Text by XIANNE ARCANGEL
Photos by MARIO IGNACIO IV

THE Commission on Elections has promised to make voting precincts more accessible to persons with disabilities, even if Congress fails to pass the proposed the Polling Center Accessibility Act in time for the May 2013 midterm elections.

Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said the Comelec will issue resolutions to ensure that accessibility will no longer be a problem for PWD voters in the upcoming polls, as it had been in the past.

>>Read more in PWD Files

Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO

GENETICALLY modified organism walked the streets of Malate yesterday to dramatize the dangers of GMOs in food and the ecology, as environmentalists asked the Supreme Court to stop field trials of genetically modified talong (eggplant).

The parade of GMOs—activists dressed as GMO plants—took place after the Greenpeace press conference where it announced the filing at the Supreme Court of a petition for writ of kalikasan and writ of continuing mandamus against GMO field trials.

The petitions seek a temporary environmental protection order (TEPO) as a first step to stopping the multi-location field trials of the bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) eggplant which is genetically altered with a gene from the Bt bacteria allowing it to produce its own pesticide.

Bt talong and other GMO crops are dangerous to human health, and the environment, Greenpeace said. Scientific tests on laboratory animals fed GMO food such as Bt eggplant have shown that GMOs negatively affect their liver, kidneys and blood. GMOs, which are man-made living organisms, can crossbreed and reproduce, causing gene transfer to natural and wild plant varieties.

The petitions also question the flawed government regulatory process for approving GMOs. “The government’s GMO approval system is hopelessly flawed and biased towards the release and propagation of GMOs in the country,” said Von Hernandez, Executive Director of Greenpeace and one of the signatories to the petition.

“The government’s pro-GMO approach is unfortunately resulting in a massive and uncontrolled unleashing of GMOs into our diets and our environment. This, despite the absence of conclusive scientific proof that these monster crops are safe to public health and the environment,” he added.

The petitioners include former Senator Orlando Mercado, Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn, Rep. Teodoro Casiño, Dr. Charito Medina of the scientists and farmers group Magsasaka at Siyentipiko sa Pagpapaunlad ng Agrikultura (MASIPAG), lawyers Harry Roque and Maria Paz Luna, scientists Dr. Ben Malayang III of Silliman University and Dr. Romeo Quijano of University of the Philippines (UP) Manila, Catherine Untalan of Miss Earth Foundation, Leo Avila, representing the City Government of Davao, and activist-musician Noel Cabangon.

Avila cited the uprooting of Bt eggplants in Davao City upon orders of the mayor. The Bt eggplants were planted by the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) without consultation and following protocols in field trials of GMO crops, he said.

Since the DA’s Administrative Order No. 08  was passed in 2002, the BPI has been approving GMOs for importation as food, feed and processing, as well as for propagation. Not one GMO application for commercial release has been disapproved or rejected, despite the absence of conclusive proof that such open releases are safe for the environment and human health.

Named respondents in the petition are the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Bureau of Plant Industry and the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority of the DA, UP Los Baños Foundation Inc., UP Mindanao Foundation Inc., and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications-Southeast Asia Center.

Activists vs GMO eggplant

Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO

THE best dancers from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao came to celebrate cultural diversity in the heart of Manila at Aliwan 2012, a showdown of Philippine festivals, last weekend.

Now on its 10th year, the Aliwan Festival features a cultural street dance competition, a parade of floats, and the Reyna ng Aliwan (Queen of Aliwan) pageant.

The grand parade that traversed Roxas Boulevard from Quirino Grandstand to the Aliw Theater at the CCP Complex saw the best Philippine festivals—composed of dancers and floats from different areas—compete.

Tribu Pan-ay of Dinagyang Festival in Iloilo was adjudged Aliwan Festival’s Grand Champion, a grand slam win having won the title for the third straight year. Second place went to Buyogan Festival of Abuyog, Leyte, while the Pintados Kasadyaan Festival of Tacloban City, Leyte won third place.

