Joint Statement of Malaysian-Philippine CSOs

Standoff in Lahad Datu: Engage in Dialogue Now with all stakeholders to resolve the crisis peacefully 

We the undersigned Civil Society organisations (CSOs) from Malaysia and Philippines are extremely concerned over the on-going standoff between the Malaysian security forces and followers of the Sultanate of Sulu’s heirs, Jamalul Kiram III at Lahad Datu, Sabah. We the CSOs, together with all individuals, organizations and networks, urgently call upon President Benigno S. Aquino III of the Philippines, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak of Malaysia and Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, to disavow all forms of violence, and instead supports dialogue as the primary mechanism for a resolution to the siege.

We are very concerned and worried about the security of civilians in Lahad Datu, Semporna and the surrounding villages and we would like to see a peaceful solution to resolve this ongoing problem. According to media reports, at least sixty (60) people have been killed in Lahad Datu, Semporna and Kampung Tanduo, Sabah.

We believe the situation in Lahad Datu requires swift and peaceful intervention. We urge all parties to resist from using force while remaining committed to dialogue and negotiation throughout this process.

We are also very concerned with the lack of real-time information with respect to what has actually taken place so far in Lahad Datu. Up to this point the information received through the Malaysian news media lacked transparency and created unnecessary rumours and assumptions about the situation. The people has rights to get the information on on-going issues in Sabah. 

In this context, we call on the governments of Malaysia and Philippines and the Sultanate of Sulu to:

• Immediately declare a HUMANITARIAN CEASEFIRE so that agencies concerned can take immediate measures to ensure the safety of women, children, elderly and other vulnerable persons in the affected area.  And provide “safe zones” where humanitarian organizations and relevant agencies can install facilities to be accessed by those who are injured and require immediate medical care; 

• Take immediate steps to end the use of violence and to engage in dialogue with all stakeholders to resolve the crisis peacefully. 

• Take proper measures to ensure that in the process of resolving the crisis, the human rights of everyone involved are respected and protected especially civilians from Lahad Datu, Semporna and nearby villages;

• Take immediate measures to secure the safety of journalists who chose to access the area at all times to ensure fair reporting and dissemination of information to the general public;

•  Cease and desist from using excessive force and armed violence to end the prevailing conflict;

• Initiate an independent and impartial investigation into the killings that has taken place and make the findings of the investigation public.

We fervently dissuade all the principals involved from brinkmanship by instead living up to your respective legacies as genuine leaders of your people with honor and dignity.

We urge you to come to terms with the unfolding of events that has serious implications on many lives and social institutions.  We all can’t afford that this will escalate into a grave humanitarian crisis spilling over into other nearby villages aside from Lahad Datu and Semporna, Sabah.

Time is of the essence.  The world is looking at you, now.

Sgd.

Civil Society of Malaysia and Philippines

March 8, 2013

Please sign this joint statement to show your concern, support and commitment to resolve the issue in Sabah in a peaceful manner.

Signatories:

MALAYSIA 

Suara Rakyat Malaysia (SUARAM)

Tenaganita

Women's Centre for Change (WCC) 

JUMP 

ALIRAN (Persatuan Aliran Kesedaran Negara)

Malaysian Physicians for Social Responsibility

Center for Orang Asli Concerns (COAC)

Jaringan Rakyat Tertindas (JERIT)

Justice for Sisters

Seksualiti Merdeka

Pusat KOMAS

Persatuan Masyarakat Selangor dan Wilayah Persekutuan (PERMAS)

Community Action Network (CAN)

Persatuan Sahabat wanita Selangor

Community Development Centre (CDC)

Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM)

Malaysia Youth & Students Democratic Movement (DEMA)

All Women's Action Society (AWAM)

Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (EMPOWER)

PHILIPPINES

Mindanao PeaceWeavers (MPW)

Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)

Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy (PCID) 

Free Burma Coalition – Philippines (FBCP) 

Active Citizenship Foundation (ACF) 

Agri-Aqua Development Coalition, Mindanao 

AGONG Peace Network, Mindanao

Akbayan Citizens Action Party

Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL)

Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM)

Balay Mindanaw Foundation, Inc

Banwaon One Tribe, One Territory, Mindanao

Center for Peace Education – Miriam College

Citizen’s Peace Watch 

Civil Peace Service Program – Southern Christian College

Coalition of Social Development Organizations

Coalition for the Development of Sibuguey – Western Mindanao

Concerned Citizens of Abra for Good Governance

Consortium of Bangsamoro Civil Society

Council of Organized Social Service Agencies in Mindanao

Derepa te Erumanen ne Menuvu, Mindanao 

Focus on the Global South -Philippines

Gitib Inc., Mindanao

GZO Peace Institute 

Human Rights Defenders-Pilipinas (HRDP)

