History of the Philippine Islands in Inforaphics

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References:


Timeline: Philippine History

The Cultural Influences of India, China, Arabia, and Japan




Philippine History (Halili, 2004)

Philippines - The Malolos Constitution and the Treaty of Paris

List of Complaints Against China: A Backgrounder

The territorial disputes in Asia has been getting a lot of media attention this year but a few years back, such disagreements over these small pieces of land were never broadcasted by international media outlets. 

With Washington sending Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to talk to Asian nations involved in the territorial brawl, Beijing made it clear that its government is not happy with the US’s move.

In recent years, China’s rise as an economic power not only in the region but in the world has made its neighbors more concerned about the disputes than before. This “nervousness” is not unfounded however considering that the list of complaints against China is a bit lengthy.

In the year 1974, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) drove Vietnam from Paracel Islands. In the year 1988, the same group took Johnson South Reef from the Vietnamese. By the 1990s, China took Mischief Reef from the Philippines without a fight. Over a decade later, the USNS Impeccable sitting in its exclusive economic zone was confronted by a Chinese fleet. In 2010, Japan reported that the Chinese limited rare earth metal exports to the former. A year later, the Vietnamese government reported that Chinese paramilitary vessels purposely severed survey cables behind its exploration vessels. This year, the Philippines said the Chinese used coercive economic diplomacy in the heat of the Scarborough Shoal mêlée.

While this list is a bit daunting and can scare regular folk, none of the claimants of these little pieces of land are considering a conflict-based approach. 

Photo: Reuters

AROUND THE WEB

The Bully of the South China Sea China's Rise = Re-militarizing Japan?

Mysterious insect discovered in the Philippines

A mysterious wingless insect has been discovered  in the Philippines recently. The spectacularly colored insect is said to live on the ground and vents a foul smell to drive away predators according to the scientists who found the insect.

Marco Gottardo, a PhD student in the University of Siena said that his colleague Oskar Conle, an entomologist showed him museum specimens of a mysterious-looking stick insect. The specimen is said to have been found on Mindoro’s Mount Halcon several years back. 

The stick insect has been given its own genus.  Gottardo said, little is known whether the insect is related to other stick and leaf insects. 

Photo: Oskar Conle

Spratly Islands status quo most favorable to China - Asian Center Professor Edgardo E. Dagdag

By Chanda Shahani

The non-resolution of the South China Sea dispute in the immediate future is most likely and this unresolved status quo is most favorable to the country with the most dominant military force, which is China, U.P. Diliman Asian Center Professor Edgardo E. Dagdag said in a presentation.

Speaking last October 15, 2011 at the National Chengchi University (NCCU) in Taiwan, Professor Dagdag who is also concurrently the President of the Philippines-Taiwan Friendship Society, said that the current developments which reflects the Philippine position is as follows:

• The Philippines is urging Association of South East Asian Nation (ASEAN) member states to take a common stand and seek common positions with respect to addressing the concerns in the South China Sea.
• It has lodged a diplomatic protest before the United Nations International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) agaisnt China's territorial claim over the whole SCS.
• The Philippines says that it would defend its position in the SCS, and calls this the West Philippine Sea.
• The Philippines is proposing that the SCS be converted into a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Coioperation (ZPFF/C)

Highlights of the Philippines' ZPFF/C proposal

• The disputed areas in the SCS would be segregated from the non-disputed areas in accordance with the UNCLOS.
• Only the Spratly island and Paracels are considered the disputed areas.
• The disputed areas would be enclaved and designated as Joint Cooperation Areas (JCA). It would be managed by a Joint Permanent Working Committee (JPWC) composed of claimants from the ASEAN. The JPWC would report to the ASEAN-China Senior Officials Meeting (SOM).
• The JCA will be demilitarized. The military personnel will be replaced with police or coast guard personnel.
• The undisputed areas shall remain under the jurisdiction of those countries whose rights are protected by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
• A two-day meeting of the ASEAN maritime legal experts in Manila last Sept 2011 concluded that there is a legal basis for the Phil proposal.
• ASEAN tasked its SOM to study further the Phil proposal and the results of the meeting of the ASEAN maritime legal experts and to submit its report to the Nov 2011 ASEAN summit meeting.
• Sources from the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs say that the Phil proposal has the support of Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia.
• China’s reaction (Ambassador Liu Jianchao, Chinese Ambassador to the Phil): (a) The meeting of the ASEAN maritime legal experts is not an effective way to deal with the dispute; and (b) The ZOPFF/C concept of segregation is not feasible at this stage due to the claimants’ overlapping claims.

