Press Release  Cagayan de Oro City - Coinciding the appointment of Brig. Gen. Ricardo Visaya as general Officer-in-Charge of the Philippine Army’s 4th Infantry Division by President Benigno Aquino III replacing Major General Nestor Aňonuevo, was the abduction incident of Estelita T. Tacalan, farmer organizer, 60 years old, widow and a mother of three children. April 27, at around nine (9am) o’ clock in the morning, Estelita, left the headquarters of Makabayan, a coalition of progressive party list group located at Camaman-an Cagayan de Oro city following a meeting on electoral concerns and in preparation for May 1 Labor day activities. The previous day, she was supposed to be on her way to Misamis Oriental East to meet up with her colleagues and plan for the upcoming activities. But by 6pm, people begin to worry when her mobile phones were already out of reach. Following days, relatives, communities and possible areas of her presence were already contacted but unfortunately not a trace of her could be found.
Brendan Butler
National Catholic Reporter  Throughout the military dictatorships in Latin America from 1950 to 1990, the hierarchies of the Catholic church and heads of Catholic religious orders took up varying positions in relation to the brutal suppression and the crucifixion of their peoples carried out by these dictatorships, whether in Argentina, Brazil or El Salvado.
 Iligan City - The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR) and the Camillian Task Force (CTF), led by CTF Mindanao Coordinator Rev. Fr. Domingo Barawid, MI, turned over today Community Multi-Purpose Cooperative each for the villages of Mandulog, Lanipao, Kalilangan and Dulag--upland villages of this City that were among the hardest hit when TS Washi washed away several villages of Northern Mindanao on 16-17 December 2012.
Celso Dulce
www.celsodulce.wordpress.com  We are in desperate times. Desperate people are resorting to desperate measures.
Despite dire predictions of climate change’s global impact, not many people thought that Mindanao would be devastated by a tropical cyclone like Sendong. Karapatan A year after Jimmy Liguyon’s death  Many things happened after the killing of tribal leader, Jimmy Liguyon, exactly one year ago today. Among them were: his tribe were subjected to threats and harassment by his killers from the paramilitary group New Indigenous People’s Army Reform (NIPAR), led by Alde Salusad, forcing them to leave their community and evacuate in front of provincial Capitol in Malaybalay, Bukidnon; two died at the evacuation center, a 24-day old baby and a 67 year-old man, because of ailments; Julia Malus-ag and her four children were taken hostage by the same group on October 7, 2012 to pressure the evacuees to return to their village.
|  The Rural Missionaries of the Philippines-Northern Mindanao Sub-Region (RMP-NMR) has been admitted as a member of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (http://www.e-alliance.ch/) on 24 April 2013.
 Iligan City - While the humanitarian organizations have joined hands in doing relief delivery operations, much is still to be done for the survivors of TS Washi that hit Northern Mindanao on 16-17 december 2011.
 Iligan City - A footbridge, called by the locals as 'Tulay sa Kinabuhi' (Bridge of Life), was inaugurated in Mandulog, Iligan City and is ready to serve three other hinterland villages starting today.
Walter I. Balane
MindaNews  Malaybalay City – Leaders of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines said they may file administrative charges against certain government officials for their failure to arrest the suspect in the killing of a Lumad leader in San Fernando, Bukidnon a year ago.
 It was almost five months on January 2013, and the waiting seemed endless.
Terrified community members from Kiranggol in Barangay Dao, San Fernando, Bukidnon, a gold rich Matigsalug mountain haven, hiked their way for almost a week towards the neighboring villages of Quezon municipality for safety. They were moving fast in secret to escape the Salusad bandit group who went berserk. Early morning of August 2, Alde ‘Butsoy’ Salusad held up in broad daylight Tessie Ombo, a fellow Matigsalug engaged in the buy-and-sell of free gold from the gold panning activity of the community. For failing to seize her money, he brusquely shot her with his rifle almost hitting her head. She was at that time taking breakfast with the entire family and with a toddler in her arms. In the afternoon of the same day, the bandit father – Loloy Salusad took his turn by robbing Tessie’s 3.3 grams gold. They want out of their way everyone in the area who refuses to submit to their gangster rule, rivals their control over the gold panning operation and those who oppose the entry of big mining operations. |
Election watchdog KontraDaya-Northern Mindanao Region, an independent nonpartisan monitor composed mainly of religious and civil society group slammed the Commission of Elections for gross incapacity to prevent wide-ranging reports of PCOS machine malfunctions in Northern Mindanao.