Institute for Comparative and Advanced Studies (ICAS Phils)

Institute for Popular Democracy (IPD)

Interreligious Solidarity Movement for Peace (IRSMP)

IQRAA Islam Foundation

KAGDUMA, Incorporated, Mindanao

Kampanya para sa Makataong Pamumuhay (KAMP)

Kebager te Ked-Inged, Mindanao

Kahugpongan sa Mindanaw 

KAISA

Khairul Bariyyah Youth Movement (KBYM)

Landcare Foundation of the Philippines, Inc

Lumad Mindanaw Peoples’ Federation

Mindanao Peoples Peace Movement

Mindanao Peace Advocates Conference 

Mindanao Coalition of Development NGO   Networks (MINCODE) Secretariat  

Mindanao Alliance of Self-Help Societies – Southern Phils Educational Cooperative Center

Mindanao Congress of Development NGOs and NGIs –Mindanao

Mindanao Indigenous People Women Development

Mindanao Solidarity Network (MSN)

Network for Transformative Social Protection

Pambansang Kilusan ng mga Samahang Magsasaka  (PAKISAMA)

Partnership of Philippine Support Services Agencies – Mindanao

Pakigdait, Incorporated

Paghiliusa sa Paghidaet – Negros (PsP-N)

Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM)

Partido ng Manggagawa (PM)

Pasaday Manobo Association (PAMAAS)

Pax Christi Institute - Philippines

Peace Advocates Zamboanga (PAZ)

People’s Alternative Studies Center for Research & Education in Social Dev’t (PASCRES)

People’s Global Exchange (PGX)

Philippine Action Network to Control Arms

Philippine Coalition for the International Criminal Court

Philippine Human Rights Information Center (Philrights)

Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)

Philippine Business for Social Progress - Mindanao

Philippine Partnership for the Devt of Human Resources in Rural Areas (PHILDHRRA)

Pinay Kilos

Rajah Buayan Cultural Institute (RBCI)

Redemptorist Center for Social and Ecological Concerns - Mindanao 

SANLAKAS

SANLAKAS-Youth

Shariful Hashim  Cultural University (SHACUS)

SOCSKSARGEN Sociological Society

SPREAD – Oblates of Notre Dame

Sulong CARHRIHL

Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP)

The Peacemakers’ Circle Foundation

Women and Gender Institute

Women Engaged in Action on 1325 (We Act 1325)

Women’s Human Rights and Legal Bureau (WLB)

World March of Women – Pilipinas

Young Moro Professionals

REGIONAL/GLOBAL

Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict – Southeast Asia (SEA-GPPAC)

Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC)

ALTSEAN- Burma

Asia-Pacific Movement on Debt & Development (JSAPMDD)

Coalition Against Trafficking in Women-Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) 

International Peace Bureau (IPB)

ISIS International

Media Defense- Southeast Asia

BANGLADESH

Humanitywatch

NABODHARA, Bangladesh

BURMA/MYANMAR

Generation Wave Institute

CAMBODIA

Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF)

EAST TIMOR

East Timor Students Solidarity Council (ETSSC)

GERMANY

Asienstiftung (German Asia Foundation)

Philippinenbüro – Asienhaus

INDIA

Burma Centre Delhi

NEPAL

All Nepal Peasants Federation (ANPFa)

All Nepal Women Association (ANWA)

PAKISTAN

Center For Peace & Civil Society (CPCS) 

INDIVIDUALS

Prof. Anuradha Chenoy, University of India

Prof. Kamal Mitra Chenoy, University of India

Mr. Ramon Casiple, IPER, Philippines 

Ms. Sia Phearum, Director, HRTF Cambodia

Mmk, Tggw, Myanmar

WWF Malaysia visits this site

One of the visitors of this blog is WWF Malaysia. Knowing the well-meaning work of WWF, I wanted to help it by promoting its site as linked. World Wide Fund for Nature needs our support. For you, I quoted from the site of WWF-Malaysia this sidebar explanation: 

Around the world, WWF works with communities, governments and businesses to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change.

Protection of Forests
Forests play a vital role in the fight against climate change. Forests are important carbon sinks and deforestation is estimated to be responsible for about 18% of current greenhouse gas emissions. Furthermore, forests have significant economic and ecological value by supporting biodiversity, clean water supply and local livelihoods.