Professor Dagdag said that the increasing interest shown ny the Unitred States on the SCS issue will have the resulting effect of thee not be a peaceful resolution for the forseeable future. Moreover, China opposes the internationalization of the dispute and the involvement of non-claimant countries such as the United States.

He added that China is not likely to give up its announced preferred position which is to address the SCS issue through bilateral negotiations. This is a stumbling block to the immediate resolution of the SCS issue since ASEAN prefers a multilateral approach.

Professor Dagdag said that ASEAN ismore likely to press for the adoption of a regional code of conduct to address the issue. This projected stance would in all probability be supported by China but not the U.S.

He said that a recent conference on the Spratlys held in the Philippines on October, 2011 showed China's true mindset. Chinese academics declared that the UNCLOS cannot address the Spratlys issue. This is revealing, Professor Dagdag said, because “Chinese academics generally toe and articulate the 'official line'.”

He said the SCS issue will remain a big irritant in Philippines-China relations and will give the Philippines the reason to seek closer security relations with the U.S. To protect itself and its Kalayaan Island group claim.

Diliman Video of the Week: News to Go - Howie Severino interviews nuclear energy advocate Rep. Mark Cojuangco 3/17/11

Former Pangasinan Rep. Mark Cojuangco has long been an advocate for using nuclear power in the Philippines. Howie Severino interviews Cojuangco about whether nuclear power is still a viable option for the country in light of the recent nuclear crisis in Japan.

Greenpeace backs proposed bill to scrap nuclear from PH energy plans Says Philippine government should have already learned its lessons from Fukushima

Greenpeace yesterday called out in a press release addressed t to the country’s lawmakers to fast-track the passage of a Congress Bill that, once signed into law, will strike out nuclear energy from Philippine energy plans once and for all.

The Nuclear-free Pilipinas Bill is authored by Akbayan Representatives Walden F. Bello and Kaka J. Bag-ao, and was filed today at the House of Representatives. The proposed legislation directs the Department of Energy (DOE), the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) to remove all options for nuclear in the Energy Reform Agenda, the Philippine Energy Plan for 2009-2030, and the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) for 2010-2016.

“The government must put all so-called ‘nuclear options’ in the dustbin where they belong. Greenpeace applauds Representatives Bello and Bag-ao for heeding the aspirations of the Filipino people to live in a safe and secure environment free from catastrophic nuclear risks. Nuclear power is extremely dangerous and prohibitively expensive. Keeping it in the country’s energy plans is akin to laying a fatal curse on present and future generations of Filipinos,” said Amalie Obusan, Climate and Energy Campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

“Greenpeace believes that the passage of this legislation will be the necessary counter that would effectively silence parties that are aggressively promoting their misguided nuclear ambitions. Although it has been silent in their quarters because of the ongoing Fukushima nuclear disaster, Filipinos sometimes have very short memories. It is highly probable that we have not yet seen the end of pro-nuclear legislative proposals. We need this law so that Filipinos can rest easy, confident that there will never be a Fukushima in our country,” she added.

No nuclear proposals are currently tabled in Philippine Congress. However, the Philippine Energy Plan still has provisions for nuclear energy. Meanwhile the Energy Reform Agenda directs the DOE to conduct researches and studies in aid of legislative and executive action for the operation of a 2,000-megawatt nuclear power plant by 2025. These seem to indicate that President Aquino is effectively supportive of laying the foundations for the entry of nuclear, despite his public declaration that nuclear will not be an option under his administration.

Guam National Guard in Philippine exercise

120 soldiers from the Guam Army National Guard are deployed to the Philippines for exercise - Balikatan -- at Fort Magsaysay in Luzon - Guam units are working alongside U.S. Marines, the Philippine Army and U.S. Army units from Korea on how to deal with injuries in IED attacks. PI correspondent Mike Cohen files this report.

