Monday, February 28, 2011
Sunday, February 27, 2011
FILIPINOS LIVING UNDER MANILA BRIDGES
The Filipinos claimed that majority of them are educated. Is this what educated people are? Filipinos doesn't need a solution to their problem. What they want is somebody to feel sorry for them and give them some hand outs. Guess where the proud filipinos at? Proud Filipinos living in the U.S.A. LOL!!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Malabon’s waterworld
IN her other, perfect world, six-year-old Gella Nacario sees herself living in a blue, five-storey house with a garden of tall trees.
In the Artex Compound of Barangay Panghulo where she lives, water has flooded her home — and those of 150 other families — for three years now. Gella remembers the time when she was still able to run around with friends and ride bikes on a concrete road now buried in five feet of black, murky water.
During heavy rains, the whole of Panghulo, one of the two lowest lying areas in Malabon, is submerged in deep water. In the entire Malabon, a city surrounded by rivers, flooding is hardly a seasonal occurrence. Poor urban planning, the proliferation of informal settlers, improper garbage disposal — among others — have worsened the city’s flooding woes.
This video looks into some of the reasons why flooding continues to be a problem in Malabon, and what authorities have done so far.
Meanwhile, Gella, in her wide-eyed innocence, sees the issue as something she and her dog, Gello, can solve.
A fate worse than death: Jailed for serial libel suits
MA. THERESA Briones thinks it’s bad enough that her father had to spend five years in jail – including two years with hardened criminals – because something he wrote offended someone. But now five libel cases are again hovering over her father’s head, and 22-year-old Theresa can’t help but cry.
Joaquin Briones Jr. is a journalist in Masbate. He was convicted on six counts of libel in 2000, for which he was sentenced to 12 years and six months in jail. After serving almost half of his 12-year, six-month sentence, he applied for and was granted parole in 2005, enabling him to be reunited with his family, which includes Theresa and her four siblings.
Last April 22, however, Masbate Vice Governor Vince Revil filed two libel complaints against Ronnie Valladores, managing editor and columnist of the local paper Masbate Tribune, and Briones as its publisher. More recently, the Masbate Electric Cooperative (Maselco) filed three more libel cases against Briones.
On August 3, Revil also sent a formal complaint regarding Briones. Addressing the Board of Pardons and Parole (BPP), the Masbate official asked that Briones be arrested and recommitted due to the new cases allegedly involving him.
“His wanton disrespect of the law by malicious publications is a clear and imminent threat to the welfare of the community,” wrote Revil. “The cases filed were of the same nature as that wherein he was convicted – libel cases. Clearly, the parolee has not shown that he has reformed.” Singled out
The newly established Masbate chapter of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), however, sees the situation another way. In a statement dated August 18, the NUJP-Masbate chapter said the vice governor had “singled out Briones for retaliation, exploiting the vulnerability of the local publisher’s parole to exact vengeance” for the apparently hard-hitting articles directed at Revil in the Masbate media.
It added that the Briones case is a “perfect example of how the high and mighty in Masbate regard the media” and a “telling commentary on the true nature of many of our local politicians, who see public office not as a public trust but a private endowment.”
As it is, the NUJP-Masbate chapter noted, the killings of two journalists in the island province: broadcaster Nelson Nadura on December 2, 2003 and print reporter Antonio Castillo on June 12, 2009 – remain unsolved.
Reports are still coming in regarding the articles that had upset Maselco and moved it to file libel cases against Briones. The pieces that prompted Revil’s recent action, meanwhile, were published in the February 1-7, 2009 and February 8-14, 2009 issues of the Masbate Tribune. They commented on the supposed failure of the vice governor, who presides over the provincial board meeting, to submit to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) the board’s resolution opposing the operation of any form of thermal or coal-fired power plant in Masbate.
According to the column, the reason given by Revil’s office for its failure to furnish DENR a copy of the resolution was lack of printer ink and faulty printer. This failure reportedly led to the issuance by DENR of an Environmental Clearance Certification (ECC) to the project.Tragic prospect
Briones, however, says that he was no longer publisher of Masbate Tribune at the time the columns about Revil came out. As proof, he presents a deed of quitclaim and waiver of rights dated January 30, 2009, which turned over the control of the paper to local businessman Bonifacio Pepito, who had bought the Tribune for P50,000.
PCIJ tried but failed to contact Revil for further comment for this story. Interestingly, NUJP-Masbate says that Revil’s lawyer is his uncle and counsel of Maselco.
Briones, meanwhile, is also moved to tears over the possibility that he could again be thrown back behind bars. But he says he is confident he would be acquitted of the new charges, and even adds that he wants the cases be allowed to run their course – which is quite surprising given his past entanglements with the country’s libel laws.
Briones began his media career in 1996 as a reporter. Then he joined a radio station and later became a commentator in a program he called “Dos por Dos.” By 1998, he had his own newspaper, which he named after his radio program. But he, too, soon received a thrashing of his own – in the form of 13 libel cases.
