Philippine News Digest 17
01 March - 05 march 2002
Contents:
Asian-American population blooms
Greek faces 5 raps for molesting boys in Isabela
P200 a month all that’s needed to feed poor kids
Mangyans’ lands target of landgrabbers
Asian-American population booms
The United States’ Asian
American population grew at about five times the national rate from 1990 to
2000. They now comprise 4.2 percent of the US population, up from 2.8 percent
in 1990. New York and Los Angeles had the most number of Asian Americans.
Chinese was the largest Asian American ethnic group identified, followed by
Filipinos. Asian Indian was the third ranking ethnicity.
Source:
Peter Hong, Today, 5 March 2002.
Greek
faces 5 raps for molesting boys in Isabela
Police arrested Michael
Deligiannes, a Greek national, while he was molesting two boys aged 11 and 12
in a hotel in Santiago City February 19. The prosecutor’s office here then
charged him with rape and violations of the anti-child abuse law or Republic
Act 7610. It was also learned that aside from the two boys with him when he
was arrested, he also allegedly abused three more boys. The Department of
Social Welfare and Development took custody of his two victims while the other
three boys were brought to their parents. Deligiannes was temporarily released
from jail after he posted a P120,000 bail bond. Source:
Villamor Visaya Jr., Philippine Daily Inquirer Northern Luzon Bureau, 4 March
2002.
P200 a
month all that’s needed to feed poor kids
It only takes P8 a day,
or an average of P200 a month to help malnourished children improve his or her
learning capability in school, according to non-governmental organizations
trying to replicate in the country the “Feed a Child” project of US
Senator George McGovern. The project seeks to discourage uneducated women who,
because of poverty, are dropped by their parents from school or who, because
of malnutrition, end up learning less. Source:
Tonette Orejas, Philippine Daily Inquirer Central Luzon Desk, 4 March 2002.
Mangyans’
lands target of landgrabbers
A Mangyan center in
Occidental Mindoro was burned down by alleged landgrabbers February 2 to scare
them so they will leave their ancestral land, according to Sister Lilia
Frondoza who has been working in the community since 1997. The fifty
indigenous families living in the complex has been reduced to 30 since the
February 2 incident. Properties destroyed by fire were estimated to be worth
P200,000. The Mangyans were already given the certificate of ancestral domain
claim but is still waiting President Arroyo’s promise to give them titles to
the lands measuring 70,000 hectares. Source:
C Jimenez, Today, 1 March 2002.
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