Kuwentong Obrero | Dagdag Sahod na Makabuluhan: Kailangang Ipaglaban

Kuwentong Obrero | Dagdag Sahod na Makabuluhan: Kailangang Ipaglaban from mayday multimedia philippines on Vimeo.

Isang video animation ng Mayday Multimedia at Koalisyon ng mga Progresibong Manggagawa at Mamamayan. Una sa serye ng Kuwentong Obrero, mala tula-dula sa porma ng bidyo na handog ng Mayday para sa uring manggagawa.

Some good and not-so-good news regarding Philippine radioactive levels

QUEZON CITY, March 29 (PIA) - The radiation level in the country remains normal from 94 to 118 nSv/hr (nanosieverts per hour) as gathered by the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) at the institute grounds today.

Despite the good news, the PNRI is vigorous in checking the radioactivity in the Philippines as radioisotope presence has already been detected in THE country.

On March 23, the PNRI detected iodine-131 at 33 microbecquerels per cubic meter, cesium-134 at 4.2 microbecquerels per cubic meter, and cesium-137 at 5.7 microbecquerels per cubic meter.

On March 26, iodine-131 is now at 20 microbecquerels per cubic meter, cesium-134 at 0.7 microbecquerels per cubic meter, and cesium-137 at 0.7 microbecquerels per cubic meter.

“Environmental radiation monitoring all over the world including the Philippines has detected very tiny amounts of radioactive isotopes which appeared to be coming from the Fukushima nuclear power plant and which pose no human health hazards,” PNRI report said.

The institute also explained that earlier report on extreme high levels of radiation (10 million times normal) appears to be a report error. The Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has already corrected the report. “Nevertheless, high levels of radiation remain inside the nuclear power plant but pose danger only to the emergency workers,” the PNRI says.

For further advisories, PNRI can be reached through telephone numbers 929-6010 to 19. (PIA-NCR/RJB/DBN)

Diliman Videos of the Week: 1) Jobs Philippines - American Taxi Drivers and 2) Jobs Philippines - American Jeepney Drivers

Video No. 1: Jobs Philippines - American Taxi Drivers



Video No. 2: Jobs Philippines - American Jeepney Drivers

Commentary on Wikileaks: Leaked State Department Cable Reveals Vatican, Philippine Church Concerns over Economically Exploitative Potentials of Genetically Modified Organisms

By Chanda Shahani

Groups that oppose biotech or genetic engineering research and its implementation in the Philippines have a powerful ally in the Vatican and the Philippine Catholic Church, a leaked cable from the United States State Department but released by Wikileaks shows.

The leaked cable was dated August 26, 2005 but made available by Wikileaks at several of its sites on December 21, 2010 including this numbered mirror site: http://213.251.145.96/cable/2005/08/05VATICAN514.html

Surprisingly, the Vatican and the Philippine Catholic Church do not oppose biotech or genetic engineering on the grounds of creation theory which holds that only God has the right to manipulate life in order to create variants of life forms. Neither are they opposed to genetic engineering on grounds of safety issues, the cable said.

The World Health Organization defines genetically modified (GM) organisms and food crops as "organisms in which the genetic material (DNA) has been altered in a way that does not occur naturally. The technology is often called “modern biotechnology” or “gene technology”, sometimes also “recombinant DNA technology” or “genetic engineering”. It allows selected individual genes to be transferred from one organism into another, also between non-related species.Such methods are used to create GM plants – which are then used to grow GM food crops (http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/biotech/20questions/en/).

The Vatican and several Philippine Catholic laypeople and clergy are concerned, however about the global food industry structure which allows the creation of GM foods and cash crops which end up displacing the economic interests of subsistence farmers.

The leaked cable pepared by Peter Martin, a political officer of the State Department referred to meetings held at the Vatican  between Michael Hall, Biotechnology Advisor of USAID Regional Economic Development Services Office in Nairobi who met with Monsignor James Reinert of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and Jack Bobo, Deputy Chief EB/TTP/ABT/BTT who met with Father Michael Osborn of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum.Cor Unum is the Vatican's clearinghouse for aid efforts worldwide, including food aid.

