chained woman).”

At first, Manalo said he was told not to converse with the chained woman. But on the third or fourth day, Manalo said he approached Sherlyn and gave her food.

Sherlyn, meanwhile, gave Manalo some information about herself. “Sinabi nya sa akin na …matindi ang tortyur na dinaranas niya. Umiiyak sya,” (She told me she experienced heavy torture. She was crying.) Manalo said in his testimony.

Manalo also said Sherlyn was ordered to do the laundry during the day. But more than this, what was bothersome was Sherlyn’s confession that she had been molested by a certain Mickey, Donald and Billy. “Sabi ni Sherlyn sa akin na siya’y ginahasa,” ((Sherlyn told me she was raped.) Manalo said in his testimony.

Manalo described Mickey as “pandak na mataba, maputi,” (short, fat, and fair-skinned) while Billy is “maitim, bungi, pinakamataba sa kanila, pandak.” (dark, with missing teeth, the fattest, and short) Donald is Master Sgt. Donald Caigas, the same suspect in the killing of human rights worker Eden Marcellana and peasant leader Eddie Gumanoy in April 2003.

Manalo said the words “24th IB” was tattooed on the shoulders of Caigas.

Nine days after meeting Sherlyn, Manalo said, he also met Karen and Manuel inside the same military camp.

During the day, Manalo said he, Reynaldo and Manuel were told to do errands while the two women were made to do the laundry.

An unexpected visit

On Nov. 22, 2006, the Manalo brothers, Manuel, Sherlyn and Karen were transferred to 24th Infantry Battalion (IB) camp in Limay, Bataan. According to Raymund’s testimony, they stayed there until May 8 of this year.

Going to Bataan, Karen was separated from the four and was forced to ride a black car with Caigas. The rest of the captives rode a stainless jeep.

Raymund said it was in Bataan where he witnessed the torture of Sherlyn and Karen.

The torture happened after Sherlyn told their soldier-captors that she kept a gun at her mother-in-law’s place in Calumpit, Bulacan. She was taken to the place but the soldiers found no firearm there. Sherlyn also tried to leave a letter for her mother-in-law but her military escorts saw the letter and confiscated it.

At the hearing for the writ of amparo Nov. 21 at the Court of Appeals (CA), Sherlyn’s mother-in-law, Adoracion Paulino, testified that Sherlyn indeed visited her in the evening of April 11. Paulino said she hugged and kissed Sherlyn but the latter just looked at her and took some clothes. Paulino said her daughter-in-law had five escorts at that time. The visit was swift, Paulino told the court.

After the visit, Paulino said the threats to her life had become endless. As she broke down during her testimony, she said soldiers and police had been visiting her at home, asking if it was true that Sherlyn and five of her escorts paid a visit. “Dinenay ko dahil natakot ako para kay Sherlyn, para sa anak ko at para sa sarili ko.” (I denied it because I fear for Sherlyn, my son, and myself.)

Paulino said she tried to keep the brief encounter with Sherlyn to herself. It was only in May when she decided to tell Sherlyn’s mother, Linda, about the visit.

Torture

When Sherlyn was taken back to the camp in Bataan, Raymund said, he saw the soldiers torture Sherlyn, “Itinali sya sa bangko, itinaas ang kanyang mga paa, binuhusan siya ng tubig sa ilong, kinuryente sya.” (She was tied to a bench, her feet were lifted, water was poured to her nose, and she was electrocuted.)

“Sumisigaw sya.Matagal syang pinahirapan,” (She shouted. She was tortured for a long time.) Raymund added.

When Sherlyn told the soldiers that Karen helped her write the letter for her mother-in-law, Raymund said, he saw the soldiers take Karen outside. However, Raymund said, he did not see what the soldiers had done to Karen. “Narinig ko lang ang mga sigaw nya,” (I just heard her cries.) Raymund said.

