We are reprinting the statement presented by Dr. Constancio Claver, husband of the late Alice Omengan-Claver on the occasion of the First Anniversary of her Killing (28 July 2007). To date, the assassination of Alice Claver remains unsolved just like the many extra-judicial killings of leftist-activists and media people.
We agree with Chandu that President Arroyo should be held responsible for these murders. Chandu and his kids have now applied for political asylum in Canada. We hope the Canadian government grants them their request.
Apparently, the indigenous peoples of the world cannot facilitate themselves so the United Nations is appointing a non-indigenous person to “undertake consultations on the proposed UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”. [Report here.] What a slap in the face.
Incidentally this person is former Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide, a man we used to respect a lot but we eventually lost our respect for him ever since he became a tool for the GMA administration.
The Nashman is mad for a good reason. Eh paano ba naman itong kanyang beloved alma mater is going to entomb a tree which is very much alive.
Someone should remind the Reverend Fathers that “a tree looks at God all day, and lifts her leafy arms to pray”. So they will prevent the tree from praying to God if they are going to entomb it. Ayyayay. More details on this bizarre story here.
Here’s Part 2 of Gerard Finin’s article on the Igorot rally against then Baguio City Mayor Jun Labo because of his anti-Igorot remarks. You can read Part 1 of this article here.
The 1988 Igorot Demonstration by Gerard A. Finin Among the many protesters marching in groups were highlander commissioners and staff of the Cordillera Regional Consultative Commission, a body that had recently been appointed by Pres. Corazon Aquino to draft provisions under the newly ratified Philippine Constitution for granting the Cordillera a special status (along with parts of Mindanao in the southern Philippines) as an autonomous region—contingent upon approval by Cordillera voters in a plebiscite.
Here’s an interesting article on a 1988 demonstration by Igorots/iCordilleras in Baguio to protest against then Baguio City Mayor Ramon Labo’s remarks about Igorots. This is what he reportedly said, “We will not lose [the elections] to those Igorots. They urinate anywhere . . . that is why we club them. . . . The Igorots are traitors. They are civil in front of you, but once you turn your back they stab you.”
I was still too young to be a part of this demonstration. (Hehe, that’s a joke. I was actually based in Manila by then and didn’t know about Labo’s remarks.) I wonder if some of you were a part of this rally and would want to re-live the experience by reading about it. This article is actually part of the first chapter of a book on the Cordilleras written by Gerard A. Finin, The Making of the Igorot: Contours of Cordillera Consciousness. The book was published by Ateneo Press and was a finalist in the 25th National Book Awards.
We are reprinting the statement presented by Dr. Constancio Claver, husband of the late Alice Omengan-Claver on the occasion of the First Anniversary of her Killing (28 July 2007). To date, the assassination of Alice Claver remains unsolved just like the many extra-judicial killings of leftist-activists and media people.