Father Osborn said that the Holy See did not feel that the genetic modification of plants posed any moral problem. Within the mainstream Vatican, he said, the mainstream opinion is that the science is solid. Bobo also informed Osborn about recent studies such as a World Health Organization (WHO) report that said that GM foods currently available on the market have passed risk assessments and are not at all likely to have adverse effects on human health (http://www.who.int/foodsafety/biotech/meetings/ec_nov2003/en/).

However, the Vatican which despite opposition from its later leadership, including Pope John Paul II, has also been influenced in its policies by liberation theology, as espoused by Pope John Paul which articulated that the church should work for the liberation of the poor and the oppressed. Seen from this perspective, GM cash crops would make developing world farmers from countries such as the Philippines dependent on multinational corporations chemical farm inputs such as fertilizers and certain kinds of pesticides which are absolutely necessary to grow patented GM cash crops. As a result, the Vatican would be opposed to such exploitation because it would be anti-poor.

Monsignor Reinert said in the cable that the Philippines was a country "with a particularly anti-GMO Catholic hierarchy, joking that the Filipino Church would "go into schism" if the Vatican came out any stronger for biotech food."

According to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations website (http://www.aseansec.org/6234.htm), developed countries such as the United States, and Canada, and developing countries like Argentina, China, and Mexico,are already growing GMO crops in large scale. Examples of these plants are transgenic cotton, potato and corn which contain the endotoxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). 

Bt is a bacterium which produces a toxin that affects only certain insects but not other organisms. Since 1995, the US government has approved the sale and use of Bt plants. In fact, there is a shortage of supply of seeds of Bt crops since farmers prefer to plant these crops. In 1998, the area planted to transgenic crops worldwide, excluding China was 27.8 M hectares. It is estimated that in 1999, the area planted to transgenic crops could reach up to 44 million hectares or more.

The website said that GMO plants that are now being used in other countries have passed through very strict laboratory and field tests to show that they are safe for humans and not harmful to the environment. In the United States, for example, transgenic plants are evaluated by three regulatory agencies - the US Department of Agriculture, US Food and Drug Administration and US Environmental Protection Agency prior to their commercialization.

In the Philippines, researches on transgenic plants are regulated by the National Committee on Biosafety of the Philippines (NCBP). Their strict guidelines ensure the safety of the public and the environment before granting permission for researches in this field. Reportedly, the Philippines has one of the most stringent biosafety guidelines in the world.

GMOs may be used as a component of Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The selected genes that are transferred to the plants are toxic only to plant pests. Other natural enemies such as spiders, predators, parasites, and parasitoides are not affected. A combination of cultural, chemical and biological control can also be used to protect plants from pests if necessary.

In the Philippines, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the National Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (BIOTECH), both in Los Baños, and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) in Nueva Ecija are undertaking transgenic researches to improve the resistance of rice varieties to insect pests. BIOTECH and the Institute of Plant Breeding, also in the University of The Philippines Los Baños, are undertaking a joint study to produce a local Bt corn variety resistant to the Asiatic corn borer. IPB-UPLB has also already started its research to produce transgenic papaya and mango with delayed ripening characteristics.

However, no national policy has yet been formulated on the appropriate role of BIOTECH in UPLB and PhilRice, which are government institutions in undertaking cutting edge research that may have the potential of making farmers, who are already dependent on multinational pesticides and fertilizers for their farm inputs even more dependent by economically tying them into the purchase of GMO plants which would require the purchase of certain crop seeds that were created by multinational companies with the Bt gene, and thus create a monopolistic situation while reducing the biodiversity of crop species being grown by farmers.

Earlier, the Diliman Diary had reported on the leading role that UPLB and U.P. Mindanao were playing in conducting field research on Bt eggplants being grown on a test basis in Davao City. Concerns over potentials of biological contamination impelled the Davao City government to destroy the plants over the protests of U.P. officials (http://diliman-diary.blogspot.com/2010/12/davao-revoke-upmin-permit-to-field-test.html).

