Facts about People Resistance against Quarry Application in Libertad, Kauswagan, LdN

Residents of Brgy. Libertad in Kauswagan, LDN mount placards outside
their houses and along the highway showing their resistance to quarry
application and demanding the re-installation of their suspended barangay captain
Photo Courtesy: Jpoy Cloa Roble 

Barangay Libertad in the Municipality of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte was badly hit twice (in 1999 and 2014) by flood that caused properties, livelihood and lives of the residence.  This experience prompted the people of the barangay to oppose the quarry application in Mialunod River which is a tributary river of Napo River.

In September 2014, Mr. Edgar Tiongco, represented by Mr. Hipolito Arcaso, applied for a quarry permit of 45,000 meters long in the Barangay. During the public consultation to discuss the said application, held on October 3, 2014 with the participation of the Municipal Mayor, Vice-Mayor, Councilors and Municipal Planning and Development Officer, the quarry application was opposed by the community.

In the 19^th Regular Session of the barangay council dated October 15, 2014, the barangay council voted whether to give Mr. Edgar Tiongco permit or not in his application to quarry. Despite the opposition from the community, three (3) councilors voted no while four (4) voted yes. However, considering the clamor of his people to stop the quarry application, Barangay Captain Mervin V. Roble did not sign the barangay resolution permitting the quarry to operate.

With his refusal to sign the resolution, the Barangay Captain was sued with administrative case in the office of Sangguniang Bayan by Mr. Tiongco. As a result, the Sangguniang Bayan of Kauswagan enacted a resolution for his preventive suspension as Barangay Captain while the investigation of the case filed against him is on the process. The preventive suspension order was served on March 10, 2015. With his suspension, the 1^st Brgy. Councilor who is among those who voted yes to grant the quarry permit will act as the OIC.   

Prior to the preventive suspension of the Barangay Captain, on February 7, 2015 the community initiated a petition signing. The petition, which already gathered 589 signatures representing seven (7) puroks, was turned into a unified Purok Resolution reiterating their demand: NO TO QUARRY IN MIALUNOD RIVER, YES TO FLOOD CONTROL.  During the Special Session of the Barangay Council on February 26, 2015, a barangay resolution approving the said Purok resolution was passed and approved by 4 barangay councils.   

Since March 2, 2015 the community has been organizing placard raising, mobilization along the highway, prayer rally in the Barangay Auditorium and sending of complaint letter to the Office of the Governor to demand: NO QUARRY, YES TO FLOOD CONTROL and LIFT THE PREVENTIVE SUSPENSION OF THEIR BARANGAY CAPTAIN.

It is believed that the quarrying is in preparation for the construction of the Coal-fired power plant in Kauswagan. The coal-fired power plant is a project supported and endorsed by the MLGU of Kauswagan through the Municipal Mayor Rommel Arnado. 

Position Paper of Various Student Organizations in MSU-Marawi Campus Regarding the MSU-System Charter Change

INCLUSION OF MECHANISM FOR STUDENT PARTICIPATION AND TRANSPARENCY CLAUSE IN THE PROPOSED CHANGES

IN MSU SYSTEM CHARTER

(Position Paper formally submitted during the consultation on HB____ otherwise known as An Act Strengthening the Mindanao State University System and Appropriating Funds Therefor in Dimaporo Gymnasium, MSU-Marawi Campus, Marawi City on January 29, 2015)

Over the years, Mindanao State University has been successful, as an academic institution, in producing quality graduates who have been serving as manpower of growth not just in the region but in the entire country. With students coming from different regions of Mindanao whose backgrounds are socially and culturally diverse, MSU has been a haven for cultural integration, thus recognized as “melting pot of the south”.

With so much changes and development since its creation, there is indeed a need to enhance its more than 60 year-old charter to make it more responsive to the present condition, needs and demands of the society and of its constituents.

As we support this endeavor, we as well see two important points that need to be addressed in the proposed new charter of the MSU System.

Firstly, we believe that as the majority of the constituents of this system that comprise more or less 69,000 in number, the students in each of the campus under the MSU system must have a voice in the decision-making especially on the matters related to tuition fee increase, student rules and other student welfare issues.