The following day, Raymund said, he heard the soldiers hurling invectives at the two UP students. “Inuyam sila sa ginawang pananakit, ipinaalala sa kanila ang ginawang paghipo sa kanilang ari at pagpasok ng kahoy sa kanilang ari,” (They were taunted regarding the pain inflicted on them; they were reminded that their private parts were touched and a wooden stick was inserted inside their sex organ.) Raymund said in his testimony.

On the other hand, Raymund said, he and Manuel where forced to join military operations in Bataan. Raymund said they witnessed how the soldiers killed two relatives of suspected New People’s Army (NPA) guerillas.

Last sighting

From Limay, Bataan, Raymund said, the five of them (Manalo brothers, Sherlyn, Karen and Manuel) were transferred to a safehouse off the shore of Zambales. They stayed in the said place from May 8 or 9 (Raymund was not sure of the exact date) until June.

The five captives were taken back to Limay, Bataan sometime in June. After two or three weeks, Raymund said, he, Reynaldo and Manuel were taken to a forest by a certain “Lat.” They were made to sleep in the forest until Caigas ordered Lat to bring them back to the camp.

At night time, the three male captives were again taken to the forest, this time by a certain “Robin.” They were taken back to the camp the next morning. Raymund said it was then that he noticed that Sherlyn and Karen were gone. “Hindi ko na sila nakita,” (I never saw them again.) Raymund said.

The three male captives were then chained inside the cell where Sherlyn and Karen were kept before. They stayed there for three days, Raymund added.

Burned

On the third day, Raymund said “Lat” took Manuel outside the cell. “Kakausapin daw sya ni Gen. Palparan,” ( They said Gen. Palaparan would talk with him.) Raymund said, referring to retired Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan, then the commanding officer of the 7th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army (ID PA) based in Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija.

“Nakapiring si Manuel, wala siyang suot pang-itaas, pinosasan,” (Manuel was blindfolded, he had no shirt and was handcuffed.) Raymund said in his testimony.

“Ði nagtagal, narinig ko ang hiyaw o ungol ni Manuel. Sumilip ako sa isang haligi ng kamalig at nakita kong sinisilaban si Manuel,” (After a while, I heard the shouts and moans of Manuel. I peeked and saw Manuel being burned.) Raymund said.

That was the last time Raymund would see Manuel alive. “Sabi ni Donald (Caigas) huwag na raw naming hanapin ang dalawang babae at si Manuel dahil magkakasama na sila.” (Donald told us not to look for the two women and Manuel anymore because they are already together.)

The Manalo brothers were then transferred to Pangasinan where they were allowed to tend a small farm owned by Caigas. Around 1 a.m. of Aug. 14, the brothers were able to escape from their captors when the soldiers became drunk.
A writ of amparo has also been filed for the Manalo brothers who are still kept in a sanctuary as threats hound them and their family to this day.

Raymund is scheduled to testify for Sherlyn, Karen and Manuel on Dec. 18. Bulatlat

Start:	Dec 5, '07 7:00p
End:	Dec 11, '07 10:00p
Location:	Indie Sine Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas

KONTRA-AGOS RESISTANCE FILM FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
5-11 December, Indie Sine Robinson's Galleria, Ortigas

5 December, Wednesday
OPENING NIGHT PROGRAM
FREE ADMISSION

7-7:30 PM cocktails
8 PM
National Anthem: Tao Aves with Anino ShadowPlay
Collective
Welcome Remarks:
Independent Filmmakers Cooperative - Chits Jimenez
Kontra Agos Organizers - Sunshine Matutina
Special Guest Performance
Introduction of Walai: Adjani Arumpac
9 PM Screening of Walai by Adjani Arumpac

SHORTS 1 – Mindanao shorts (Programmed by TENG
MANGANSAKAN)
7 PM December 6 (Filmmakers' Reception), 3 PM December
8, 10 PM December 9, 1 PM December 10

ME'GUYAYA (Documentary)
By Eduardo C. Vasquez, Jr.,

Me'guyaya is a Te'duray term for merry-making or
thanksgiving. In 2003, an active and concerned group
of people in Upi, Shariff Kabunsuan initiated a
festival that would unite all residents in thanking
God for the abundant harvest. Since then, it has
become a big town event that celebrates the richness
and diversity of the Muslim, Christian and Lumad
peoples of Upi.