Today in History - November 25

• 1034 - Máel Coluim mac Cináeda, King of Scots dies. Donnchad, the son of his second daughter Bethócand Crínán of Dunkeld, inherits the throne.
• 1120 - The White Ship sinks in the English Channel, drowning William Adelin, son of Henry I of England.
• 1177 - Baldwin IV of Jerusalem and Raynald of Chatillon defeat Saladin at the Battle of Montgisard.
• 1491 - The siege of Granada, last Moorish stronghold in Spain, begins.
• 1542 - Battle of Solway Moss. The English army defeats the Scottish.
• 1987 - Supertyphoon Nina pummels the Philippines with category 5 winds of 165 mph and a surge that swallows entire villages. at least 1,036 deaths attributed to the storm.
• 1988 - German politician Rita Süssmuth becomes president of the Bundestag.
• 1992 - The Czechoslovakia Federal Assembly votes to split the country into the Czech Republic and Slovakia from January 1, 1993.
• 1994 - Sony founder Akio Morita announces he will be stepping down as CEO of the company.

Read the rest here: Today in History - November 25

Ferruginous Flycatcher (Muscicapa ferruginea), migrant, rare in the Philippines at U.P. Diliman, Quezon City

Ferruginous Flycatcher (Muscicapa ferruginea), migrant, rare in the Philippines at the Univesity of the Philippines (U.P.) Diliman, Quezon City. See the bird by clicking the link here: http://tinyurl.com/34gmx2k

President Aquino to ask Congress for law on comfort women

MANILA, Nov. 10 (PNA) -- President Benigno S. Aquino III has taken up the cudgels for the so-called Filipino comfort women by vowing to ask Congress for authorization to use public funds to compensate these victims of sexual abuse by members of the Japanese Imperial Army in World War II.

In an interview with members of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines in Malacañang Tuesday, the Chief Executive underscored the importance of working towards providing reparation for the horrors experienced by these women for them to get a measure of their dignity back.

“As far as the compensation is concerned, I understand the reparations and part of the Treaty (of Peace with Japan signed in 1951) is supposed to have taken cared of all reparations so if it is the Philippine government who failed to take care of them adequately some time in the 50s, I think, then that should be something that we should correct,” President Aquino said.

“So I’ll probably go to Congress and ask them for a pertinent law that will authorize expenditures to make up for what previous governments in this country had failed to do,” he added.

On seeking apology from Japan, the President said he would task his soon-to-be-appointed ambassador to Japan to “explore ways” at achieving this.

“As far asking for apologies at this point in time, diplomacy has to have a lot of legwork done with it and we are in the process of culminating/the appointment of a new ambassador to Japan and that will be one of his tasks upon assumption of office, subject to confirmation by our Commission on Appointments,” the President said.

When asked if the compensation for the comfort women was included in the 2011 budget, the President said that although it had already been passed, “Perhaps we can ask for a supplement if that is allowable under the pertinent laws.”  

PAGASA: Everybody should brace themselves for La Niña in the 4th Quarter of 2010 and the 1st Quarter of 211

Manila (18 October) -- The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) issued a warning to the public about the onset of La Nina in the country that will continue at least until early 2011.

Yumul urged all government agencies and the public to take precautionary measures to mitigate the potential impacts of La Nina.

According to Graciano P. Yumul, Officer in Charge of PAGASA Office of the Administrator, La Nina periods are usually associated with above normal rainfall across most areas of the country during the last quarter of the year and early months of the following year.

Yumul said that rainfall assessment in September was below normal in most parts of Luzon, Leyte province and Eastern Mindanao. "Near to above normal rainfall was observed over most areas of the Bicol region, Central Visayas, Western and Central Mindanao," Yumul added.

PAGASA predicted that the northeast (NE) monsoon, Inter tropical Convergebce Zone (ITCZ), the tail end of the cold front, ridge of HPA and three (30 or four (4) tropical cyclones are the weather systems likely to affect the country in October.

"There is a probability of above normal rainfall condition to be experienced over some areas of Central Luzon, Bicol region, Mindanao provinces and the northern portion of Panay island and generally near normal over the rest of the country," Yumul said.

"The present La Nina episode may adversely impact on domestic water supply, agriculture and the health sector and may also cause flood, flashflood and rain induced landslides in hazard prone areas," Yumul warned.

Yumul also assured the public that PAGASA will continue to closely monitor the weather conditions and will issue appropriate updates and advisories. (PIA-NCR)

ADB Lifts Philippines' 2010 Growth Outlook on First-Half Surge

MANILA, PHILIPPINES - A strong and broad-based recovery during the first six months of this year will ensure the Philippines records solid growth for 2010, despite an expected moderation in the economic outlook for the next six months, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) says in a new major report.

