Source of Photo: Women light candles for the victims of abduction and killing in Maguindanao province southern Philippines during a rally marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women in Quezon City Metro Manila, November 24, 2009. REUTERS/Cheryl Ravelo
Taken here: macondaily.com

Esmael Mangudadatu thought it was safe to let his wife file his Certificate of Candidacy (COCs). No men from the family went along since he believed that women would not be attacked by rivals. Journalists also came along with the convoy. Alas, Mangudadatu was wrong. The convoy was stopped by 100 armed men, who brought them away from the highway and then brutally shot them with M-16 rifles and machetes.

News Report on the brutality of the murder of the women in the Maguindanao Massacre. His account is just brutal beyond your wildest imagination.

“Esmael Mangudadatu said the body of his murdered wife had been horrifyingly mutilated and that his dead sister and aunt had both been pregnant.

‘We can’t call him an animal because I have pets and they are tame. No, he is a monster. They are monsters,’ Mangudadatu told reporters, referring to Ampatuan Jr. and his gunmen.

‘My wife’s private parts were slashed four times, after which they fired a bullet into it,’ he added.

In commemoration of the International Day for Women Human Rights Defenders, Rep. Liza Maza today led women from Karapatan and Gabriela in an all-women protest action in Mendiola, as they called for justice for the 22 women victims in the Maguindanao massacre.

“Women victims in the Maguindanao massacre were massacred twice over— their lives were brutally taken and they were sexually violated. I condemn in strongest terms these most reprehensible acts of violence,” Maza said, amid reports of the Department of Justice that the 22 women victims in the Maguindanao massacre were shot at their genitals.

Two women human rights defenders, Atty. Concepcion “Connie” Brizuela and Atty. Cynthia Oquendo, were among the 57 victims.

Atty. Brizuela has long been a passionate defender of women’s rights who worked tirelessly to end state violence against women in Mindanao region. She was also one of the lawyers of Gabriela Women’s Party during the past elections and handled women human rights cases. Atty. Oquendo was also known for her activism in health-related causes and in social justice movement. Maza said that Oquendo was a member of Gabriela during her student days.

“The killing of these two women human rights defenders shows the grave threats that loom before women during the election period and the violation of their human rights, particularly their right to participate in political processes,” she asserted.

To date, 62 bodies have been recovered.

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Tags: ampatuan massacre, maguindanao massacre

This is an email from a reader of the FilipinaImages.com reader.

Steve Schertzer, esl_steve@excite.com
October 15, 2009

Disclaimer: The following is an opinion piece based on fact.

— “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing; to know in their hearts and see the evils going on around them, but to sit back and let it unfold whether out of fear, apathy or both.”

—Edmund Burke, Irish Political Philosopher. (1730-1797.)

I so want to be wrong about this. I want to be wrong because I feel vindicated and it doesn’t feel good. It’s not because of the Filipino mothers or the foreign fathers. It’s because of the children. I feel vindicated because of the children. In a response to a letter I wrote for www.filipinaimages.com on March 27th, 2009, titled “The Image of the Modern Filipina”, I said this:

“If the Philippines keeps on importing less than stellar foreign men to marry their women, in 10 years this once beautiful country will have tens of thousands of half-breeds running around looking for their foreign fathers, who will have awoken one morning to realize that marrying an uneducated, dirt-poor Filipina was not to their liking after all.”

Yes I did say that, but I was wrong. It’s not “tens of thousands” of children looking for their non-Filipino fathers. It’s hundreds of thousands. And it’s not “in 10 years.” It’s now. And, (if I may correct myself again), it’s not as if these non-Filipinos are marrying any of these “uneducated, dirt-poor Filipinas.” Most are not. So I apologize for my errors. You see, this problem of abandoned half-Filipino half-whatever children is far worse than I originally thought.

Here are three questions that I would like answered by Filipinos, men and women, after you have read and contemplated this well enough to respond intellectually and wisely.

1) Is there a “sperm war” involving foreign men in the Philippines?
2) Is this who Filipinas truly are?
3) Where is the outrage?

There is a seismic shift in Filipino society. It’s been happening for a long time. It’s not an earthquake, although it may feel like one. It’s not a series of typhoons, although millions of lives are being ruined by it. This seismic shift is not geological. Neither is it a product of mother nature’s wrath. This seismic shift in Filipino society is value based. It is a huge shift in personal morality and social ethics. It is a fall from grace. A huge fall from what once was to what is now.

The quotes I use from articles, newspaper columns, and websites will enlighten and inform, but I doubt if it will shock. That’s the real tragedy. Here is the full article from the October 5, 2009 edition of the Korea Times under the headline “Kopinos Search for Korean Dads.”
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Tags: steve schertzer, The Filipina

Experiences make you realize. Believing makes you value. Marikenya

My family, my friends, and I, are still in awe and in great trauma from what we experienced from Ondoy and his wrath. There are so many stories, mostly, unpleasant ones. But now that all my family and friends are safe from the flood, I wanted to focus on the lessons I learned from the calamity that stunned the whole Metro Manila.

Realizations from the Water:

Tags: typhoon Ondoy

San Francisco, CA, October 3, 2009 – The Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) has selected Myrna Lardizabal De Vera, Vice-Chair, City of Hercules Planning Commission, as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S., “Policymakers & Visionaries” category.

The 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. Award™ honors Filipina women who are changing the face of power in America and who have reached status for outstanding work in their respective fields and who are recognized for their leadership and achievements in the U.S. workplace and communities.

“The 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. are dynamic leaders who are influential in their respective fields and local communities. These role models are powerful examples of women doing extraordinary work who will inspire our youth and future leaders,” said Lieutenant Colonel Shirley Saoit Raguindin of the Arizona National Guard and chair of the FWN 100 Nationwide Search and Selection Committee. “The awardees are asked to womentor a protégée so we can double the number of Filipina leaders by 2012. They were selected from nominations submitted from across the United States.”
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