The documentary delves on how the Me'guyaya serves as
a catalyst for cultural unity as everyone gets
involved in the festivities.

TRANQUIL TIMES (documentary)
By Loren Hallilah I. Lao

The documentary delves on the good governance efforts
of the private sector, civil society and the local
government unit of Wao, Lanao del Sur working together
to erase remnants of the religious and ethnic clashes
of the 1970s. It explores how peace has been achieved
in this multi-ethnic town, propelling the
once-turbulent municipality into its present
agricultural renaissance.

GEORGE'S TOWN (Documentary)
By Moises Charles Hollite

George Sabandal is one of about 2,500 internally
displaced persons (IDPs) who have sought refuge in the
town of Buluan, Maguindanao as a result of the
"all-out war" in 2000. Refusing to go back to the
place of his origin, he has created a new life for
himself and his family in their ideal town.

SULU (Documentary)
By Al Jacinto

Born of a Muslim mother, young writer Arthur Sakaluran
Abasalo decides to visit Sulu despite the perceived
strife and presence of Muslim rebels and Abu Sayyaf
terrorists. In Sulu, he meets a former Muslim
rebel-turned policeman who tells him about his life
story and how he got separated from his family for
more than a decade. He returns to Sulu to start a new
life after being reunited with his family.

Arthur returns to Manila after a short stay in Sulu,
bringing with him memorable stories and truths about
the island feared by many as a dangerous place to go.

BINITON (Narrative)
By McRobert Nacario

A story depicting the process of preparation and
cooking of a dish called Biniton that is particular to
the community of Saniag, Ampatuan. The process of
cooking, in the eyes of an old woman, brings to life
the hardships they experienced amidst armed conflict
at the same time the process of preparation, through
the experience of Amel, her grandson walks us through
the current situation of their community. How amidst
the hardships and diversity in culture they had all
managed to bounce back and become united.

A STEP FOR MY DREAM (Narrative)
By Mona Labado

Seven-year-old Abdul dreams of becoming a leader of
his town. He has natural charisma and easily becomes
friends with people even if he hasn't known them for
long. But his grandmother reminds him of their peasant
roots which is no match to the traditional ruling
family. Undaunted, Abdul sees it as a challenge
envisions his future.

DREAMS (Narrative)
By Sheron Dayoc

Nine-year-old Satra has been mute for as long as she
could remember. But her determination to secure a good
education reverberates clearly amid the strictures of
her Yakan culture.

SHORTS 2
Screenings: 7 PM December 7 (Filmmakers' Reception), 1
PM December 9, 9 PM December 10, 4 PM December 11

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF GLORIA (animation/ 1 min.)
By RJ Mabilin

A satire on the different political and economic
issues the country faces under the Arroyo
administration.

THRESHOLD (experimental/ 15 mins.)
By Mikhail Red

Seeking the Threshold, the Wanderer, endures a dark
journey through the unknown and into the limits of the
human mind.

BINGO (documentary/ 16 mins.)
By Noriel Jarito

Bingo reveals life's monotony of rural existence.
People embrace almost anything: dull, inspiring, tame,
untamed, reputable, and even deceptive. Their horizon
is bounded by beliefs which sometimes manage to
mislead, mock, and misuse their fate. They surrender
and never question the path they trace. Thus, they are
lost. Submission is sweet, to do otherwise is bitter.
Their incomprehension is at the maximum level that
wrong becomes right, and what is right becomes wrong.
To play "Bingo" inside a church is never questioned
and is labeled licensed by some unprincipled Catholic
Church leaders. Christianity is the largest religion
and surely many of its followers are destitute enough
to consider "Bingo" inside their church as a source of
momentary abundance.

Bingo reveals all: People are born. People are being
baptized. People marry. People die. All these should
have been valuable and symbolic, yet have gone awry
and worthless instead. Why? Because of people's
shallowness and ignorance.