The Pamulinawen Festival from Laoag City won the best float, with Lingganay Festival from Alang-alang, Leyte placing second and the Sagayan Festival from Parang, Maguindanao named third.

THE family of a volunteer fireman who was mistakenly shot and killed by the Makati police said his killers, and even the media, have tainted the meaning of volunteerism.

Romualdo Infante, father of Ronaldo, said his son’s death has also left his family and community at a loss, because it was he who led and rallied them to be a firefighting group.

Ronaldo Infante and his companion Jenny Almanon were killed in an alleged shootout by Makati policemen who said the two were trying to hijack an LBC delivery van in Barangay Bangkal in Makati on April 1.

Ronaldo was the chief of the Manila SETBA fire volunteer brigade. SETBA stands for Severino Reyes, Tayabas and Batangas Streets, the area in Sta. Cruz, Manila where the firehouse is located.

Retired Police Senior Inspector Edwin I. Ramos, Infante’s uncle, said it was impossible for Ronald to commit the crime. “Ronald belongs to a family with a good reputation in the community,” he said.

To fire volunteers, Infante was known by his call sign, “Severino Bravo.” Hundreds of them showed up to pay their last respects at his funeral Saturday, accompanying his remains as they were led from Sanctuary Funeral Homes on Batangas St.

The funeral procession stopped at the scene of the killing in Bangkal, where family and friends lit candles and said a minute of prayer. It proceeded to the Manila North Cemetery where Infante was laid to rest.

Romualdo Infante said his son had turned their family into a volunteer firefighting family. He apologized to volunteer firefighters during the wake, saying the circumstances surrounding his son’s death have tainted the meaning of volunteerism.

He also criticized the media for not checking his son’s background.

Ronald’s cousin Mary Grace Ramos-Lorilla said,” He was the peace maker in the family and objective in all things.”

Investigators earlier told reporters police tried to stop Infante and Almanon from hijacking an LBC delivery van.

But Mary Rose Infante, Roland’s wife, denied the allegation saying her husband and his mechanic Almanon were on their way to collect payment from clients.

Infante and Almanon were found dead along Lacuna St. in Barangay Bangkal in Makati. The scene of the crime is near Makati View Apartelle which had a CCTV that recorded the incident. The National Bureau of Investigation already has a copy of the footage but Mary Rose said she has yet to view it.

Apartelle manager Au Relucio said that police officers had also requested a copy of the CCTV footage “Mayroon silang hard disk na isinaksak para kopyahin. Pagka-plug nila, umugong (They inserted a hard disk to copy but after plugging, it hummed),” Relucio said.

Based on earlier media reports, it was PO3 Ronaldo Villarama, SPO1 Rolando Concha Jr. and SPO1 Angelo Mendoza who went to the Apartelle. The footage was no longer available following attempts of several police officers to have their copy.

Infante was licensed to carry the .40 Glock found in his possession. There is speculation that another firearm, a 9 mm Browning pistol, was planted at the scene.

His wife said Infante always carried a gun for protection. That day, he asked her to accompany him, but she declined because it was already getting dark. Infante then looked for a companion and borrowed a motorcycle from a friend.

When Infante failed to return home, Mary Rose called his mobile phone several times but it was only at 1:40 a.m. of April 2 when someone answered the call but never introduced himself.

When she asked if she could talk to her husband, the response was, “Hindi na pwede, malamig na (You can’t, he’s cold already).” It was then that Mary Rose started becoming hysterical.

No money was retrieved from Infante’s body but his wife insists that her husband was carrying some P3,000 in cash. Infante’s wallet and watch are still missing but four identification cards were retrieved.

According to Mary Rose, they were never handed a statement of the complainant, which was released only when Makati City police officer-in-charge Supt. Jaime Santos scolded his officers about the incident.

