News in Pictures: November 3, 2024

REMEMBERING THE DISAPPEARED

Families and friends of the “desaparecidos” (the disappeared), from the martial law regime in the 1970s until today, gather at Bantayog ng mga Bayani in Quezon City on All Souls’ Day to pay tribute to their sacrifice and call for justice. Enforced disappearances continue on the watch of President Marcos, according to human rights groups which have so far tallied at least 14 disappearances under the current administration.

The gathering was also an occasion to remember activist Jonas Burgos, who remains the rallying symbol for the desaparecidos after his 2007 abduction allegedly by state agents, amid the crackdown on activists during Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s presidency. Among those who joined the commemoration for the disappeared were Burgos’ mother, Edita (inset), who had earlier accused then Army intelligence chief Eduardo Año of being involved in his son’s disappearance.

Año had denied that accusation and an arbitrary detention charge against him was dismissed by the Department of Justice in 2013. He has expressed hope that his name would no longer be associated with the Jonas Burgos disappearance. But activists lament his continuing influence as Mr. Marcos’ national security adviser and the prevailing repression by state forces dating back to martial rule.

NOVEMBER 2, 2024
Families, friends, advocates and survivors of abductions and torture gather to remember and call to surface the victims of enforced disappearances at the Bantayog ng mga Bayani, Quezon City on All Souls’ Day by offering flowers and candles. —LYN RILLON

Edita Burgos puts some flower by the picture of her son, Jonas Burgos, who has not been found since his abduction on April 28, 2007 in Quezon City. —LYN RILLON/INQUIRER

PRO BONO WORK FOR TEACHERS

Education Secretary Sonny Angara and lawyer Antonio Pido, president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), shake hands after signing on Oct. 28 a memorandum of agreement providing pro bono or free legal aid to teachers and other personnel of the Department of Education.

Angara, himself a lawyer, said the “milestone” agreement is “in line with our thrust to empower our teachers and free them of unnecessary burdens, [including] legal burdens.” Teachers’ groups welcomed the legal assistance to be provided by the IBP, as they noted the harassment and administrative cases that have become an occupational hazard among public schoolteachers.

OCTOBER 28, 2024
The Department of Education (DepEd) and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) signed a Memorandum of Agreement on Monday to provide free legal aid to DepEd teachers and personnel across the country. —DEPED PHOTO

FISHY CATCH

Authorities led by Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. (second and third from left) on Wednesday show the media frozen mackerel smuggled from China.

The fish were brought to the country in 21 containers impounded that day at the Manila International Container Port. The Bureau of Customs said a company operated by a Chinese national was behind the illegal shipment. The Department of Agriculture is coordinating with the agency in its continued crackdown on smuggled fish, meat and vegetables.

October 30 2024
BOC intercepts illegal entry of smuggled frozen mackerel worth P178.5M from China. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

TEST-DRIVE AT PALACE

President Marcos and first lady Liza Araneta Marcos test-drive a hydrogen-powered Toyota on Oct. 25, when officials of the company visited Malacañang to present their new line of hydrogen-run vehicles, including the Next Generation Tamaraw.

Mr. Marcos commended the car manufacturer for “continuing its work” in green technology and “leading the field in terms of bringing that kind of technology down to the grassroots level.” Toyota recently announced a P1.1-billion investment in the government’s public utility vehicle (PUV) modernization program. But critics lament its “corporatization,” with drivers and operators now required to join transport cooperatives deploying the new PUVs.