LUNES NG HAPIS (narrative/ 12 mins.)
By Nick Olanka

Virgie, an elementary school teacher, and Ismael, the
captain of the troop assigned to infiltrate the
rebels, are lovers in the midst of a military offense
in Filomena. Every Monday they meet and make love
passionately and violently. One day, due to the
disappearance of Virgie's student's father, she falls
into the situation to choose between her love for
Ismael and her love for her community.

DIVINE WIND (experimental/ 4 mins.)
By Sari Dalena-Sicat

A Japanese soldier hides in an island, in the belief
that the war has not ended.

UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE (documentary/ 30 mins.)
By Herbert Docena and Anna Isabelle Matutina

This documentary contextualizes the issue of US
military presence in the country within the long and
bitter history of conflict in the south. Countering
the reductionist frame set by the narrative of the
"global war against terror," it examines the
historical conditions that led to the emergence of the
Moro separatist movement and the subsequent rise of
the Abu Sayyaf. It dissects the government's
contradictory attempts to downplay its threat while at
the same time justifying escalating military
operations in the region.

Against this backdrop, the documentary then probes
allegations of US military involvement in the war.

PUTOT (narrative/ 20 mins.)
By Jeck Cogama

Putot (Visayan for "small") is the heartfelt story of
a young boy growing up at a squatter colony by the
sea. Putot, aged 13, is a taciturn boy who takes care
of his mentally-ill father, and ekes out a living
selling mussels. He meets Mayang, a mysterious young
girl with secrets of her own. A friendship begins
between the two.

Shot on location near Manila Bay, this emotional story
premiered at the 2006 Cinemalaya Independent Film
Festival, where its director Emmanuel "Jeck" Cogama
won Best Director. Putot has been shown around the
world.

MENDIOLA (documentary/ 31 mins.)
By Sine Patriyotiko

Through the First Quarter Storm to Mendiola Massacre
to Calibrated Preemptive Response: from the very
start, Mendiola houses the eye of conflict. Fact is,
the road from Mendiola to the Palace is several
hundred meters away. Nevertheless, this still is a
great risk: to look directly at the center is to show
the strength to confront those in power. On the road
to Mendiola, one can tread across the history of our
continuous struggle for change.

SHORTS 3
Screenings: 2:30 PM December 7, 7 PM December 8
(Filmmaker's Reception), 4:30 PM December 10, 9:30 PM
December 11

ANG BAYAN KONG PAYAPA (experimental/ 5 mins.)
By Elvert dela Cruz Banares

This is the state of our nation cycle.

SIMULA (experimental/ 11 mins.)
By Ruelo Lozendo

A worm enters a man's ear and lives inside his body.
As the worm's metamorphosis unfolds, the man
experiences his own transformation.
PUSHING THE PARAMETERS (documentary/ 27 mins.)
By Kodao Productions

2006 was the worst year for the members of the bar,
with seven lawyers and judges reportedly killed within
the year. A significant number of these lawyers are
directly involved in human rights advocacy. Under the
administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, 19 lawyers
and 12 judges were killed. And this can be seen in the
light of more than 850 victims of extrajudicial
killings from 2001 to 2007.

BINYAG (narrative/ 15 mins.)
By Mariami Tanangco

One night, two tragedies are about to take place. In
an abandoned warehouse, rookie policeman is tasked to
execute a suspected drug pusher. In the quiet suburbs,
a mother is worriedly waiting for her son to come
home. A social commentary on police-instigated
"salvaging" that was prevalent in the late 80s, the
film is intended as a personal elegy on lost
innocence.

RED SAGA (experimental/ 15 mins.)
By Gabriela Krista Dalena

Children of the Land faithfully guard the last harvest
from thieves. This poetic film offers a glimpse into
the passion and pain of the people's protracted war in
the countrysides.

MEDALAWNA (documentary/ 16 mins.)
By Apol Dating and Michael Cardoz

The story of a young girl named "Inday Liit" who helps
her family earn a living by happily sweeping
graveyards.