The police report was released on April 5, when fire volunteers held a rally at the Makati Police Precinct 3 in Evangelista St. Bangkal. The volunteer fireman trained their hoses at the police station, sprayed water, and shouted justice for Infante.

Mary Rose explained that what they did is a water salute, holding the hose upward, for Ronald.

“Hindi nila binomba yung building pero syempre mababasa kasi yung hangin (they did not direct the hose at the building but of course (the office) got wet because water was blown by the wind)” she said.

Ronald Infante had wanted to become a fire volunteer and started tagging along with his father and other fire volunteers at the age of 12.

Infante’s wife is also a volunteer and officer-in-charge of Manila SETBA. They owned their first fire truck in 2004 when they started their SETBA Brigade. Now they have eight units of fire trucks.

The Infante family is also engaged in business. Ronald buys and sells parts and accessories of fire truck units as well as other trucks, spare parts, sirens, uniforms, helmets, hose and equipment.

(Reynard Magtoto is a Bicol University student spending his summer months as a VERA Files intern.)

Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO

BEING at Fred’s Revolucion is like going back to a time when the cold war was raging and revolutions were the in thing. It calls to mind a scene from the 1960s movie “M.A.S.H.” whose battle-weary soldiers guzzled up after a hectic day on the war front.

Only this time, the arena is the concrete jungle, and Fred’s customers are modern-day warriors who battle stressful workdays and maddening traffic, among other problems.

Fred’s Revolucion is owned by photojournalist Jose “Derek” Soriano who has covered his fair share of wars, activist Red Constantino who waged wars of his own, and their friend, business news editor Gina Abuyuan. Coincidentally, all three happen to have a grandfather named Fred, hence the restaurant’s name.

When the owners are behind the counter, a friendly Labrador named Gizzard welcomes customers and hangs out with them.

Fred’s chef is Soriano, who finds cooking more satisfying and rewarding than engaging in the current local political and media scene, and whose style of cooking is influenced by his numerous travels on assignment in different parts of the world.

Describing Fred’s cuisine, Abuyuan said, “Our food is cooked more for the taste, rather than the health.”

At Fred’s, customers chill and enjoy brews and food that don’t burn a hole in the pocket. Crowd favorites include dishes like the Split Banger and Mash, sausage that is sliced and served on top of mashed potatoes and gravy. Fred’s has its version of Fish and Chips—fish fillet and fries infused with crispy dilis. Bagnet Blachan is deep fried pork served with spicy bagoong dressing.

Fred’s also has weekly specials like the Chicken Chop on Mash, Chili Garlic Ribs, Smoked Boar and Salsa, Ho Chi Wings and the delicious but sinful Tres Amigos that could put the weak-hearted on the emergency room list.

Opened in August of 2011, Fred’s is one of the more popular establishments at Cubao X, the arcade that used to house the Marikina Shoe Expo. Fred’s has become a favorite hangout of artists, photographers, writers and other wacky characters this part of town.

“I like the crowd, the laid back atmosphere with the right amount of ambiance,”
said Wing, one Fred’s habitués.

Customers who have grown fond of the place have started pinning memorabilia on the wall such as old photos, currencies from around the world, posters, flags, hats, shirts, and the like.

Fred’s has also played host to the works of the country’s best photographers like Geric Cruz, Rick Rocamora, and Soriano himself.

Currently on display is the work of Gil Nartea, close-in photographer of President Beningo Simeon Aquino III. Nartea’s exhibit is called “Sa Tagumpay ng Rebolusyon,” a collection of his early works documenting the communist movement in the country.

Fred’s Revolucion is located at Shop 66 in Cubao X at the Araneta Center in Quezon City. The area is quiet during the day with only several galleries and old memorabilia shops open.

It starts to come alive around sunset and could get jam-packed during weekends. For those who want to be pampered, Fred’s on weekends won’t be your cup of tea—it’s for the city-weary who don’t mind not being waited on, and simply seek a respite from the urban war zone.

