THIS IS PHNO EARLY EDITION HEADLINE NEWS – 7 ITEMS ONLY TODAY
NOY, KIN VISIT PARENTS' TOMB / HR VICTIMS' FAMILIES TIE YELLOW RIBBONS
[PHOTO AT LEFT - Photo is loading... President Aquino and his sisters attend a Mass at their parents' tomb at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City yesterday. MANNY MARCELO]
MANILA, NOVEMBER 4, 2010 (STAR) By Aie Balagtas See - President Aquino and his sisters yesterday visited the tomb of their parents at the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque.
A short Mass was celebrated by Fr. Vicente Jose Vera, chaplain of the Presidential Security Group (PSG).
In the homily, Vera spoke of the importance of praying for the souls of the departed, who are "our intercessors" in life.
Mr. Aquino did not give a speech or grant interviews but shook hands with onlookers upon arrival. After the Mass, he proceeded to the mausoleum of his relatives nearby, and then left.
The tombs of former President Corazon Aquino and Sen. Ninoy Aquino were tightly guarded. Bystanders were kept to a nearby area secured by Mr. Aquino's security group. Some of them had been in the park as early as 9 a.m. to get a glimpse of the President.
Ludivina Almosa, a teacher at Woodridge College, came all the way from Molino, Cavite with her husband, children, maids, and neighbors.
"We all wanted to join (the first family) in paying respect to the former President, the woman who restored democracy," she said.
Francisco Abanilla, owner of San Lorenzo School in Laguna, also brought his family to the couple's tomb. He said they would visit the Aquinos whenever they would drop by at the park.
"We just want to pay respect to the icons of democracy. We owe them so much," he said.
FROM GMANEWS TV
Families of human rights victims tie a yellow ribbon for justice CARMELA G. LAPEÑA, GMANews.TV 08/20/2010 | 04:12 PM
August 21 marks the 23rd anniversary of the assassination of former Senator Benigno Simeon "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., father of incumbent President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III, and husband of the late President Corazon "Cory" Aquino.
[PHOTO AT LEFT - On the eve of Ninoy's death anniversary, the families of human rights victims tied a yellow ribbon around the Scout Jamboree Memorial as a symbol of their continuing fight for justice.
Families of victims of human rights abuses during GMA's term hold photos of their missing loved ones. Free Jonas Burgos Movement Mothers, fathers and siblings of victims of human rights violations gathered together, holding photos of their loved ones as singer Tony Orlando's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree" song played in the background.
The yellow ribbon shows that they are still waiting for their missing loved ones to return. It is also a reminder to President Aquino that as he commemorates the death of his father, many other Filipinos who fought for democracy and were brutally killed are still without justice, said Evangeline Hernandez, convenor of Victims of Arroyo United for Justice (Hustisya!).
"Ang sinumang nagkamali ay kailangang humarap sa hustisya," she recalled the President's words during his inaugural speech, asking when the long-awaited justice will arrive. "Our loved ones remain missing and their abductors are still free," she said.
The yellow ribbon is a reminder that they will not let the sacrifices of their missing or killed loved ones be forgotten. "Our quest for justice will continue no matter how long it takes," said Evangeline Hernandez, mother of killed student journalist Beng Hernandez.
"We have yet to see any concrete steps by this government. We are concerned about how sincere the President is in seeking justice for victims of human rights violations," said Lorena P. Santos, deputy secretary general of Families of the Disappeared for Justice (Desaparecidos).
The organizations expressed their disapproval on the series of political decisions that the President has made concerning the issue of human rights. "He has made no stand on human rights violations, and he has extended the anti-insurgency program of Oplan Bantay Laya until the end of the year," said Santos.
Edith Burgos, mother of disappeared activist Jonas Burgos said this made her very disappointed. "I feel so sad, kasi heto nga yung nagbibigay ng motivation sa mga state forces to do what they want," she said, adding that this should have been studied extensively before it was implemented.
[PHOTO: Edita Burgos, mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos. Free Jonas Burgos Movement]
"This was what I was saying before, that it will really take a generation, maybe more to really stop enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. Hindi lang yung pag-implement or not to implement but to reorient the values of people in uniform na they are there to protect and not to abuse," she said.
Burgos feels that human rights issues should be tackled by the Truth Commission. "Absolutely. One of the issues that the Truth Commission should tackle is to find the truth about what happened to the disappeared. What we are doing really here is to find out the truth, because if I find the truth I believe I will find him," she said.