SA NGALAN NG TUBO (documentary/ 36 mins.)
By Tudla Productions

A video documentary that chronicles what happened on
November 16, 2004 when seven people died at the picket
lines of the Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac. Millworkers
and farm workers of the sugar refinery and plantation
owned by the Cojuangcos, one of the wealthiest, landed
families in the Philippines, went on strike. Their
demands were met with a volley of gunfire from
military and police. Beginning with the history and
background of the land issue, the film builds the
tension gradually, leading up to the actual footage of
the Hacienda Luisita incident, when even the filmmaker
holding the camera has to run for his life.

FEATURE LENGTH

WALAI (documentary/ 60 mins.) Opening Film – premiere
status
By Adjani Arumpac

Walai is an exploration of spaces.

It prods on the memories of four Muslim women who once
lived in the infamous White House in Cotabato City.
The documentary seeks narratives in "places...we tend
to feel without history." It traces the past through
the women's experience of what has happened inside the
wrecked home—nostalgia and fear, loss and love, and
birth and death.

Screenings: 9 PM December 5 (Opening Film), 1 PM
December 7, 3 PM December 10, 8 PM December 11

THE JIHADIST (documentary/ 75 mins.) – premiere status
By Teng Mangansakan

The Jihadist is an autobiographical documentary on the
filmmaker's struggle as an artist amid the backdrop of
the Moro revolution. His search for his rightful place
in the memory of his homeland yields questions that
require him to confront his identity as a Moro and
come to terms with his homosexuality.

Screenings: 9 PM December 6 (Filmmaker's Reception), 5
PM December 7, 1 PM December 8

STANDING UP (documentary/ 155 mins.) – premiere status
By Waise Azimi

Standing Up is a feature length documentary young
Afghan men training to become professional soldiers in
the new Afghan National Army. Situated at the Kabul
Military Training Center, Standing Up chronicles the
struggles and lives of these Afghan men from the
moment they arrive at the KMTC to the last day of
training of their training. Extensive access to the
KMTC training program has provided an insiders
perspective into one of the most underreported and
important stories in the War Against Terror, the story
of those who are Standing Up to the first line of
defense.

Screenings: 9 PM December 7 (Filmmaker's Reception),
3:30 PM December 9, 1 PM December 11

VOICES, TILTED SCREENS AND EXTENDED SCENES OF
LONELINESS: FILIPINOS IN HIGH DEFINITION
(experimental/ 100 mins.)
By John Torres

Voice, Tilted Screens is, at once, a meditation. It is
a meta-film that unravels a journey, a chronicle of
stories through foreign regions. It is a probing
letter from outside circles, an honest account of
illegitimate views from uneven terrain, and a
narrative-driven exploration of the nooks and
peripheries of the body, geography, and weather. As
the journey progresses, the film increasingly
traverses the countries of revelation, film, and heart
to where all journeys are meant to end with.

Screenings: 5 PM December 6, 9 PM December 8
(Filmmaker's Reception), 7 PM December 10

(DIFFERENT) WAYS AND MEANS
SUB-PROGRAM

HILO (experimental/ 90 mins.)
By JP Carpio

Originally conceptualized as a short film shot in 2004
and completed nearly three years later as a
full-length, the film charts the various emotional
courses during a dinner between Emerson, a university
professor, and Jenny, a university student.

Screenings: 1 PM December 6, 6:30 PM December 9
(Filmmaker's Reception)

THE SINGH FAMILY HOME VIDEOS (documentary/ 40 mins.)
By Emman dela Cruz

A documentary work in progress, "The Singh Family Home
Videos" charts an intimate look at the family life of
the filmmaker's neighbors, a Punjabi Indian family who
has assimilated into the Filipino culture and
community. Is nationality a matter of origin? Is
identity a matter of choice? Or is your "home" a
matter of where you are or where you'll be?

Screenings: 1 PM December 6, 6:30 PM December 9
(Filmmaker's Reception), 6:30 PM December 11

EHEM!PLO (documentary/ 43 mins.)
By Clodualdo Del Mundo, Jr.

