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Tag: Philippines

Gilles van Kote the French reporter and Deputy Head of Environment and Science for the daily Le Monde, has published an article on Worldcrunch titled ‘How A Palm Oil Boom Is Tearing Apart The Indigenous Tribes Of The Philippines’.  Van Kote states “The palm oil plantation, started in 2005 by Nakeen, a subsidiary of the Filipino group A. Brown Company Inc. (ABCI), is very small – 200 hectares. Yet it still managed to upset the natural balance of this isolated northern region of the island of Mindanao, south of the Philippines archipelago… In 2008, the Hagpa Higaonon [tribe, one of the country’s many indigenous communities] was awarded a certificate of ancestral domain title (CADT) for 14,313 hectares of their territory, in accordance with the Indigenous Peoples Rights Acts. A victory that doesn’t, however, make them immune to other people’s greed. Nakeen has already announced its ambition to expand its plantation, which is already partly on the ancestral domain. …The arrival of Nakeen and its oil palms created a rift in the local population. The local authorities wanted to turn the region into the "capital of palm oil" in Mindanao. …Nakeen offered locals between 5,000 and 8,000 pesos ($121 and $194) a year per hectare to rent their land for 25 years. …for a daily wage of 200 pesos ($4,87). …The Alternative Forum for Research in Mindanao (Afrim), a Filipino organization, claims that these rental agreements "turn farmers into farm workers" and that "jobs are only available for a small percentage of the population – for a wage inferior to the minimum legal wage." …While an oil palm plantation in place of a forest that is already being exploited isn’t considered as deforestation in the Philippines, the environmental impact is very real. …an international mission launched by NGOs concerning another Filipino group in northern Mindanao found that the rental agreements were illegal and human rights were violated. “  Inspired by Gilles Van Kote, Worldcrunch ow.ly/gR3Em Image source Mediapart ow.ly/gR3zO Palm oil boom tearing apart indigenous tribes (January 22 2013)Gilles van Kote the French reporter and Deputy Head of Environment and Science for the daily Le Monde, has published an article on Worldcrunch titled ‘How A Palm Oil Boom Is Tearing Apart The Indigenous Tribes Of The Philippines’.  Van Kote states “The palm oil plantation, started in 2005 by Nakeen, a subsidiary of the Filipino group A. Brown Company Inc. (ABCI), is very small – 200 hectares. Yet it still managed to upset the natural balance of this isolated northern region of the island of Mindanao, south of the Philippines archipelago… In 2008, the Hagpa Higaonon [tribe, one of the country’s many indigenous communities] was awarded a certificate of ancestral domain title (CADT) for 14,313 hectares of their territory, in accordance with the Indigenous Peoples Rights Acts. A victory that doesn’t, however, make them immune to other people’s greed. Nakeen has already announced its ambition to expand its plantation, which is already partly on the ancestral domain. …The arrival of Nakeen and its oil palms created a rift in the local population. The local authorities wanted to turn the region into the “capital of palm oil” in Mindanao. …Nakeen offered locals between 5,000 and 8,000 pesos ($121 and $194) a year per hectare to rent their land for 25 years. …for a daily wage of 200 pesos ($4,87). …The Alternative Forum for Research in Mindanao (Afrim), a Filipino organization, claims that these rental agreements “turn farmers into farm workers” and that “jobs are only available for a small percentage of the population – for a wage inferior to the minimum legal wage.” …While an oil palm plantation in place of a forest that is already being exploited isn’t considered as deforestation in the Philippines, the environmental impact is very real. …an international mission launched by NGOs concerning another Filipino group in northern Mindanao found that the rental agreements were illegal and human rights were violated. “

 

Inspired by Gilles Van Kote, Worldcrunch ow.ly/gR3Em Image source Mediapart ow.ly/gR3zO

 

Francis Wade the Thailand based freelance journalist and analyst covering Myanmar and Southeast Asia has published an article on Aljazeera titled ‘A bloody year for Southeast Asia's environmentalists’ referring to a murky "military-government nexus backed by powerful business forces is behind" silencing environmental movements. Wade states “The year hasn't been kind to Southeast Asia's environmental defenders. Anti-copper mine protesters in Myanmar have been firebombed and Laotian journalists critical of major hydropower projects were silenced; in Cambodia, two activists, including famed anti-logging campaigner Chut Wutty, have been killed; in the Philippines, the number of land activists alone who were assassinated stands at six. The levels of oppression are consistent with a global increase in the number of assassinations of activists, journalists and community workers who expose the ills of economic development - in 2009, according to research by Global Witness, 56 killings took place across the world; last year, 106 were slain. Behind the campaigns to snuff out environmental movements in Southeast Asian countries lurk a murky military-government nexus backed by powerful business forces. The deaths this year in Cambodia and Philippines were "carried out by men in uniforms", said Global Witness in June, who were "acting on behalf of private sector interests and/or governments". The stories are not new, but the intensity of attacks may well be: the month of May in the Philippines was the deadliest on record for environmental defenders, and it continued throughout the year. ... where increased competition for resources combines with unwillingness by Southeast Asian governments to protect their populations from the ill effects of investment, indeed complicity in clearing the land of any resistance - the alarm bells are ringing louder.” Inspired by Aljazeera ow.ly/gwSgb image source The Guardian ow.ly/gwCiw Bloody year for Southeast Asia environmentalists (January 8 2013)