As per experience in this Campus, the previous tuition fee increase and the removal of tuition privilege (TP) for students who have good academic performance did not undergo a proper consultation. It is important to note that majority of population of the students in this campus is coming from the poor section of the society. That is why they chose this university because it does not only offer quality education but also affordable tuition fee. As such, any increase in the tuition fee may jeopardize or worse, deny the students of their chance for education and defeat the social responsibility of the university which is stated in Section 8 of the proposed charter.

While the proposed charter emphasized the role of the student council, it is a fact that student body organizations have only limited power and therefore inadequate to participate in the actual decision-making. Thus, we suggest that the proposed charter should add, in the Section 9 Democratic Access, “Consultation as mechanism for democratic participation of students on matters pertaining to their welfare and interests. Any decision contrary to this process will be rendered invalid.”

Secondly, in the exercise of its functions as democratic institution, MSU has to be transparent and accountable to all its actions and decisions. There must be a mechanism for easier access on the decisions, project engagements and monetary collections of the university. This way, the university will establish a transparent relationship with its stakeholders.

Moreso, the unresolved criminal cases involving students and faculty members inside the MSU Marawi campus actually question the accountability of the university itself. Hence, issues of this kind have to be immediately addressed.

We, therefore, suggest that there must be a separate section pertaining transparency and accountability in the proposed charter which would address the above-mentioned issues.

To the men and women in congress, we ask your serious consideration of this position paper in the crafting of the proposed changes in charter of the MSU-System.  As students, we view ourselves as active contributors to the development process and success of the Mindanao State University.   

Signed:

Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan-MSU Chapter

Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Panlipunang Agham at Humanidades (SAMAPAH)

College of Agriculture Student Society (CASS)

Samahan ng mga Mag-aaral ng Filipino (SAMAFIL)

 ______________________________

This document is a result of consultations among students and student leaders in the Mindanao State University-Marawi Campus. 

Justice for Crish Lanne Masancay! Justice for all the victims!

Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan-MSU Chapter
Statement on the Death of Crish Lanne Masancay
December 9, 2014

 

December 8, 2014 at around 11am, Crish Lanne Masangcay was shot by an unidentified person in the Commercial Center of Mindanao State University-Main Campus in Marawi City. He sustained 2 gunshot wounds and the reason of murder is still unknown and the suspect is still at large.

Crish Lanne, who just turned 17 years old last December 1, is a first year student taking up Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management in MSU-Marawi. He is from Lingig, Surigao del Sur.

Over the past years, unresolved criminal cases inside the Mindanao State University- Marawi Campus is increasing which made the campus unsafe for the students from the MINSUPALA region and from all over the country.

This increasing danger directed towards the students in the campus is a clear manifestation of weak security system in the university and lack of priority in ensuring the rights and welfare of the students.

To remember, Samuel Go III, a 4th year Agricultural Engineering student was also shot dead in the campus on June this year. Two years ago, Prof. Othello Cobal and Erwin Diaz were both murdered in broad daylight. These three (3) people were just among those who were killed inside the campus and until now, the perpetrators are still wandering freely. Justice was not delivered and served. It has never been served.

Their deaths left a chilling effect in the entire studentry. It even intensified biases and division among the tri-people constituents in the university.

As state institution, it is imperative for Mindanao State University to promote, uphold and protect the human rights of its constituents.  In the spate of murder victimizing the students, the Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan-MSU Chapter believes that the MSU Administration is fully accountable for all violence and crimes involving the students, faculty members and staff. These violence and crimes are apparently a violation of their human rights. The MSU Administration’s leniency in immediately bringing justice to the victims and its inability to put an end to this violence is intolerable and devalue human rights.

We, therefore, demand from the MSU Administration to:

• undertake transparent, accountable, and speedy actions to bring justice to the victims;
• conduct immediate investigation on the cases of murder in the campus; and
• strengthen the security mechanism centered on the rights and welfare of the students in the campus.

We are taking this stand because we believe that MSU is not mandated only to provide quality education but to secure and uphold the rights and welfare of the students.

Ecofeminist spells out culprit for ecological crisis

Marijke Colle delivers her presentation to the participants who are coming from Lanao provinces and Iligan City

Iligan City- Marijke Colle, a veteran climate justice activist from Belgium, was the main speaker of the recently held forum on Climate Crisis, Ecofeminism and the Alternatives which was participated by more than 200 participants coming from different sectors in Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and Iligan City. 

She spoke on the Ecofeminist Answer to Climate Crisis. She pointed out that the ecological crisis is not a crisis in nature but it is a human crisis that is responsible for the destruction of nature. She added that there is a need to identify the main cause of this ecological crisis. 

