August 18, 2006 at 11:42 am
· Filed under Politics
From the mail:
“Dear Friends,
Once again we are being harassed by NPA (New People’s Army) guerillas who demand revolutionary taxes on our fair trading operations. We have met a similar situation several years ago, with the RPA (Revolutionary Proletarian Army) who also demanded revolutionary taxes from our social enterprise. We cannot and we have not paid any rebel tax to any group. They will use their rebel tax collections on war materials to expand their revolutinary war. We believe in our own way of initiating social change through non-violent, gradual, but nonetheless dynamic, means of improving the people’s quality of life. Whatever profits we gain are plowed back to soft-loans and capability building for small producers.
Last Sunday, NPA rebels burned our truck that was gathering farmers’ banana harvest for their regular marketing to consumers’ cooperatives. The farmers were deprived of their weekly income. And should we be prevented from our marketing operations from hereon, more farmers will lose their access to market for their organic goods. They are the real victims of this rebel atrocity.
In behalf of our 5,000 farmer beneficiaries and 300 employees and staff of Alter Trade, we ask for your support in putting a stop to this dastardly act.
Sincerely,
EDWIN MARTHINE O. LOPEZ
Executive Director
Alter Trade Foundation Inc.”
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August 16, 2006 at 7:12 am
· Filed under Politics
Israel has failed to defeat the Hezbollah. It caused the massive destruction of Lebanon with untold death, injury, dislocation, misery and sufferings of mostly civilians.
But the best-equipped military force in the Middle East has failed in its mission to finish off the Hezbollah. Instead, Israel has succeeded in creating a new Arab hero.
The Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is now the “Che Guervarra with a turban,” in reference to the Latin American revolutionary whose face is in millions of posters, shirts, buttons, etc. around the world.
Walden Bello, who is now in Lebanon as part of a civil society-parliamentarian mission, reports that Lebanese see him as another rising Gamal Abdel Nasser. He who nationalized the Suez Canal and championed Arab nationalism.
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August 4, 2006 at 6:49 pm
· Filed under Davao, Politics
There are 29 elected officials in Davao City. Three representatives to Congress, the city mayor, vice mayor and eight councilors for each of the three districts.
Of the 29, only five have expiring terms next year. Congressman Ruy Elias Lopez of the 3rd district, vice mayor Luis Bonguyan, and councilors Emmanuel Galicia (1st district), Jimmy Dureza and Gerald Bangoy (2nd district).
Their vacant positions are up for grabs in the May 14, 2007 polls.
The hotly contested one would be the post of vice mayor. As many as 10 names have been mentioned as probables. The next vice mayor would have a good chance to replace Mayor Rodrigo Duterte when he bows out of office for his sixth term in 2010.
The probables include:
Third term congressman Ruy Elias Lopez;
Third term councilors Jimmy Dureza and Emmanuel Galicia; councilors Mabel Acosta, Leo Avila III, Diosdado Mahipus;
Former city and vice mayor Ben de Guzman;
City administrator Wendel Avisado; 1st congressional district chief of staff Karlo Nograles; and retiring police officer Sid Lapena.
Take your pick.
Posted at Re-elect
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