Then already based in Manila, Briones had to go back to Masbate to attend the twice-weekly hearings on the cases, for which he also hired a private lawyer. But Briones says that he began to notice that whenever he showed up for the hearings, the complainants would allegedly have these postponed. And when he was unable to come, he says, the hearings pushed through — and an arrest warrant would automatically be issued against him because he was absent.
When he was no longer able to afford a private lawyer, Briones turned to the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) for help. One of the complainants however, filed a motion that disqualified him from availing of PAO services.
Frustrated, Briones says he decided to boycott the subsequent hearings. He later found out that he had already been convicted in five cases and that the period for appeal for these had already lapsed.
Instead of running away, Briones went back to Masbate to serve his sentence. While there, Briones was able to attend the hearings for the rest of the cases, among which one resulted in yet another conviction. The remaining seven were dismissed. Powerless vs poderosoBriones says that at the time, no local journalist dared to write a report favorable to him for fear of reprisal from the complainants, who he described as “poderoso (powerful)” and included provincial directors and board members. He says his media colleagues were even wary of visiting him openly.
For sure, Briones is not the first journalist to languish behind bars because of a libel conviction. Among the more prominent cases is that of Davao broadcaster Alex Adonis, who spent almost two years in prison after being convicted of libel charges filed by the current Speaker of the House Prospero Nograles.
Adonis was granted parole in December 2007 for the Nograles case and posted bail in May 2008 for a second libel case based on the same report, but this time filed by the woman said to be friendly with Nograles. Adonis, however, continued to be kept in the Davao Penal Colony.
In October 2008, Adonis issued a public apology to Nograles, who had reportedly demanded such in return for the journalist’s freedom. It was not until two months later, however, that Adonis was able to finally walk out of prison.
According to human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno, criminal defamation laws impugn both individual and collective rights.
“They unduly restrict not just the individual’s right to liberty and expression but also other basic rights as well,” Diokno writes in a piece included in the book Libel as Politics published by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility. “The mere prospect of a criminal libel suit, even without actual prosecution and punishment, is itself abhorrent to individual human rights because of its inevitable chilling effect.” A chilling effect
Similarly, criminal defamation has a chilling effect on collective human rights, he says.
Diokno points out as well that the free flow of information on matters of public concern is crucial to maintaining an informed electorate. “Our laws on criminal libel are so broad and sweeping that they make everyone involved in the delivery of information of public concern a potential criminal,” he says.
Still, there has been a bit of good news of late. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court came out with Administrative Circular No. 8, which stressed the high tribunal’s preference for fines rather than imprisonment for those found guilty of libel.
Under Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, libel is punishable with minimum to medium term imprisonment or a fine ranging from P200 to P6,000, or both, in addition to civil action which may be brought by the offended party.
According to Supreme Court Spokesman Jose Midas Marquez, the High Court decided to issue the circular – addressed to judges — after noting that most libel cases filed were committed with “honest intentions.”
Says the court circular: “The judges concerned may, in the exercise of sound discretion, and taking into consideration the peculiar circumstances of each case, determine whether the imposition of a fine alone would best serve the interests of justice or whether forbearing to impose imprisonment would depreciate the seriousness of the offense, work violence on the social order, or otherwise be contrary to the imperative of justice.”
Meantime, Ma. Theresa Briones says she understands the risks involved in her father’s work. She even says that journalism is a good profession and that she wants to become one herself one day.
Her father, however, strongly objects to her ever practicing journalism in Masbate. He says he would rather die than have any of his children work as a journalist there.
“In such a small place,” he says, “you’re just too vulnerable to harassment.” - PCIJ, September 2009
The curious case of ARMM and Maguindanao population spikes
This report exposes what population experts call a statistical anomaly with grave implications on the conduct and results of the May 10, 2010 elections the inexplicable sharp spike in the population growth rate of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).
Between 2000 and 2007, ARMM posted a 5.46 percent population growth rate, or almost triple the national average of only 2.04 percent.Except for Metro Manila, the nations center of commerce, education and government, all other regions posted slower growth rates.
Maguindanao Massacre: One Year After
On November 23, 2009, 58 people were murdered by a local warlord from Maguindanao in the worst case of election violence in Philippine history. Police have charged members of members of the powerful and wealthy Ampatuan clan for the murder of the 58, who were in a convoy to the local election office to file the candidacy papers of a challenger to the incumbent political family.
Among the victims were 32 journalists, mostly from Central Mindanao. The incident marks the largest number of journalists killed in a single incident in the world, making the Philippines the most dangerous place for journalists in 2009. A year later, hope still flickers for the families of the victims, but the path to justice has been unbearably slow. Produced by the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism for the Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists.
