Philippine News Digest 15
05 February - 21 February 2002
Contents:
Sex slave fund to end
Activists
urge cleanup of former US bases
Senator
pushes for special cell for “underaged 12” on death row
162
inmates go on hunger strike
3
kids die in Cotabato grenade explosion
Japan sex slave: Gang-raped at 14, dead at 74
Sex slave fund to end
The Asian Women’s Fund, a private fund
supported by the Japanese government from which payments to Asian women forced
to serve as former sex slaves are coming, is to end this May. The fund was
established in July 1995 with money from private groups with the support of
the Japanese government. Source:
AFP, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 21 February 2002.
Activists
urge cleanup of former US bases
The People’s Task Force for Bases Cleanup challenged the government to demand the US to clean up its former bases and to compensate hundreds of persons who contracted serious illness as a result of their exposure to toxic wastes. The task force reminded their counterparts in Mindanao of the dangers posed by the ongoing Balikatan 02-1 to both humans and the environment. Source: Jimmy Perez, Today, 21 February 2002.
Senator
pushes for special cell for “underaged 12” on death row
Senate Majority Leader Loren Legarda wants the Bureau of Corrections to put in an exclusive cell the 12 minors on death row waiting for the outcome of the Supreme Court review of their cases. Most of the minors committed their crimes allegedly while they were between 15 to 17 years old. They either failed to produce birth certificates during the trial, or the trial judges concerned did not compel prosecutors to verify their ages. Source: Today, 19 February 2002.
162
inmates go on hunger strike
162 inmates of the Pampanga Provincial Jail
staged a hunger strike February 5 to protest inadequate, and at times, rotten
food served them by jail administrators. It was the first indignation rally
held inside the 200 year-old Spanish mansion-turned-jail. Each inmate is
allotted only P10 per meal instead of the P30 worth of daily food budget, it
was learned. The provincial warden explained that the complaint was valid
since there had never been an increase in the food budget in the last 15
years. Source:
Tonette Orejas, Philippine Daily Inquirer, 6 February 2002.
3 kids die in Cotabato grenade explosion
Three children were killed while five others were hurt when the rifle
grenade they were playing with went off in Cotabato last February 2. Police
identified the victims as Noel Ramos, 14; Harris Selgas, 10; Jerson Aboabo,
11. Wounded were John Ray Aboabo, 12; Kevin Aboabo, 6; Jay Mark Alem, 9; Gerry
Monar, 7; and Dennis Ganag, 10. Source:
Edwin Fernandez, PDI Mindanao Bureau, 5 February 2002.
Japan
sex slave: Gang-raped at 14, dead at 74
Pacita Suclan Santillan, 74, died last
January 20 and was buried February 4 in Pandan, Antique with no relief from
her bitter past. She was one of 174 Filipino women who came out to tell how
the Japanese Imperial Army used them as sex slaves during World War II. At
least 46 Filipino comfort women filed a case to the Japanese government
and Santillan was among those who testified before the Tokyo District
Court in September 1997. In her testimony, she said she was 14 years old when
Japanese soldiers came to her hometown and captured and raped her. She also
saw the brutal murder of her mother and siblings at the hands of the same
soldiers. Other survivors
mourned Santillan’s death. They lighted candles, offered a wreath and left a
gravestone in front of the Japanese embassy. Source:
Christine Herrera. Philippine Daily Inquirer, 5 February 2002.
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