According to the Asian Development Outlook 2010 Update (ADO Update), released on September 28, 2010, the Philippine economy is riding on the crest of a stronger-than-expected surge in domestic investment and industrial output, helped by external demand in the January to June period. Economic growth jumped 7.9% in the first six months of the year, up from a tepid 0.9% in the same period last year. As a result, ADB has lifted its growth forecast to 6.2% this year, up from a 5% forecast made in July.

The report also forecasts growth of 4.6% in 2011, unchanged from a projection in April, when ADB launched the flagship annual economic publication ADO 2010.

“Reduced policy stimulus at home and abroad, slower growth in world trade, and higher 2010 numbers are likely to temper the growth momentum in 2011,” says Neeraj Jain, Country Director for ADB's Philippines Country Office.

In 2010, the report says, private consumption grew 5.1% largely on higher spending on food and drinks, utilities, and transportation, mainly buoyed by overseas remittances.

Investment also made a significant contribution to growth, with fixed investment as a ratio to gross domestic product rising 17.2% during the period, the highest level in 7 years. Exports jumped nearly 40%, while imports increased 28.5%, reflecting the stronger demand for capital equipment and consumer goods.

However, the growth momentum has started to ease in the second half of the year, mainly due to leveling off of inventory building by businesses.

Inflation is expected to average 4.5% this year and 4.4% in 2011. Slower economic momentum and reduced policy stimulus will offset moderate increases in global energy and commodity prices next year.

ADB cited two key challenges for the Philippine economy – improving revenue collections and the investment climate.

“The country needs to increase its revenue collection in order to support social and development spending, which have lagged for many years,” said Mr. Jain.

Enhancing tax administration remains a key focus of efforts for revenue mobilization, the report highlighted.

The Philippines also needs to upgrade its investment climate to encourage new businesses and improve employment opportunities for its people, the report said. The relatively low level of private investment in recent years has been attributed to infrastructure deficiencies, as well as to weaknesses in governance and in the policy climate.

Downside risks to growth forecasts are from uncertainty over the strength and pace of the global economic recovery and La Niña weather disturbance that could hurt agriculture. Despite balance-of-payments surpluses and substantial foreign reserves, financial markets could also become unsettled if fiscal slippage continues, raising the country’s risk premium, it added.

Asian Development Outlook and Asian Development Outlook Update are ADB’s flagship economic reports analyzing the economic conditions and prospects in Asia and the Pacific, and are issued in April and September, respectively.

To download the ADB report on the region, including the Philippines, please click on this link: http://www.adb.org/Documents/Books/ADO/2010/Update/

Diliman Video of the week: How to ride the Jeepney in the Philippines

Commentary: Southern Tagalog under a State of Impunity

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help, click on this link: http://tinyurl.com/27emtm8)

By Lulu Dumlao

At the rate of the number of journalists being killed, the Philippines is living up to the International Federation of Journalists’ label description of this country as being the “most dangerous place for journalists to practice.” According the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), the regime of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo turns out to be the worst years of journalists’ assassination in the Philippines. 100 cases of media killings were recorded under Arroyo’s administration—the largest number since President Aquino’s government. Most of these killings are attributed to the military counterinsurgency programs approved also during Arroyo’s time.

Freedom of expression is curtailed because of media killings. The usual targets of elimination are the journalists who dare to speak out about the abuses in our country.

Southern Tagalog: Region under Blockade

From 2001-2009, there have been 10 reported cases of media killings in Southern Tagalog. Most of these cases were either dismissed or neglected by the administration. Instead of giving assistance to the families who are seeking justice, the government seemingly ignores these alarming extrajudicial killings.

On May 2003, Lucena City, Apolinario Pobeda was shot dead by two unidentified men riding a motorcycle. Pobeda was also riding his motorcycle, on his way to work, when the two suspects flagged him. He was shot four times and was dead on arrival in the hospital. The two gunmen were arrested and detained. Until now Pobeda’s case is still being heard in Quezon.

Pobeda was an alleged member of the New People’s Army and a regular commentator at the local radio station in Lucena City, DWTI-AM. His family and friends think that his death was lead by his fearless commentaries against alleged corrupt government officials.