Francis Wade the Thailand based freelance journalist and analyst covering Myanmar and Southeast Asia has published an article on Aljazeera titled ‘A bloody year for Southeast Asia’s environmentalists’ referring to a murky “military-government nexus backed by powerful business forces is behind” silencing environmental movements. Wade states “The year hasn’t been kind to Southeast Asia’s environmental defenders. Anti-copper mine protesters in Myanmar have been firebombed and Laotian journalists critical of major hydropower projects were silenced; in Cambodia, two activists, including famed anti-logging campaigner Chut Wutty, have been killed; in the Philippines, the number of land activists alone who were assassinated stands at six. The levels of oppression are consistent with a global increase in the number of assassinations of activists, journalists and community workers who expose the ills of economic development – in 2009, according to research by Global Witness, 56 killings took place across the world; last year, 106 were slain. Behind the campaigns to snuff out environmental movements in Southeast Asian countries lurk a murky military-government nexus backed by powerful business forces. The deaths this year in Cambodia and Philippines were “carried out by men in uniforms”, said Global Witness in June, who were “acting on behalf of private sector interests and/or governments”. The stories are not new, but the intensity of attacks may well be: the month of May in the Philippines was the deadliest on record for environmental defenders, and it continued throughout the year. … where increased competition for resources combines with unwillingness by Southeast Asian governments to protect their populations from the ill effects of investment, indeed complicity in clearing the land of any resistance – the alarm bells are ringing louder.”

 

Inspired by Aljazeera ow.ly/gwSgb image source The Guardian ow.ly/gwCiw

Netizens Reject Cybercrime Act (October 17 2012) Netizens Reject Cybercrime Act (October 17 2012)

Kara Santos the Filipino writer and photographer published an article on IPS News titled ‘Filipino Netizens Reject Cybercrime Act’ claiming “A newly enacted cybercrime law in the Philippines has raised fears that not only online media but also ordinary netizens could be persecuted for exercising their freedom of expression”. Santos states “Media groups have expressed concern that the law poses a threat to press freedom and limits freedom of expression in the country. Bloggers and social media practitioners also point out that the new law allows the government to shut down websites without due process, and makes Internet users liable for simply clicking the ‘like’ button on Facebook or re-tweeting something on Twitter. …the law also broadens the coverage of libel as a content-related offense that can be committed by just about anybody using a computer. …Many Filipinos are disturbed by the fact that the man allegedly responsible for this last-minute change, which lumps online libel with cybersex and child pornography, is notorious for plagiarising blogs, and recently elicited a spate of criticism from active netizens. …investigative journalist and blogger Raissa Robles claims that Senator Vicente Sotto III pushed for the insertion into the law at the eleventh hour “Historically, in the Philippines, it is the rich and the powerful who use libel as a weapon to suppress criticisms about them. Before the Internet came along, it was easier for the rich and the powerful to control criticisms. All they needed to do was buy a stake in newspapers, TV and radio. Or sue them. Now they have realised that the Web is beyond their control.”

 

Inspired by IPS News ow.ly/emsMy image source Facebook ow.ly/emsGS

Winston “Winnie” Castelo a Philippines Barrister and parliamentary representative has filed a bill to prohibit ‘Planking’ as a form of protest. Planking is a recent internet fad, in which photographs are posted online of an individual lying face down in unusual location with hands touch the sides of the body. Recently a group of students calling themselves the ‘League of Filpino Students’, supported  a transport strike by staged a planking protest blocking Manila roads. Castelo stated on the filing of his bill, “If you have plankers in the middle of the street, it will disrupt traffic. While we recognize their right to express themselves, you have to respect the rights of the riding public. I was really worried as a parent … we have to see to it that their lives are protected as well.”

 

Inspired by AlJazeera http://ow.ly/6FX3w image source celbku.com http://ow.ly/6FXuU

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