Colle told the participants that the growth of capitalism is responsible to the exploitation of nature because it is interested in producing more goods and profit. In achieving a balanced society, she proposed that the whole way the people produce goods has to be changed as the exponential production of goods implies exponential destruction of nature.

While women have been very involve in food production and care for their family, they remain invisible and labor division worsen their condition. Colle emphasized that, “the struggle for a safe, healthy and ecologically sustainable environment combined with the struggle for social justice, will strengthen and motivate half of humanity, to be the conscious force for women’s liberation, for the overthrow of capitalism and for an ecosocialist and ecofeminist alternative.” 

For a copy of the presentation of Marijke Colle, click this link.

For the local campaign and concrete alternative actions in the community level, Ma. Gittel Squilabon, the Coordinator of the Tri-people Program on Food Sovereignty and Peace-building of Sumpay Mindanao, shared their initiatives specifically on sustainable agriculture where they work for organic food production while working for the enhancement of people’s control of land, water, seeds, market  and to all things necessary for safe food production including technology and knowledge.

Professor Elaine Baulete of the Center for Human Rights Education of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research Extension, MSU-IIT, shared their successful experience in building collaborative projects involving the community, academe and government units in mitigating the impact of climate change through mangrove rehabilitation in Bayug Island in Iligan City. 

Some important action points were also raised during the forum. Among these are the continuing partnerships among non-government organizations and academic institutions in the promotion of the successful alternatives; to deal with the ongoing construction in Lanao del Norte of coal-fired plant for power generation; and the City Agriculturist Office of Iligan to support the aquamarine culture of the community in Bayug Island which is currently assisted by MSU-IIT.

The forum was a concerted efforts of Sumpay Mindanao Inc.; Sustainable Alternatives for the Advancement of Mindanao (SALAM), Inc.; Mindanao Tri-people Youth Center (MTPYC); Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement (MPPM)- Katawhang Migrante, Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan (LMK); Ranaw Women and Children Resource Center (RWCRC), Inc. in partnership with MSU-IIT’s Political Science Department, Kataastaasang Sanggunian ng mga Mag-aaral (KASAMA), and the Center for Human Rights Education of the OVCRE in coordination with International Institute for Research and Education (IIRE)-Manila. It was conducted in CED Amphitheater, College of Education, MSU-IIT on July 25, 2014.

Palayasin lahat sa pwesto at Pamahalaan ng mga Mamamayan, Itayo! Walang natamong pagbabago sa Bulok na Gobyerno!

Sa okasyon ng ika-5 SONA ni Presidente Aquino III
Hulyo 28, 2014

Sapat na ang apat na taon upang malantad ang tunay na mukha ng admistrasyong Aquino. Sa likod ng maskara ng reporma para sa “tuwid na daan” ay ang umaalingasaw na amoy ng katiwalian, pandarambong sa bayan, panlilinlang at maka-kapitalistang interes.

Ang iligal na paglustay ng bilyun-bilyong pundo sa ilalim ng Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) ay hayagang paglabag sa saligang batas ng Pilipinas. Kaya, kung ang mga sangkot sa anomalya ng PDAF ay hinakot sa kulungan, ang mga sangkot sa DAP ay dapat ding managot sa sambayan.

Maliban sa kurapsyon, sa 4 na taon ng Pangulong Aquino sa pwesto, kapu-punang walang pagbabago sa buhay ng mga Pilipino. Bagamat lumubo ang ekonomiya ng bansa ayon sa mga datos, patuloy pa ring mataas ang antas ng kahirapan na tinatayang pumapalo sa mahigit 22 milyong mamamayan ang mahirap at samantalang mahigit 30 milyon ang walang trabaho. Ayon sa pananaliksik, ang nakinabang sa malaking bahagi ng pag-unlad ng ekonomiya ng bansa ay iilang pamilya lamang habang ang kakarampot na porsyento ay siyang pinaghati-hatian ng mayoryang mamamayan.

