COLUMNIST: DANILO REYES
Point of Action
Danilo Reyes is a staff member of the Asian Human Rights Commission, a regional human rights NGO in Hong Kong. He is responsible for the organization's work related to human rights issues in the Philippines and also assists its urgent appeals program. Previously, he worked as a journalist for regional and community newspapers in his hometown in Mindanao. After spending years in the media, he joined a local human rights organization whose work involved documenting cases and providing legal assistance to victims in conflict areas in Mindanao. He also worked for a Philippine labor NGO that organized workers and provided assistance to them and briefly coordinated a national campaign to abolish the death penalty in the Philippines.
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July 02, 2008Hong Kong, China — Twelve days after a ferry sank off the Philippine coast, scores of corpses retrieved from the capsized ship have yet to be identified. The country lacks skilled forensics experts capable of doing this job – which also hinders its ability to properly investigate crimes.
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May 21, 2008Hong Kong, China — Apart from killing human rights and social activists, gunmen in the southern Philippines are carrying out the systematic slaughter of persons accused of involvement in criminal activities and even some who have been the victims of crimes. Dozens have died in such incidents.
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April 11, 2008Hong Kong, China — Spraying red paint on the homes of suspected illegal drug pushers and openly endorsing the killing of alleged criminals are practices of the mayor of Manila, Alfredo Lim, earning him the reputation of being a "Dirty Harry." When his son got into trouble with drugs, however, things were different.
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February 27, 2008Manila, Philippines — Ideally, one needs to study at least four years, spend money and expend considerable effort to complete a university degree. In the Philippines, however, there is an easier way. For a small price and an hour's wait, you can get a transcript and diploma from the university of your choice. So cheap, so quick.
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January 16, 2008Hong Kong, China — Stories of people being beaten up by policemen, of individuals committing suicide due to abject poverty and of deaths due to hunger are common in the Philippines. Although the media often report these cases, remedial action is not taken. The poor face prejudice, discrimination and often subhuman treatment.
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December 05, 2007Hong Kong, China — The short-lived revolt in Manila last week, led by a soldier-turned-senator, will be added to the Philippines' history of dozens of coup attempts since democracy was restored in 1986. All of these military-led attempted coups were crushed.Unlike the rec
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October 03, 2007Hong Kong, China — In 1986, religious leaders -- bishops, clergy members and nuns -- played a significant role in the non-violent struggle during the EDSA revolution to restore democracy in the Philippines. Historical images of priests and nuns in tears carrying rosaries an
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September 12, 2007Hong Kong, China — In recent times, disposed corpses and mutilated body parts in urban areas of Manila have noticeably increased. Committing murders and dumping dead bodies in public places is shocking but treating them as ordinary occurrences is alarming.