Filipino Peacekeepers in Conflict Areas at All-Time High

A record number of Filipino peacekeepers are currently depolyed in various conflict areas worldwide: a total of 1,056 military and police peacekeepers are serving in 9 UN peacekeeping missions, as reported by the Philippines Mission to the United Nations.

656 are from the personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and 415 are officers from the Philippin National Police (PNP).

Majority of the AFP officers and personnel deployed are part of the peacekeeping infantry battalion in Golan Heights, humanitarian troop in Darfur, military observer group in Kashmir, and the stabilization mission in Haiti. The rest are serving as military observers, liaison officers and staff officers in Sudan, Cote d’Ivore, Kashmir and Timor Leste.

The PNP officers are similarly deployed in Darfur, Liberia, Sudan, Timor Leste and Haiti, with a lone officer assigned in Afghanistan.

The Philippines is now in the 23rd position in the list of top troop and police contributing countries, a 40% increase in troop deployments from 2008.

Full article here.

Ferry Tragedy: Up to 25 Possibly Dead

A ferry sank in the waters south of Manila - near Batangas City - leaving at least 3 people dead and 22 missing.

The vessel was carrying 88 passengers and crew when it collided with a fishing boat. 60 people have been rescued.

Sea accidents are common in the archipelago of more than 7,100 islands. Full article here.

A musical interlude.

Okay, it isn't a policy issue, but when you're learning about a country, it's always a good idea to know what people are talking about on the streets. And just like in the US, Filipinos love competition reality shows. The Philippines have had two different versions of US favorite American Idol - first, Philippines Idol, and then Pinoy Idol. (And it looks like a third version will be coming next year.)

Check it out.

Season 1 winner Mau Marcelo:



And Season 2 winner Gretchen Espina.

A brief note on correct usage

This may be a naive post for those who - unlike myself - knew how to spell the Philippines before this project began (I thought there were two 'l's and one 'p', rather than the other way around). However, I for one have been unclear on the correct language to use when referring to the Philippines and its people and would like to provide a little clarification. It may seem picky and pedantic, but I always find it prudent to make these clarifications in advance of visiting and working in another land, especially where a colonial legacy exists that may have produced insensitive or derogatory terminology.

the Philippines: The original (if by "original" you mean, "first European") name of the Philippines was the Archipelago de San Lazaro, so named by Magellan in 1521. In 1543, the archipelago was renamed "Felipinas" by Capt. Ruy Lopez de Villalobos after the crown prince of Spain, who later became Phillip II. Because European colonialism is responsible for organizing the peoples of the archipelago under a single flag, there is no pre-existing indigenous name for the country. However, the revolutionary events of 1896 and 1897 produced two alternative names: The Tagalog Republic or the Republic of Biak-na-Bato.

"Ph" or "F"?: The disparity between use of "Ph" and "F" when referring to the country and its people is actually a disparity between English and Spanish. King Felipe II of Spain is King Phillip II in English (also, notice the number of 'l's). After the Treaty of Paris, when the United States bought the country, the name of the republic was anglicized, while the name of its people retained its original Spanish spelling.

Or is it "P"?: Another usage when referring to the people of the Philippines is "Pilipino". The origins of this usage lie in a contested attempt to institutionalize indigenous language, which privileged Tagalog over other native tongues and was rooted in ancient script called Baybayin. The term "Pilipino" is an attempt to appropriate the term "Philippines" into an alphabet that did not contain a letter for the sound of "F". However, a 1987 constitution restored the "F" to the word referring to both the native language and the people, designating a larger alphabet that includes foreign sounds.

Philippine: The term "philippine" is an adjective, and therefore should not be confused with "filipino" (or "filipina", retaining the the gender rules of old espanol). "Philippine" may be used to refer to a person, but only as a modifier of another personal identifier, such as "Philippine congresswoman" or "Philippine boxer". It is more commonly used to refer to objects or concepts, such as "Philippine culture" or "Philippine island".

Philippino: Just wrong.