Habitues of Fred's Revolucion

THE village called Kapitangan in the town of Paombong in Bulacan is a known pilgrimage site that teems with devotees during Holy Week, particularly on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.

It is where Catholic devotees engage in self-flagellation, with a few going to the extreme of having themselves crucified as an act of repentance and sharing in the sufferings of Jesus Christ.

This year, five men and a woman were crucified, among them 51-year-old Sonny Bautista, a person with disability. Bautista hails from Hagonoy town, has been mute since childhood and has been coming to Kapitangan to be crucified for 14 years now.

After his crucifixion, Baustista explained why he goes through the painful the ordeal every year. He simply wrote on the wall with his finger, “Para sa kasalanan ng tao (For the sins of man).”

The Catholic Church looks upon crucifixion or flagellation as part of popular religiosity practiced by people who pray for a particular need or who believe they sanctify themselves resorting to such practices. The Catholic hierarchy discourages such acts, yet its call against what it describes as “popular religiosity” goes unheeded.

The Church allows Holy Week activities that are consistent with the teachings on the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Church leaders say it is enough to remember the life and death of Christ during Holy Week through fasting and abstinence, prayer, the giving of alms, reflection, and repentance.

The yearly event at Kapitangan has attracted thousands of spectators, including foreign tourists, curious to see firsthand people who endure pain in the belief doing so cleanses them of sin.

But while penitents believe their souls are cleansed, the Department of Health (DOH) warned them their bodies are magnets for infection that could give them more than a Holy Week agony.

“Due to the unclean process being practiced, crucifixion and self-flagellation may cause infection or worse, tetanus, to the penitent. Tetanus, we have to remember, could result to death,” noted DOH–Emerging and Re-emerging Infectious Diseases Program manager Dr. Lyndon Lee Suy

Another attraction this year at Kapitangan was Precy Valencia, a faith healer and the only female to be crucified. Asked for an interview after being brought down from the cross, she said that she was no longer “Precy” but had turned into the incarnation of the Child Jesus or Santo Niño.

Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO

THE Lenten season has inspired urban poor groups to hold various protests with the theme “Kalbaryo ng Maralita (Calvary of the Poor),” as urban poor communities braced themselves for more violent demolitions after Holy Week.

On Holy Tuesday they denounced President Benigno Aquino’s inaction on issues that include housing, demolitions, oil price increases and the looming power rate hike that will further burden poor families.

Urban Poor Associates (UPA), a nongovernment human rights organization, found that the highest number of eviction cases in nearly two decades was recorded in 2011.
Despite a covenant signed between Aquino and urban poor groups, some 15,000 families were evicted in different areas in Metro Manila alone.

Various organizations under the umbrella Task Force Anti-Eviction held their own version of Stations of the Cross, choosing the National Housing Authority office in Quezon City as their first station. The Task Force said NHA has been unable to implement a genuine social housing program.

“Through the Kalbaryo the actors deliver a message that Christ is judging us on what we have done to our urban poor brothers and sisters,” said UPA spiritual adviser Fr. Robert Reyes.

He said no changes have taken place in the 26 years that the urban poor have been holding their annual kalbaryo. “It is very true that in housing and similar problem areas, the voices of the poor come closest to being the voice of God. We must listen to them,” Reyes added.

“The daily survival stories of Filipinos in coping with high price of oil and electricity as well as their non-security in having decent shelter for their families brought about by demolitions can clearly be liken to the passions of Christ on his way to his death to the Calvary,” said Paulo Quiza, spokesperson for Bayan NCR.

Thousands of residents along EDSA in the North Triangle area, along BIR road in the East Triangle in Quezon City, and in the 10-hecatre lot within Silverio Compound that is home to some 25,000 families in Paranaque City are all bracing for another community barricade against demolitions after the Holy Week.

