militarization

Gabriela Women's Party Representative Luz Ilagan today said President Benigno Aquino III should raise the issue of making US troops accountable for crimes, subjecting the Visiting Forces Agreement to an intensive review and the possible pullout of US troops as part of the agenda when US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton arrives in Manila.  read more »

“While Gabriela Women’s Party grieves with the people, and the women and children of Arakan Valley who benefitted from the schools he helped build, and who were touched by the life of Fr. Fausto Tentorio, we are also demanding for justice not only for Fr. Tentorio, but for all the victims of extra-judicial killings and conflicts caused by social injustice,” said GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus as hundreds of people in Mindanao and Manila march today to send Fr. Fausto to his final resting place.  read more »

“Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP) demands the Aquino government to immediately pull-out the military troops of 73rd IB in Sitio Dlumay and other communities in Barangay Upper Suyyan. The military presence within the community, and the harassments and threats to the Blaan community and teachers, is an outright violation of the Comprehensive Agreement on Human Rights and International Human Rights Law (CARHRIHL) which the Philippines is a signatory.”  read more »

Gabriela Women’s Party Secretary General Cristina Palabay today strongly denounced the raid of a conference of progressive partylists in Cagayan allegedly by elements of the 17th IBPA and 5th ID of the Armed Forces of the Philippines last June 10, 2009 as “renewed spate of attacks and harassment of partylist groups critical of the administration.”  read more »

“The presence of military troops in communities has made life difficult a hundred fold,” said Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Luz Ilagan who just arrived from an International Solidarity Mission (ISM) in Southern Mindanao, last May 14-18, 2009.  read more »

"Organizing Barangay Defense System (BDS) among members in the community serves two purposes: first, to protect the mining operation of the Xstrata-SMI, and second, which is the more important, is to pursue the Oplan Bantay Laya of the Arroyo administration," said Gabriela solon Luzviminda Ilagan. In an informal forum on May 15 in Tampakan, South Cotabato, the progressive representative listened to an intense discussion about the alarming situation of the local church leaders who have been harassed by the military assigned in the area.
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Rep. Luz Ilagan of Gabriela Women’s Party condemned the on-going militarization and other forms of harassment in the remote areas in Mindanao, particularly in Agusan del Sur, saying that these are part of Pres. Arroyo’s stepping up of her administration’s counter-insurgency program, Oplan Bantay Laya, which she aims to accomplish by 2010.
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Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Women's Party Rep.Liza Maza today denounced the intensive military operations and grenade firing conducted by the 901st Brigade of the Philippine Army in Bgy.Balanac, Ligao City in Bicol Region last February 18 that killed a one year and four-months old girl Rafaela Polborido and severely injured six other children aged 10 months to 9 years old and three mothers as their houses and properties were burned and destroyed.  read more »

Assistant Minority Leader and Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza today denounced Malacañang’s scheme of rewarding retired soldiers with key government positions and at Palparan’s possible appointment in the Dangerous Drugs Board.  read more »