So all of this is to say that the variant spellings and usages of Philippines, Filipino, Pilipino, et al are more or less safe to use since all usages that refer to the country necessarily invoke its colonial legacy for want of common indigenous terms.

With all that said, then... carry on.

Arroyo to Copenhagen

Business World reports that President Arroyo is attending the first three days of the 15th Conference of Parties on climate change, beginning today in Copenhagen, Denmark. Environment Secretary Jose L. Atienza, Jr., told the newspaper that "We need to be coordinated [with the G-77 group of developing nations] or our lone voice will not be heard". The current Philippines delegation is calling for deep and early cuts for developed countries. According to its own estimates, the Philippines accounts for ~0.0035 global greenhouse gas emissions.

Big Day for Pacquiao

It's been two big days for Manny Pacquiao, considered to be the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world (if not ever). A day after announcing his candidacy for the Presidency, it's been announced that he'll fight Floyd Mayweather, previously considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, on March 13. We won't be in the Philippines for the fight, but it'll be interesting to see how big his celebrity is while we're there -- and if it'll help his candidacy!

Journalism and Maguindanao

To date, much of the international attention in the Maguindanao massacre has focused on the deaths of the Mangudadatu family, especially since Mr. Mangudadatu had sent his family on his behalf to file his candidacy. However, as more information has surfaced, the attention and focus has expanded. Recently, it was determined that a large portion of the troupe was composed of journalists and media members, of which 30 journalists and media members were killed (a much higher number than originally thought).

While these numbers are startling, what may be even more disconcerting is the pattern of violence and hostility towards journalists and media members within the Philippines in recent years. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) highlights this trend:

“Under the current government the Philippines has become the most dangerous place in the world for media workers. At least 74 journalists have been killed during its eight-year tenure, yet the Government has not acted to end the culture of impunity. At last count, only four convictions had been secured.”

President Arroyo spent the day at the funerals of many of these journalists, but it seems that the real test for this government is if it will heed the recent calls of UN officials for a full investigation that leads to prosecutions.

Further Developments from Maguindanao

As the legal and political ramifications of last week's bloody election violence in the Maguindanao province begin to come to light, several new developments have been made by local officials and police. As noted in yesterday's post, the first charges have been brought against mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., who is believed to have orchestrated the massacre. Today, Philippine police are reporting a forensic breakthrough in the case, linking shells found at the scene to the gun of one of the militia members controlled by Andal Ampatuan, Jr. Allegedly, 100 gunmen were involved in the killings, including militiamen and local police officers, several of whom are now in police custody.

Other details that have emerged in recent days highlight the grisly nature of the killings. The New York Times reports that "most or all" of the 22 female victims of the killings were sexually mutilated.

As officials continue to investigate the massacre, one interesting aspect of the case that's relevant to the IEDP Human Rights team is how successfully the Philippine government is able to frame the violence as originating from local criminal activity rather than a widespread human rights problem. President Arroyo's strong alliance with the Ampatuans in fending off Islamist and secessionist groups will complicate that effort, but the response of the international community may help determine the context in which the violence is perceived.

Arroyo planning to run for Congress

The WSJ is reporting here that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is planning to run for a seat in Congress. There is talk that the move is a prelude to a campaign by her party (the Lakas Kampi CMD Party) to turn the presidential system of the Phillipine government into a parliamentary system.

In other Philippine-related news, Andal Ampatuan Jr., a local mayor, has been charged with multiple counts of murder in connection with the hilltop massacre of 57 people last week in Maguindanao. Ampatuan is the heir of a powerful family that has strong historical ties to President Arroyo. The Financial Times notes here that many of the victims were associates and relatives of the rival Mangudadatu family, which has also historically been strong allies of Arroyo. Ismael Mangudadatu was planning to challenge Andal Ampatuan in next year's election. Last week's surge of murderous violence might be construed as a clear signal that Arroyo is regarded as a lame duck. As noted in the FT:

"The Ampatuans and Mangudadatus are both political allies of President Arroyo, and the outbreak of violence means she is no longer able to mediate over the allocation of political posts," said Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms, an advocacy group.