'Lahat tayo ay nawawalan,' says Heidi Mendoza, a
conscientious auditor featured in this EheM!Plo
video-documentary. 'It is because of corruption that
there is poverty,' argues former Ombudsman Simeon
Marcelo. They are correct. Corruption ruins our
democratic institutions – tempting many to be angry
and hopeless. Young people, like Melonie Maglia of
Ifugao, are longing for leaders with conscience and
competence, not public officials who, according to Fr.
Vhong Navarro, invent projects for selfish interest.
Mayor Jesse Robredo and Allen Reondanga of Naga City
prove that good examples do exist. They employ
I-governance and community participation in their
struggle to uplift the condition of the Bicol region.

EheM!Plo shows that indeed corruption is violence. If
this is trure, then stopping corruption and spreading
integrity are now the new ways of working for peace.

Screenings: 1 PM December 6, 6:30 PM December 9
(Filmmaker's Reception), 6:30 PM December 11

OTHER KONTRA-AGOS EVENTS:

8 December, Saturday, 5-7 PM
PANEL DISCUSSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND ARTISTIC FREEDOM
IN PHILIPPINE CINEMA
FREE ADMISSION

PHOTO EXHIBIT AT THE LOBBY courtesy of the FREE JONAS
BURGOS MOVEMENT

Kontra-Agos is aninitiative of ST Exposure and Digital
Cheese in cooperation with UP Sining at Lipunan and
the Independent Filmmakers Cooperative. Visit
www.kontra-agos. blogspot. com. For inquiries about
the festival write to kontra_agos@ yahoo.com

"Limang P sa Palawan"

Vida Soraya Verzosa's summer legal internship at the Environmental Legal Assistance Center in Puerto Prinsesa City, Palawan, Philippines. This was part of the Ateneo Human Rights Center's Summer Internship Program 2007. The video was first launched at the AHRC Gabi ng Pasasalamat last Aug. 24, 2007 at the Ateneo Professional Schools Blue Room.

Background audio: Interview with Ka Edong and Atty. Gerthie Mayo Anda at the DYPR radio station, "Mundo Ko 'To" radio program.

N.B. Huwag kayo maniwala sa pag-ibig na part kasi pa-cute ko lang yun. ;-)

The F word.
[first published: Pinoy Era Webzine, Vol. II No. 11, November 2007
to view the original article, click here]

At the Quezon City Jail, I conquered my fear. My four letter F word today is about that debilitating feeling that creeps into the souls of the unprepared, insecure and the distrustful: fear.

I walked into the QC jail this morning, together with the other interns of the Ateneo Human Rights Center, with a feeling of having to conquer my biases about detention prisoners. When I was first asked over the summer what sector I was totally averse to, I replied, without skipping a beat, that I disliked the jail. No matter how persuasive the presentation of the Humanitarian Legal Assistance Foundation (HLAF) was during the Basic Orientation Seminar, I couldn't get over the mental picture of menacing hoodlums tattooed all over, reeking of compounded sweat and human waste, sporting bloodshot eyes and battlescars from gang riots. Stories of how congested the jails were didn't help any. Even if my co-intern from Zamboanga shared how much she learned during her internship experience, I was undeterred. With all my bourgeois squeamishness, I still found the thought of getting within 10 feet of accused detainees as something outside the radar of my desire to embody the Ignatian spirit of being a (wo)man for others. 

Until I decided to attend the Paralegal Training (PLT) this morning. The night before, my stomach resembled a Gordian knot as I asked questions on how we were supposed to conduct it. When we arrived at the facility managed by the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), my heart began to palpitate. I felt so horribly unprepared! I was certain that the Murphy's Law would operate anytime soon. However, when a wave of humid, EDSA-polluted air suffused with human smells hit me as we queued in, I realized that it wasn't as bad as I imagined it to be. I didn't keel over and pass out. I wasn't instantly taken hostage like in a Prison Break scenario. I didn't get catcalls and rude comments one sees in jail movies of the 1980s.