No less than a hundred families in the community of Sitio San Roque, North Triangle are to be affected by the road-widening project along EDSA. Task Force for the Control, Prevention and Removal of Illegal Structures and Squatting (TFCOPRISS), an agency directly under the Office of Mayor Herbert Bautista, has issued notices of demolition as early as March 28, giving the residents of North and East Triangle until Holy Week to voluntarily vacate their homes.

“What kind of Holy Week does Aquino desire for the urban poor?” asked Estrelieta Bagasabas, a community leader from North Triangle. “Noynoy doesn’t know the meaning of Holy Week, with his government in a demolition rampage of urban poor communities. The Aquino government is really instigating us to revolt.”

Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO

VARIOUS groups from different sectors vowed to continue staging rallies in the coming weeks, following the nationwide protest they held on March 15, World Consumer’s Rights Day, to demand action from government on the continuing oil price increases.

They also demanded wage increases, the repeal of the oil deregulation law, and the scrapping of the 12 percent value added tax (VAT) levied on oil.

As early as 7 a.m. on that day, hundreds of protesters began arriving in front of the National Housing Authority along Elliptical Road in Quezon City. At Around 9:30 a.m., they began what they called a protest caravan towards the offices of the big oil companies in Makati.

Similar actions were held in different parts of Metro Manila throughout the day up to 7 p.m.

“Workers have not received a significant wage increase for more than nine years under the previous administration and more than one year under the present one. The real value of workers’ wages is being further eroded by this years’ oil price hikes,” said Elmer “Bong” Labog, KMU chairperson.

GABRIELA secretary general Lana Linaban lashed out at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) for saying that food prices in wet markets were not affected by the weekly surges in fuel prices.

“Contrary to DTI’s statement, vegetable traders said that they are forced to increase prices for their produce as increases in fuel prices affect the transport of goods from the farms in Benguet to the markets in Metro Manila.” Linaban said.

After reportedly being threatened with dispersal and the arrest of so-called “plankers” among the protesters, Anakbayan national chairman Vencer Crisostomo introduced what he called “Noynoying” during the protest at Quezon City. Crisostomo defined the term as any effortless pose showing one doing nothing, which is what he said Aquino is known for.

“Despite the situation on the increases on prices of oil and basic commodities he has not lifted a finger when he should be doing something. That is Noynoying, when you do nothing when in fact you have so much to do,” Crisostomo said.

Even government employees around the Elliptical Road joined the protest, despite warnings issued by Malacanang.

“With an average pay of less than Php 8,000.00 a month sans mandatory deductions, an ordinary employee could no longer cope with the staggering costs of living,” said Ferdinand Gaite, national chairman of the government employees’ group COURAGE.

Manny Baclagon, an employee and union leader from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, condemned the DWSD’s project Conditional Cash Transfer, saying that it would be of no good to Filipinos. “Since it is a loan from the World Bank, the people, through our taxes, will still pay for it. On top of this, the government is allowing oil cartels to rake in super profits.”

Text, photos and video by VINCENT GO

A FIRE that hit the Ever Gotesco Grand Central Mall in Caloocan City late Friday evening continued to rage as of noon Saturday as thick smoke prevented firemen from entering the mall.

According to an unidentified mall guard on duty Friday night, the fire started at the Rusty Lopez boutique on the first level around 11 p.m. but spread rapidly because the sprinkler system failed to work.

Volunteer firefighters who first arrived at the scene had a hard time entering the structure due to thick smoke which required them to use gas masks with oxygen tanks.

The cause of the fire is still to be determined. As of press time, authorities have put the fire on Task Force Delta alarm level, which means the matter is now under the jurisdiction of the regional director of the Bureau of Fire Protection.

THOUSANDS of Filipino women marched in the streets of Manila on International Women’s Day to protest the Aquino administration’s failure to address social problems besieging the country, with such issues as the increase in prices of basic commodities, labor, health and housing.