WWF-Malaysia, though our conservation work on the ground, strategically addresses critical forest issues in Malaysia. Our forest work aims to:

Increase the coverage of forest protected areas (PAs) and improve the management of existing PAs, improve the management of production forests by promoting and facilitating responsible forestry and trade, restore degraded areas especially where there is need to maintain critical forest linkages and enhance the value of forests and its services via promoting financial mechanisms such as Payment for Ecosystem Services as well as Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Degradation.

Your support will enable us to continue our mission to reduce the effects of climate change and work towards conserving a living planet for our future. Thank you for pledging to Live Green!

Senate on Fire

One of the issues that shook up the Senate is the question over the MOOE or Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses that the senate president is giving to the senators. 

As tradition in the upper lawmaking body, MOOE is not to be accounted for or that reporting is not strict. That is ironical because MOOE is people's money afterall. It became more controversial because the senate president who had discretionary function to disburse the funds, as alleged, played politics by giving the funds to allies.

The update was that Senator Enrile resigned from the post.  

Climate Change

Recently, Davao Region has suffered from heavy rains that caused rivers burst to their seams inundating communities nearby and those low-lying urban areas like Davao City. Affected residents fled to evacuation centers.     

The tailend of a cold front was blamed for the natural calamity that struck the region and other parts of Mindanao, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geographical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

But we are alarmed of the "message" these recent events that hit Mindanao. The strong typhoons that lambasted some regions in Mindanao last year and the flashfloods which plowed through the economic bases and homesteads of the hapless victims are an indication that something is wrong with the pattern of the climate.

Mindanao used to be typhoon-free. I remember that I was six years old when a strong typhoon was reported to supposedly hit Davao. This was during the early seventies, I guess. And because of that news, some of our neighbors had to stay overnight in the two-storey house of our grandparents. Local businessmen would love to talk about Mindanao as ideal for agri-production because it is claimed to be typhoon-free as compared to Luzon and the Visayas Region. 

But if we look back at what happened last year - how Typhoon Sendong and Pablo wiped-out a number of communities, we are afraid to say that the phenomenon of climate change is for real as far as Mindanao is concerned.

2013

It's 2013! And to start the new year right, let us be positive that this year is a great year for all of us in view of possible challenges ahead of us. For instance, the world is facing financial crisis that is maybe capable of snowballing, affecting all underdeveloped nations. We hope that our leaders will have good judgment.

The year 2012 was a great year too despite all the natural calamities that hit the country. Perhaps we needed those tragic events to remind us that we really have to rely on powers unseen - which is above all matters on Earth. And a chance to remind that we have to share and help others in time of calamity. 

In fact, the reaction of the people to help the victims of typhoons was overwhelming - an indication that deep sense of humanity still lingers in our heart. This moves everyone to help.

BTW, the editorial cartoon says: Behave, 'tin. In our vernacular, the word for snake is "bitin." In Filipino or Tagalog, snake is "ahas."

Firecracker Ban

The New Year's Celebration in the Philippines, as expected, was sadly greeted with firecrackers-related accidents, injuries or death as reported in the media. Not new to us. Many of the victims were children. Although the authorities were glad because the number had gone down as compared to the past celebrations, there remains a need for a drastic change in the way we celebrate the new year - a good way to start a new year. One is a total ban for all types of fireworks and firecrackers. And hopefully, it will be done soon.

I wrote this post, days before New Year. 

For a long time, firecrackers were a part of tradition as far as Christmas and New Year's celebrations in the Philippines were concerned. I was five years old when I tried a small firecracker my uncle tied on the tip of a stick. It was so small that the explosion could not scare me as a tot.  A candle on the ground was used to burn the wick. We called that explosive "libintador" so small that my uncle would explode it in his finger tips.

When I grew up, I became more acquainted with all types of firecrackers. From the lowly libintador, firecracker makers cameup with versions more menacing than what we used to have as small kids. The stronger version was called triangle although we could manage to explode it by holding it in the tips of our fingers. The explosion could have ripped off our nails if it was loaded more than enough. Versions later were even more menacing. We had Superlolo, Goodbye Philippines, Judas Belt, to name a few, which alarmed the authorities because of firecracker-related incidents every Christmas season and New Year's Eve celebration. Injuries could range from minor to full mayhem on the part of the victims who would cut off their fingers, whacked hands, blasted eyes, etc. During these times, hospitals would be prepared to serve the would-be victims.