In fact, I felt so ashamed at how prejudiced I was about their plight. My thinking was warped into the paradigm that since they committed felonies, they ought to rot behind bars. I hated my Criminal Law 1 exams since they were so pro-accused to my mind, even if we had the best Crim professor in the entire law school. I frowned at those who advocated for the abolition of capital punishment, convinced that there should be harsher penalties for hooligans, in addition to divine retribution. In a way, I was also boxed into the mentality that these men were evil creatures who were meted out just punishment for their acts (and omissions) no matter how inhumane the conditions were. How wrong was I. For all we know, a significant percentage of those incarcerated really deserve to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. After all, they were just that. Accused. Most of the newly-committed haven't even seen their attorneys, much less, convicted of the offenses charged. 

As I began to talk about the rights of the accused, my assigned topic for that PLT, our audience, a streetsmart group of around 20 detention prisoners, transformed into something that made my initial fears seem like an absurdity. The laws became more than inscribed words that I had to methodically scribble onto a bluebook during exams. They began to represent the difference between human rights violations and liberty for those who were accorded due process. The disparity between the utopian vision of a world where justice prevails and the reality of how deprived the detainees were was a starkly drawn contrast.

By the time the other interns were discussing Criminal Procedure, the provisions of the Revised Rules of Court began to make sense as the detainees raised questions about their personal circumstances and how they could eventually be released. I was amazed at how intellligent they really were, since they actually knew more about their cases than I could possibly understand from hardbound volumes accumulating dust in my bookshelf. The questions a professor hurls at you during recitation can hardly compare to being asked real life legal advice from someone whose freedom was at stake. 

After the PLT, the BJMP warden's staff toured us around the detention facility. It resembled a self-contained community, albeit worlds apart from the Rockwell center. There were stores, a mini-library, medical clinic, chapel, school, basketball court, gym, study area, crafts corner and even a barbershop. There was an Iglesia ni Cristo samba on the 2^nd floor while the Sputnik gang played basketball on the first floor. A Chinese TV show blared out Mandarin dialogues from the cell of Chinese detainees while "pupils" in a literacy program learned how to write letters to their loved ones outside. There was a framed and autographed picture of Mark Herras, dedicated to his father, one celebrity dad out of the over 3, 000 inmates crammed into a space built for 800.

There was really nothing to fear but my own preconceived notions and my tendency to consider those accused in a criminal proceeding as people to be regarded with suspicion and worse, condemned to undergo a difficult process of defending one's liberty. I, like the rest of the Philippine population, was ignorant of the flipside to every story behind a criminal complaint. My hope and my prayer is for our country's leaders to eventually see that the way we treat the least of our (detained) brothers and sisters, is a reflection of how our society (de)values human life. 

What comes to mind now is the first line from an oft-performed Joey Ayala song: "'Diba tayo'y narito, upang maging malaya, at upang palayain ang iba…" In that sense, one could really see the dual role that lawyers and paralegals play in transforming fear to that which we all cherish yet oh so easily take for granted until it is violently curtailed: freedom.

The Ateneo Human Rights Centre's mission and vision plus photos of activities.

Music: P-HI-LI-PPINES by IoHann Garcia and Vida Soraya Verzosa
(1024K WMV version)

...ito ang bulong na kumakalat sa palengke ng Bgy. San Jose, Puerto Princesa City, Palawan kaninang umaga. habang pumipili ng pakwan, kasama si Atty. Grizelda Mayo-Anda, ang mga tindera'y nag-aalala para sa Pambansang Bayani ng Boxing at binabalita ang paghahagulgol daw ni Darlene Custodio sa TV.

iba na talaga ang pulitika ngayon. ang chismis, bow. kuryenteng kay bilis na maaaring sumunog sa kadalisayan ng balota ng bawat pilipinong agad na naniniwala.

unang araw ko muli dito sa isla, matapos ang ilang taong paglalakbay sa iba't-ibang rehiyon. napakaraming pagbabago. ako mismo, malaki na rin ang pinagbago.

bukas, magsisimula ang pormal na internship para sa ELAC. sana, marami akong matutunan at maibahagi. malaking hamon pero kakayanin.

pero sana, isama niyo rin ako sa inyong mga panalangin.