Wala ring pagbabago sa pagsagot sa mga pangangailangan ng mga mahihirap na mamamayan. Mabagal pa rin ang usad ng gobyerno sa pagpatupad ng mga programa kaya milyon-milyong mamamayang biktima ng mga kalamidad ang wala pa ring matirhan at hanapbuhay, sa halip ay isinusulong pa ng pamahalaang Aquino ang malawakang pagbenta sa soberenya at yamang likas ng Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao sa mga Korporasyon at dayuhang bansa. Mabagal din ang pamimigay ng lupa at suporta sa mga magsaska at mangingisda na nag-sadlak sa kanila bilang pinakamahirap na mga sector sa lipunan. Kakulangan ng serbisyo pa rin at hindi pagkilala sa mahalagang ambag sa ekonomiya ang danas ng hindi bababa sa 12 Milyong OFWs. Sa kabila nito, walang habas ang pagtaas ng mga presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin merkado na siyang lalong nagpalugmok sa mga mamamayan. Patuloy din ang pagtaas ng mga matrikula at babayarin sa mga paaralan na kung saan kumakailan lang 244 na mga pribadong paaralan sa elementarya at hayskul ay pinayagan ng Department of Education na dagdadan ang tuition fee samantalang 287 unibersidad at kolehiyo naman ang pinayagan ng Commission Higher on Education. Kitang kita din ang kakulangan ng suporta ng gobyerno sa usaping pangkalusugan at transportasyon.

Wala ding pagbabago sa kalakaran at negosyo sa pagpapatupad ng serbisyong sosyal. Sa ilalim ng administrasyong Aquino, hayagan din ang praybitisasyon ng mga serbisyong sosyal sa ilalim ng Private Partnership Program. Ang pagnenesgosyo na siyang naging sanhi ng problema sa suplay ng kuryente ay tinugunan ng mas malawak pang pagnenesgosyo nito. Ang haka-hakang kukulangin ang suplay ng kuryente sa 2015 ay nagbibigay daan upang madeklara ni Pangulong Aquino ang State of Emergency. Nakikitang ito ay mas lalo pang magpapalawak sa papel ng mga pribadong kompanya na uling ang pambala sa mga planta sa pagsagot sa pinangangambahang krisis sa kuryente. Dahil dito ang Pilipinas na ang kampyon sa pinakamahal na singil sa kuryente sa buong Asya.

Patuloy ang mga pamamaslang sa mga lider-komunidad at organisayong nagsusulong sa karapatan at kapakanan ng mga maralita’t mahihirap at maging ang patuloy na pagtaas ng bilang ng mga pinaslang na mga mamamahayag at kay kupad ng pagbigay ng hustisya.

Ang usaping pangkapayapaan ay hamak na ginagamit lamang upang mas iangat ang popularidad ng administrasyon at interes ng mga Kapitalistang bansa’t korporasyon ay ang hayag na balangkas ng pamahalaan at hindi ang sinserong pagtugon sa karapatan sa Sariling Pagpapasya ng Mamamayang Lumad at Bangsamoro sa Mindanao.

Sa makatuwid, walang pagbabago dahil baluktot pa rin ang daang tinahak ng Administrasyong Aquino. Palayasin na lahat ang nasa pwesto at ang Pamahalaan ng mga Mamamayan ay Itayo!

---------

Ranaw Tri-people Movement for Genuine Peace and Development (RTMGPD)
Alyansa sa mga Kabus sa Lungsod ug Siyuda (AKLAS)
Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan (LMK)
Kilusang Maralita sa Kanayunan (KILOS KA)
Demokratikong Kulusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (DKMP)-Lanao
Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao para sa Kapayapaan (AKMK)
Lanao Fisheries Advocacy Network (LFAN)

LMK Iligan at Marawi City lalahok sa mga Pagkilos para sa Kalayaan laban sa Kurapsyon

Matapos ang desisyon ng mga kilusan at organisasyon sa Iligan at Marawi City na lalahok sa mga pagkilos sa iba't-ibang panig ng Pilipinas ngayong ika-12 ng Hunyo 2014 bilang pagpapakita ng pagkamuhi nito sa Kurapsyon at pagkilos upang maging malaya dito at sa pananamantala't kahirapan ay abala na ang lahat sa preparasyon at iba pang gawain tungo sa nasabing araw.

Dahil sa ang araw na ito ay ang pagdiriwang ng pamahalaan sa araw umano ng kalayaan mula sa dayuhang pananakop ay nais iparating ng mga progresibong grupo't mga mamamayan ang kanilang diskontento at mga panawagan sa mga kapwa mamamayan at sa mismong pamahalaan. Nakikita natin ito na litaw at walang esensyang kalayaan dahil mas nalugmok pa sa kawalan ang taumbayan sa pamamayagpag ng Kapitalistang Demokrasya na naghahari.