I don't know with other local government units, but perhaps it was Davao City only that first implemented the total ban of firecrackers. As a result, despite violations of some hard-headed residents who would be penalized if caught by the way, Davao City would have zero firecracker-related incident. This is often cited by the media when reporting about the ban for firecrackers.

The government is introducing measures to improve the situation during celebration like providing warning to the people. But that is not a surefire to preventing injuries, for instance. Which is why many sectors are calling for the total ban of firecrackers.

Nevertheless, let me say, happy new year and hopefully 2013 is a good year for you and me. I would like to thank you also for coming to visit this blog despite inconsistency of posts. Till next issue! 

Photo: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/332767/88-arrested-due-to-firecrackers

Days after Typhoon Bopha

These were some photos taken days after Super Typhoon Pablo or Bopha lambasted part of Davao del Norte, Compostela Valley and Davao Oriental. My daughter took these photos when they visited their grandparents in San Vicente which was also hardly hit by Pablo.

The victims of typhoon in those areas need relief and rehabilitation support after their homes, properties and economic bases were heavily damaged. 

The good news is that many well-meaning groups and institutions and government agencies ran to the rescue of the victims and support keeps flowing for the areas. 

Assorted Editorial Cartoons

Super Typhoon Pablo had inflicted so much misery on the people of Compostela Valley, Davao Oriental and some regions in the Visayas. The slow response to such catastrophe could be liken to the defeat Manny Pacquiao suffered from the hands of Juan Miguel Marquez. 

As the Philippines prepares for the upcoming 2013 elections, brewing issues like the much-debated reproductive health haave started to emerge. The staunchly anti-RH Bill Roman Catholic Church threaten pro-RH Bill politicians with so-called Catholic Votes.
 

The tension between the Philippines and China is not over yet. At the backdrop were reports about the US interest to field patrol in the disputed region.

Well, this was one of the editorial cartoons I did in response to the oil price hikes. 

I read that some of the party-list groups were backed up by Jueteng Lords. This was not new if we believe in the news before and now.
  

The controversial RH Bill is waiting for the signature of the president. That shows the defeat of anti-RH Bill groups, notably the RC.

 

 Are were winning against the HIV/AIDS? If reports that HIV/AIDS cases had increased despite, then our fight is losing grounds.
 

 The Philippine government has vowed to help the poor population in the country. That laudable even when we disagree with the method. But saying that the poor population comprising 26 percent of the population is anomalous. Not a few disagreed with the figure. 

 

 The RC fight against the RH Bill was long and arduous, I would say. RC's tenacity proved futile in the end. Support for the passage of the bill was overwhelming as far as lawmakers were concerned.

Death Penalty

Alarmed by the occurrence of heinous crimes, not so few called for the revival of death penalty in the country. But it would seem that the call of some sectors and the Coalition Against Violence (CAV) failed to get support as yet. For instance, the powers-that-be were not talking about it. Heinous crimes pertained to cases of murder, rape, etc.

The capital punishment was reintroduced during the time of Pres. Fidel V. Ramos. It was also during the time of deposed Pres. Joseph Estrada that the lethal injection was first implemented. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who succeeded Estrada via the so-called people power 2 eventually abolished the death penalty (infosource: Wikipedia).

It appeared that criminals are more "punitive" this time as reported in various news sources. Many agreed that these heinous crimes were related to drug abuse - a phenomenon that has refused to go despite efforts from government agencies like the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Comelec urges 2010 SK voters to register anew for 2013 polls

This is to repost a news about SK voters from the site of GMA News:

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reminded young people who voted in the Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) polls in 2010 to register again to be able to participate in the 2013 national and local midterm polls if they are already of regular voting age.

In a statement, Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez also called on SK leaders to urge their constituents to register.

“We call on the leadership of Sangguniang Kabataan Federations nationwide and the National Youth Commission (NYC) to help us in encouraging the youth, especially the SK voters of 2010, to register,” he said.

The nationwide registration period is ongoing and set to end on October 31. Those who are planning to register must bring a valid ID, and may register from Mondays to Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at all local Comelec offices.

Jimenez noted that it has become a common misconception among youth voters that they are already registered voters in the regular elections if they have registered for the SK polls.

A total of 2,459,520 young people aged between 15 to 17 years old registered to vote in the SK polls in 2010.

The 1987 Constitution states that the right to vote in regular elections may be exercised by those who are at least 18 years old.

Last Saturday, the nationwide registration for the 2013 polls resumed after a five-day suspension to give way for the filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COCs) last week. — BM, GMA News

Note: ballot boxes image is lifted from http://www.learnnc.org