KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/26 Mar) – At least a hundred volunteers will be mobilized for a reforestation campaign planting 6,250 seedlings at a portion of the peak of Mt. Apo next month.

Lawyer Ermelo Libre, executive director of the Mt. Apo Foundation Inc. (MAFI), told MindaNews that this tree planting activity, using an indigenous species called tinikaran, is just an initial effort to reforest the Ma-ag area near the peak of the country’s tallest mountain. Continue reading »

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/25 Mar) – While Defense Secretary GilbertTeodoro boasted that the government’s counterinsurgency campaign is doing well in Luzon, he also admitted that some areas in Mindanao remain problematic.

In an interview with reporters inside the Eastern Mindanao Command here, Teodoro cited that the provinces of Agusan, Compostela Valley and Surigao remain problematic. The government, he said, is still
doing its best to dismantle the New People’s Army (NPA) guerillafronts operating in these areas.

“It is because of the presence of gold mining operations in these areas that keep them running,” he claimed, referring to the “revolutionary taxes” that the communist rebels are collecting from
the mining companies. Continue reading »

DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/25 Mar) – Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro stressed on Wednesday that the military should not be part of the investigation on the murder of Rebelyn Pitao. But he assured that the Armed Forces will fully cooperate in the ongoing investigation to save the reputation of the organization.

The family of Rebelyn, the 20-year-old daughter of New People’s Army (NPA) leader Leoncio Pitao a.k.a. Commander Parago, and militant organizations are pointing their fingers at the military as the one responsible for the killing.

Teodoro said that he himself wants to know who really is behind the killing of Rebelyn, which he described as a “very disgusting crime.” Continue reading »

It’s been a while since that last time I watched off-road jeeps roll on the race tracks. And just this Sunday, I had a chance to shoot this event. It was really fun. For me, 4×4 is not as exciting as motocross but I still enjoyed watching especially when some of the jeeps rolled!

Photos: AKP Images / Keith Bacongco | Music: Kapayapaan by Tropical Depression

DATU PIANG, Maguindanao – What would have taken only a few minutes to negotiate the 14-kilometer stretch from the Cotabato-General Santos highway to Datu Piang in Maguindanao took more than an hour as thousands of evacuees and residents lined the road chanting “MOA-AD,” raising messages written down on manila paper, sack and plywood, demanding government to “respect, implement, sign and support” the MOA-AD (Froilan Gallardo / Mindanews) . read more

During the funeral march for Rebelyn Pitao, daughter of Commander Parago, on Saturday…police elements were like in every hundred meters.  Even at the Davao Memorial Park, the police is everywhere… and not just with their short firearms…What does it mean? What kind of statement is it?  What if Duterte is no longer the mayor of Davao City?

DAVAO CITY – Rebelyn was wearing her white school teacher’s uniform when she left home to go to work. “Ma, lakaw na ko,” (Ma, I have to go now), she called out to her mother Evangeline.

It was 6.30am – the last time Mrs Pitao saw her 20-year old daughter: It was the last time she ever heard her voice.

Rebelyn usually arrived back home by 6:30 pm each school day. But last week, Wednesday March 4, there was no sign of her. Mrs Pitao was worried: An hour and a half later, local police officers and a tricycle driver knocked on her door and brought news that Rebelyn had been abducted on her way home by armed gunmen. Continue reading »

During my high school days, which was still cassette tape era, I had two albums of the late master rapper, FrancisM. What I love most is the Freeman and then Happy Battle. His style was unique — combination of rap and rock.

When he was at the hospital, I saw a photo of him and the great Romy Gacad of Agence France Presee (AFP). And FrancisM said something that he’s looking forward to shoot with Gacad when he’ll be out of the hospital. And this never materialized. I also looked forward for this thing to happen.

Sayang. RIP Kiko!

I’m not really a fan of stage plays. But last night, Ruby and I watched ay Quile. It was fun, it was really nice. What a masterpiece! Thanks to Bong Segovia for the the complimentary ticket and Icoy San Pedro for taking us to the better vantage point. More photos here.

DAVAO CITY – As the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) announces its intention to hold a public hearing on continuing extrajudicial killings here later this month, church and civil rights groups remain skeptical that it will have any lasting effect.

The city’s highly outspoken and colorful mayor, Rodrigo Duterte who has repeatedly gone on record as saying Davao is not a safe place for criminals, has consistently denied the authorities have any link to the killings and has publicly welcomed the CHR’s planned event. Continue reading »