Batid ng lahat ang usad-pagong na imbestigasyon sa kasong bilyones na kurapsyon at tila ba namimili ng masasagasaan ang "tuwid na daan" ng administrasyong Noynoy Aquino (P-Noy), kaya ang sigaw ng mga kilusa't mamayan ay IKULONG na ang LAHAT na SANGKOT!

Ang Liga Ng Makabagong Kabataan ay makikiisa rin sa mga pagkilos na ito dala ang adyendang PALAYAIN ang SANGKATAUHAN at KALIKASAN mula sa KAPITALISMONG PAGHAHARI at PANDAYIN na ang EKOSOSYALISMONG BALANGKAS sa Ekonomiya, Politika at Kultura.

Panawagan lalo pa ng LMK na palayain ang hanay ng kabataan mula sa karahasan sa loob ng mga paaralan at sa pagsasapribado ng mga panlipunang serbisyo lalo na ang edukasyon, sa halip ay gawin itong prayoridad at taasan ng pundo.

Dagdag pa, nais ding ipanawagan ng LMK at mga kasamang kilusan na SUPORTAHAN ang Pakikibaka sa Sariling Pagpapasya ng Bangsamoro na hindi yuyurak sa Karapatan ng Mamamayang Lumad at Pilipino.

Hinihikayat natin ang lahat ng uring inaapi't manggagawa na lumahok sa mga pagkilos para sa Kalayaan mula sa Kahirapan, Kurapsyon at Pananamantala!

Ngayong Hunyo 12, 2014
Sa Iligan City Post Office
2.30 ng Hapon

KABATAAN, LUMABAN! MANINDIGAN! KUMILOS!

Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan
Iligan and Marawi City
lmkabataan@yahoo.com.ph
10 June 2014

STATEMENT ON the 116th Anniversary of Philippine Independence (LMK-MSU)

Greeting of JUSTPeace and Solidarity!

The Liga ng Makabagong Kabataan Marawi Chapter alongside other youth’s organization and movements all over Philippines commemorate the 116th Independence Day. Yet instead of joining the mainstream’s festive and extravagant celebration of today’s event, we are collective with the progressive movement’s call together the majority oppressed masses’ claim to seize and rekindle the true spirit of emancipation.

We are not a fully Independent nation- as no third world state is independent. Philippines has remained a puppet in a chain by the Imperialist US wherein the accumulation of economy, politics and military power are controlled and capitalized by Uncle Sam. Filipinos continue to stay at the periphery of human life. Filipinos are still part of international labor force exporting raw materials to other countries with minimum tariff, exploiting the natural resources by the persistent operation Multinational and transnational corporation, the prevalent commercialization and privatization of all social services (health, education, power, etc.), the continues operation of military intervention of US troops that lead to the formation of Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that will aggravate the monopolization of US imperialist and will at stake the national security. The kind of capitalist democracy in the Philippine will always linger the backward development and to reverberate the light of continuing widespread marginalization, privatization, commercialization, bad governance, socioeconomic inequalities and injustices.

These harsh realities continue to unfold and persist in the administration of Aquino. The moral eclipse of the political system had brought the worsening situation of the Philippine government that added on the political patronage activity of the trapo’s. The continuing issue of budget cut and tuition fee increase under Pnoy and CHED in the public education is indication of abandonment and injustices of the Filipino youth. The government funding for public education at all levels has declined and in some cases plummeted, leaving students suffering in overcrowded classrooms, schools in dilapidated buildings. This is the result of ugly mechanisms that fuel capitalism in its onward quest to fall us all into a state of uttered barbarism.

We, therefore condemn this latent and manifesting bastardization at the expense of the Filipinos. We resent the policy to increase tuition and other fees as well as the budget cut in the state universities and colleges. We demand for transparency and accountability of the government! We demand for urgent action in the pork barrel scam and all forms of corruption! We demand to go out the US troops and all forms of imperialism. We demand for a better and just working condition for many graduates are prey victims of unemployment and underemployment. We are in one heart with other sectors in for the society which seek for affirmative response of their issues. We demand genuine respect of democracy! We demand true freedom!

KABATAAN! LUMABAN! MANINDIGAN! KUMILOS!

Liga ng Makabangong Kabataan (LMK) Marawi Chapter