Maguindanao Massacre: One year after from PCIJ dot Org on Vimeo.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Philippines - Child Labour
Mari-Lou is having the best day of her life. She and two friends are screaming at the top of their voices as they descend down a water chute. A government social worker has treated the girls to a day at an amusement park to help them recover from the trauma of being locked up, beaten, unpaid and sexually abused. Recruited from their peasant village to became maids in Manila, they have been totally exploited by their employment agency. Impoverished families are forced to let their children suffer slave labour. At a gold mine, Joel makes $8 a day scrabbling in the mud for any gold ore which spills beneath the wheels of endless trucks. In Manila, 13 year old Brian Marsada is locked into a dim warehouse where he bottles bleach. When it is raided by government forces, Brian escapes. A journey home to the lush but poverty stricken island of Mindanao in the Philippines reunites him with his family. His bright western clothes contrast with his father's torn and dirty shirt. Now embarrassed by the shabby hamlet, he misses the cheap, coloured lights of Manila.Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/106052331/efd3bcf/Marby_-_Child_Labour_-_Philippines.flv.html
Philippines - Heroes and Gangsters
28 November 2000
If found guilty of economic plunder, he may face execution.
We tell the inside story of dirty dealings and meet Arroyo, the woman who has taken his seat
Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/106044110/c73b01f/Marby_-_Heroes_and_Gangsters_-_Philippines.flv.html
Philippines: Jolo, stronghold of Islamist group Abu Sayyaf
reporters defied a ban on entering the island of Jolo, in the south of the Philippines, where Islamist group Abu Sayyaf has been multiplying abductions of foreigners. As they discovered, the tension there is palpable.
Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/106027417/cafac59/Marby_-_Philippines-_Jolo__stronghold_of_Islamist_group_Abu_Sayyaf.flv.html
Jolo Crisis - Philippines
Will the two arms of the Filipino government - to save the hostages and destroy their kidnappers -prove incompatible? This film gives the background to a conflict between a Catholic state and an extremist Muslim minority.Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/106017988/02b753b/Marby_-_Jolo_Crisis_-_Philippines.flv.html
Friday, February 18, 2011
POVERTY: the unseen misery
i feel sorry for you-the land of my birth..Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/105973408/f8816a9/Marby_-_POVERTY_the_unseen_misery_PART01.flv.html
http://hotfile.com/dl/105963868/8ef45db/Marby_-_POVERTY_the_unseen_misery_PART02.flv.html
Documentary: Street Children and Poverty in the Philippines
Is there anything we can do about poverty in the Philippines?Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/105979558/8eac753/Documentary-_Street_Children_and_Poverty_in_the_Philippines_-_Marby_.flv.html
VIDEO - Children living in poverty in Philippines
The following clip is from a documentary about humanitarian work in the Philippines.
The children in this video live in small villages in the Philippines. One of the villages is actually at the local dumpsite where some of the children work. Two of the villages would be considered farming villages. Despite farming and working the people here are poor, living on less than a dollar ($1 US) a day.
Download Links:http://hotfile.com/dl/105962728/1121e2d/VIDEO_-_Children_living_in_poverty_in_Philippines_-_Marby.mp4.html
Agaw-Buhay (Fighting for Life) - abortion in the Philippines documentary
Despite legal and cultural prohibitions, over half a million Filipino women resort to abortion each year. These women do so under pain of being maligned, ostracized and physically harmed to the point of losing their lives. Why do so many assume so much risk? How much value does Philippine society put on women's lives? How should society respond, especially the health sector, which holds itself to healing all?
Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/105943326/f2815b8/Agaw-Buhay_(Fighting_for_Life)_-_abortion_in_the_Philippines_documentary_Part_1_-_Marby_.flv.html
http://hotfile.com/dl/105954038/94cf9f4/Agaw-Buhay_(Fighting_for_Life)_-_abortion_in_the_Philippines_documentary_Part_2_-_Marby.flv.html
Olivia's Story (Tungkol Kay Olivia)
The decrease of Roman Catholic souls in Europe is being alleviated by an increase of Roman Catholic souls in Asia. The Holy Catholic Church is grateful -- more souls to assist at Mass and more souls to pray the Holy Rosary -- for the salvation of the world. Overpopulation in the Philippines is both a curse and a blessing.
Through the eyes of Olivia's family, this film sheds light on the struggles for maternal health in the Philippines
The Philippines is a disaster area. The government does nothing to help the 10s of millions of people living well below the poverty line
Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/105933056/e533185/Olivias_Story_-_Marby.flv.html
VIDEO BLOG: Philippines (Part 2)
Privacy
A family of 11 share a tiny shack, with no chance of any time alone.
programme highlights the need for birth control in order to bring some quality of life to these poor people. Also the government of the Philippines should be ashamed of themselves into at least providing sanitation and healthcare. The government should be offering people money to have only 2 children as an incentive and not be thinking of their votes. The catholic church should be contributing in the millions of pounds as it is their preaching that has caused this poverty and deprivation !
VIDEO BLOG: Philippines (Part 1)
Riding the SkateJenny Kleeman discovers that it's not just trains that use the tracks in Manila.
At least you can see here Filipino's are hardworker people.They will do everything to give a good life or let say give their family the basic needs not relaying to others!
Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/105906057/8fb2f66/VIDEO_BLOG-_Philippines_(Part_1)_-_Marby.flv.html
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The City with Too Many People
Download Links:
http://hotfile.com/dl/102892781/e7f97e1/Unreported.World.SE20.E03.avi.html