President Arroyo is apparently facing growing criticism for her administration's policy of arming local potentates in an effort to supress Muslim insurgency. Last week's massacre, which occured in predominantly Christian areas of the island, will only heighten concerns about wisdom the policy.

1st ASEAN Human Rights Office in the Philippines?

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) stated that President Arroyo reaffirmed the Philippines' standing offer to host the office of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) during the ASEAN summit in October.

Launched on October 24, AICHR is the first human rights body of ASEAN and is currently housed at ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta during its initial stage.

The Philippines is ranked Partly Free by Freedom House, which strongly condemned the recent killings in Maguindanao.

Full article.

YouTube clip of the launch of AICHR.

Price of Rice Rises

The Financial Times reports a drastic spike in the price of rice, as demand for imports rise due to decimation of large parts of the domestic crop by storms. The Philippines import more rice annually than any other country, though they will compete with demand in India this year, which also suffered crop losses.

According to the International Rice Reseach Institute, rice consumption accounts for "41% of total caloric intake and 31% of total protein intake" for the country as a whole.

"State of Emergency" Declared

The New York Times reports that a state of emergency has been declared in the provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kurat, as well as the city of Cotabo, following yesterday's massacre. 46 people have now been declared dead.

Under orders by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, two military battalions reached Mindanao yesterday and began setting up roadblocks and conducting searches. In addition to a prevention of future violence, the military is tasked with disarming individuals carrying unlicensed firearms - an issue which has been problematic to Mindanao in the past, but which had not been thrust into the spotlight until now. Additionally, the police have been granted "wider authority to arrest and detain" those suspected of being involved in yesterday's violence.

CNN Hero 2009

One of the 10 CNN Hero of 2009 was from Phillipine. Efren Peñaflorida got the prize for establishing and leading Dynamic Teen Company. It was established, when he was a high school student, as a friendship club aiming to prevent other students from joining gangs. Now, Dynamic Teen Company growing big, and the teen volunteers teaches street children reading, writing and hyginic practice. Phillipine has high literacy rate and primary school enrollment (over 90%), but because of the poverty, some children still do not attend school at all and dropout rates are very high.
My entry was about education because before coming to ford school I worked in edcuation sector in Japan. Next week, I will write about relationship between Japan and Phillipine.

Political Violence in Mindanao Leaves 21 Dead

BBC reports that 21 politicians and journalists, who were abducted in Mindanao while trying to file nomination papers for a candidate in local elections, have been found dead. More members of the group, originally numbering between 30-40 people, are missing and feared to be dead.

Local reports state that the group was abducted by armed men while on its way to an election office in Maguindanao province to file nomination papers for a local mayor, Ismael Mangudadatu, who was reportedly planning to challenge local clan leader Datu Andal Ampatuan for the governor's office in the mainly Muslim province.

The Philippines armed forces report that of the 21 recovered bodies, 13 were female and 8 were male. There were signs of mutilation, and unconfirmed reports of beheading.

This incident reveals the problem of mounting violence during elections, particularly in the south. Registration for local and national races began earlier this month, and the country is to hold nationwide elections in May 2010.

Obama Announces Nomination for New Ambassador to the Philippines

On Nov. 19, President Obama announced his nomination of Harry K. Thomas, Jr. as Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines.

Bio:

Harry K. Thomas, Jr., Nominee for Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines
Harry K. Thomas, Jr. is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and served most recently as Director General of the Foreign Service and Director of Human Resources. He previously served as a Special Assistant to the Secretary and Executive Secretary of the Department. Thomas, who joined the Foreign Service in 1984, served as U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh from 2003 to 2005. He also served in the White House as the Director for South Asia at the National Security Council from 2001 to 2002. His other postings include: New Delhi, India; Harare, Zimbabwe; Kaduna, Nigeria; and Lima, Peru. He has served as Senior Watch Officer, Deputy Director, and Director of the State Department Operations Center; Special Assistant to the Under Secretary for Political Affairs; and Staff Assistant to the Assistant Secretary for African Affairs. Thomas holds a bachelors degree from the College of the Holy Cross.

(posted on behalf of JM)