Another case was Dong Batul’s. Batul is a commentator of DYPR at Puerto Prinsesa, Palawan. He was known for his hard-hitting commentaries that tackled corruption of government officials in the province. On April 2006, Batul saw two dud grenades outside his house. Also, a death threat written in red ink warning him to "hold his tongue or else his family would suffer harsh consequences." Barely a month after that incident, Batul was gunned by unidentified gunmen who fled on a blue motorcycle. Batul was hit 12 times and was dead on arrival at the hospital.

An Aaron Golifrado was identified by four witnesses as Batul’s killer. He was apprehended by the Philippine National Police (PNP). Golifrado is a member of a police counterinsurgency program in Palawan. But despite the charge filed against him, Golifrado stayed active in the force. And the case against him? It was granted dismissal.

The trend of media killings in Southern Tagalog, or even in the whole country is apparent. Journalists who expose the power abuses of government officials were killed. Their cases were not thoroughly investigated and usually, get dismissed. The victims’ families continue on seeking for justice, but it seems like it will never be on their reach.

Press Freedom under Siege

The Philippines has become one of the most dangerous places for journalists in Asia. Why? This can be deeply rooted to the fact that journalists in the Philippines are not scared to expose the abuse of power of those individuals who hold it. Journalists are silenced by influential individuals who know that with media men writing and reporting about their unlawful activities they will taste their downfall. Journalism in the Philippines is a powerful tool used in exposing the wrongdoings of these influential and powerful people. Journalists carry the power to uncover the transgressions of these individuals. The people who hold power are afraid to get caught red handed. They might get condemned by the citizens. They might lose their power. And to keep their grip onto the power, they annihilate whoever comes their way.

(Lulu Dumlao is a freelance writer. She is currently enrolled at the BS Development Communication program, Major in Development Journalism at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños.)

Diliman Video of the Week: Quick Guide to the automated 2010 elections in the Philippines

Ways to combat Heat Stroke

(Source: http://www.flickr.com/photos/carlosmatus/3487760642/)

By Kathryn Sunga

In a tropical country like the Philippines, excessive heat is often experienced by a lot of people especially during summer. Staying under the sun is quite popular to some people to get a tan or simply just to get some vitamins from it. But nowadays, too much exposure to the sun can lead to several problems such as, skin cancer and the most popular during summer time is heat stroke.

Too much heat can definitely lead to heat stroke which is deadly. People who are suffering from heat stroke should immediately seek a medical care as soon as possible to avoid death. This usually happens when the person is no longer producing perspiration due to dehydration. A person's body temperature will dramatically rise because the body is in too much heat that it cannot cool itself anymore.

Here are some of the symptoms of heat stroke:

• Shallow breathing
• Rapid heartbeat
• High core temperature of up to a hundred degrees Fahrenheit
• Strange behaviour or confusion
• Loss of consciousness
• Headache
• Dry, hot and red skin
• Convulsions
• Hallucinations
• Bizarre activities

There some tips on how you can avoid heat stroke and dehydration during summer time. Here are some helpful and easy tips that you should definitely follow:

Avoid staying under the sun, especially during the hottest time of the day which is noon to 3p.m.

Wear something comfortable. You can wear hat and a light color and loose fitting clothing to allow your body to breathe.

Reserve your exercise activities during early morning and later in the night.

Avoid meals that are hot. Hot meals usually increase a person's metabolism which can cause an increase in the body temperature as well.

Stay in a cool place. Set your room air conditioner between 70 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. For people who don't own one, taking a cool shower twice or thrice a day can also help.

Drink plenty of water to help your body produce sweat. Sweating is the way of your body to cool itself. Avoid caffeinated and alcoholic drinks that can only be loss through urination and not by sweating.

Eat more fruits that can help you to be well hydrated such as, watermelons, coconuts, cucumber and tomatoes. These foods can help your body to be cool during hot summer days.

Understanding what heat stroke is all about can help you avoid experiencing it. Share it with the people around you to help them avoid having heat stroke. Follow these easy and important things to avoid dehydration which can lead to heat stroke and eventually death.

(Kathyrn Sunga is a freelance writer specializing in fashion, technology and health issues)