Held at Plaza Miranda in Manila on March 8, 2012, the 101st anniversary of International Women’s Day, the protest called attention to the plight of women who are the first to suffer in times of crisis.

According to International Women’s Alliance, working class women are the first to be laid off, and suffer lower wages and difficult working conditions. Unemployment, lack of social security and budgetary cuts for social services put women in dangerous position, the Alliance said.

Women are also forced to leave their families to work as domestic helpers or factory workers in other countries where they face exploitation and abuse, in addition to discrimination. Many poor women are also susceptible to human trafficking or forced into prostitution.

The Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research (EILER), a nongovernment organization in the labor sector, said that based on the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics’ 2011 Gender Statistics on Labor and Employment, women bear the brunt of the highly backward domestic economy as they are concentrated on volatile and informal jobs with low or no wages at all.

“There are 2.3 million Filipino women who render unpaid labor especially in the countryside, being classified as part of the ‘unpaid family workers’. This segment of female workforce is mired in rock-bottom poverty and is highly prone to exploitation and abuse,” said EILER executive director Anna Leah Escresa.

EILER said even in the manufacturing sector, women are still at a disadvantage as they earn an average wage that is 7.3 percent lower than men’s wage in the sector. Female factory workers earn on an average P296.36 daily, lower than men’s daily rate of P319.75, though both wage levels are still below the highest mandated minimum wage of P426.

“Wage inequality is sharpest in the hotels and restaurants subsector, wherein women workers earn wages that are 77.80 percent lower than their male counterparts,” Escresa noted.

EILER emphasized that the Philippine Labor and Employment Plan (PLEP) 2011-2016 of the Aquino administration will not address the grim state of Filipino workers as the policy merely hinges on employment facilitation rather than creation of new and decent jobs.

Gabriela Women’s Party led the protest, and emphasized the problem of high oil prices. “Amid the specter of our women reeling from the headache of trying to make ends meet, we have a president who refuses to heed the call of the Filipino people to scrap the Oil Deregulation Law, EVAT, EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001), and all laws that impose a heavy toll on our women’s pockets, hearts, minds, and stomachs,” said Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus.

De Jesus said Aquino has “totally abandoned the protection and respect for the rights and welfare of poor Filipino women and their families by consigning one of its most important resources to big foreign companies,” referring to the 15 oil and gas exploration contracts offered for bidding to big transnational companies, in the midst of the increasing prices of oil products due to monopoly overpricing and speculation in the oil futures market.

“The big oil firms are raking billions of pesos in profits, while consumers are made to bear the burden of higher fuel cost every week. With the Aquino Government adhering to the oil deregulation policy, the Filipinos are left defenseless and at the mercy of the profit-hungry oil cartel, citing Petron’s registered net profit of P8.5 billion for 2011,” said Eleanor De Guzman of BAYAN. “It is the government’s duty and responsibility to protect the public from predatory pricing. it should stop justifying local high prices and pointing to world market prices as the excuse.”

Gabriela Rep. Luz Ilagan said the impoverished condition of the Filipino people is all the more worsened with the lack of social services given to Filipino women and mothers with the failure to immediately pass the Reproductive Health bill.

“The RH bill is long overdue. Women are spending less and less of their family budget for healthcare. It would certainly help if the Aquino government would help ensure that maternal health services are provided free of charge in village centers and public hospitals, instead of making a turn toward privatization that will inevitably make health more of a business than a social service,” Ilagan said.

While the protest was going on at Plaza Miranda, among those watching was Nanay Leony, an elderly woman selling vegetables. Asked if she knew what was going on and the significance of that day, she said she had no idea what it was all
about.

Nanay Leony said all she knows is that because of all the people protesting in the area, she would not be able to sell her vegetables and pay the P70 per day bribe money that unscrupulous policemen collect from her so she could sell her vegetables in the sidewalks of Plaza Miranda.