Burgos said that while her son is missing, she has found family in the families of other victims. "Inaako ko silang pamilya at pinangangako namin kaming lahat sa Desaparecidos na hanggat isa sa mga kamaganak namin ay nawawala, andito parin kami," she said.
[PHOTO:Aya Santos, daughter of NDF consultant Leo Velasco, who has been missing for ten years. Free Jonas Burgos Movement]
On the other hand, Santos said they will have to wait and see. "206 na dinukot sila yung hanggang ngayon nawawala pa rin. We have yet to see ano ba talaga yang truth commission na yan, ano ang gagawin niya," said Santos.
According to Ruben Carranza, a former government official who is now a director of the New York-based International Center for Transitional Justice (ICTJ), the commission may only be a "Commission of Inquiry" about the scandals that hounded the administration of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Carranza said that truth commissions "deal with human rights violations."
The Arroyo regime is said to be one of the worst when it comes to human rights violations. Former CHR chairperson Leila de Lima called the human rights record of the Arroyo administration as "dispiriting and dismal."
"There have only been three convictions for extralegal killings. The figures [of extrajudicial killings] are disparate," she said in an earlier report, noting that the number ranges from 100 to 1,000, depending on who is tallying.
According to the human rights group Karapatan, there were 1,991 victims of extrajudicial killings, 205 victims of enforced disappearances, 1,208 victims of torture, and hundreds of thousands more displaced in rural areas due to military operations under the Arroyo administration.
In its annual report on global human rights, Amnesty International (AI) scored military and rebel groups for their alleged lapses. They also criticized the government's alleged failure to eliminate private armed groups. The group said that these contributed most to cases of human rights violations in 2009.
[PHOTO: Oscar Empeno, father of missing UP student Karen Empeno Free Jonas Burgos Movement Deputy presidential spokesperson Gary Olivar said the report is just "the view of AI," and he dismissed the plan of some non-government organizations to bring the case of the "Morong 43" to the United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC).
"We are confident that an impartial international body based on evidence, not NGO propaganda, will again clear our government on this issue too," Olivar said
"The Oplan Bantay Laya brought with it the power or the excuse for extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, Arroyo used these as tools for her counter-insurgency program," said Santos, adding that even activists and innocent civilians who are mistaken to be supporters of the armed groups become victims or targets of Oplan Bantay Laya. "They end up dead - killed, or disappeared. Under Arroyo, 206 ang nawawala pa hanggang ngayon at hinahanap pa ng kanilang mga pamilya," said Santos.
"Napakasaklap harapin ang bawat araw dahil di namin alam kung saang puntod, saang libingan, o saan mang malawak na gubat namin hahanapin ang aming mga mahal sa buhay," she said, adding that the Aquinos are fortunate for knowing where they can find their slain loved one.
"Si Ninoy ay hindi kaiba sa pamilya naming dinukot. Si Ninoy ay nakipaglaban sa demokrasaya at amin ding mga mahal sa buhay ay nakibaka sa ngalan ng demokrasya at kalayaan nating lahat," she said.
"Patuloy kaing umaapiila sa rehimen ni Noynoy na sana ang inyong pinangarap na daang matuwid ay aming maramdaman. Sana ay makamit namin ang hustisya, hinda lamang sa aming mga mahal sa buhay, higit din sa mga pamilya ng pinaslang na higit sa 1,000 sa kasalukuyan at higit 200 na patuloy na hinahanap," she said.
The groups also disapprove the appointment of Etta Rosales as Chairperson to the Commission on Human Rights. "Hindi siya karapat dapat para manungkulan doon, dahil siya ay isang naging biktima nung panahong Marcos ngunit pumirma siya sa agrreement na makipagayos sa rehimeng Marcos. Ayaw namin magkaroon ng CHR commissioner na hindi sincere para sa mga biktima. How can present victims of human rights violations trust her?" asked Santos. –VVP, GMANews.TV
----------------------------------------------------------
© Copyright, 2010 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
----------------------------------------------------------
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/phnotweet
This is the PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE (PHNO) Mailing List.
To stop receiving our news items, please send a blank e-mail addressed to: phno-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Please visit our homepage at: http://www.newsflash.org/
(c) Copyright 2009. All rights reserved.
-------------------------------------------------------------
