From: apakabar@ACCESS.DIGEX.COM (John A. MacDougall)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Subject: PH: 'Synapses' News Roundup
Date: 13 Sep 92 11:43:52 GMT
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From apakabar@igc.apc.org Sat Sep 12 18:36:46 1992
Date: Sat, 12 Sep 92 15:38:37 PDT
From: Indonesia Publications/Task Force <apakabar@igc.apc.org>
Message-Id: <9209122238.AA09515@igc.apc.org>
To: apakabar@access.digex.com
Subject: SYNAPSES: News Sept. 6 & 9

/* Written  7:00 am  Sep 12, 1992 by fbp in cdp:reg.philippine */
/* ---------- "SYNAPSES: News Sept. 6 & 9" ---------- */
INFO-Davao: 6 Sept '92: News Items  -- 54 Lines

1.  MT. PINATUBO AGAIN!!! American experts, who have been
studying the volcano's emissions have said that Pinatubo is
the most destructive volcano in this century, with America's
Mt. St. Helena issuing only one fourth of what Pinatubo
spewed out.  These Volcanologists estimate that Pinatubo has
disgorged from its fiery belly some 18 cubic kilometers of
volcanic ash and debris, most of it still on its slopes.

     The continuous monsoon rains are now carrying the ash
and debris down to the plains as the horrifyingly destruc
tive "lahar".  The experts  explain that "one cubic kilome
ter" of volcanic debris is enough to cover Manhattan Island
in New York with a 250 feet thick blanket of ash, mud and
assorted debris.  Pinatubo has 18 cubic kilometers!!!

2. CENTRAL LUZON LOSES 37-MILLION PESOS ... due to floods
and "LAHAR" caused by Typhoons Ditang, Gloring, Huaning,
Isang, and the southwest monsoons -- all within 3 weeks --
according to Dept of Agriculture (DA) reports.

     The figure, DA officials said, includes actual crop
damages, worth over 121-million pesos, as well as projected
opportunity losses. Nueva Ecija suffered the most with over
194-million pesos in "agricultural opportunity lost".  This
phrase is now being used to indicate potential harvest-time
value of crops destroyed by floods, lahar and too much rain.

3. BISHOPS OPPOSE DEATH PENALTY ... The Catholic Bishop's
Conference of the Philippines/ CBCP, in a 4-page statement
signed by its President, Bishop Carmelo Morelos, opposed
plans by FVR to restore the death penalty:  "the imposition
of the death penalty will only have a bias against the
poor... we know how inadequate our present judicial proce
dures are, and how the rich can literally get away with
murder while the poor have few if any to defend them..."

     Ramos has requested Congress to approve the death
penalty for such "heinous crimes" as soldiers guilty of
plotting coup attempts, drug smugglers and economic sabo
teurs. He says that the death penalty will help deter crime
in the country.

     For the Bishops, Ramos "should not even think of re
storing the death penalty as long as we have not reformed
our Police and Justice systems to the extent, at least, that
there is a real guarantee of truly equal justice for all".

     The Bishops urged FVR to "relentlessly pursue" his
avowed total war against poverty, a "fertile breeding ground
for criminality".   They insist on a well-coordinated effort
to combat the root-causes of "heinous crimes": poverty,
urban squalor, inadequate wages, etc. // BYE - Jack-n-Davao.


INFO-Davao: Wednesday - 9 Sept.'92  Part 1/2  re: Bombings,
                        PTA Loses, Fisheries .. 57 Lines
Greetings to you once again ...

1. REWARD OFFERED FOR SUSPECTS IN AKLAN BOMBING:  Town and
school officials have put up a 150,000-peso reward for
information leading to the arrest of those responsible in
the 29 Aug. bombing at the Aklan Polytechnic Institute.
Three students were killed and 60 others were wounded in
what, Kalibo townsfolk, consider the "most heinous crime"
committed in their peaceful town in recent times.

2.  ZAMBOANGA BOMBINGS:  in recent months 8 persons have
been killed and 76 wounded in 3 separate incidents within
the city according to Regional Police Director Job Mayo Jr.
In a report to Interior and Local Government Secretary
Rafael Alunan, Mayo said that the "Fort Pilar bombing inci
dent last Sunday  (Aug 30) was an offshoot of unsolved
killings that have been going on in the city." 5 were killed
and 39 wounded.

     He said that the first bomb blast, which occurred at
the Marilou Carinderia on Brillantes St. on 9 April, killed
two persons and wounded 10 others.  The bombing at the old
public market on 26 July killed Gilbert Silay and wounded 27
vendors and market-goers.

3.  PTA LOSES 3-MILLION PESOS A MONTH ... according to
Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) officials in maintaining
the operations of Camp John Hay in Baguio City. This is a
total of 42-million pesos since the facility was turned over
to the government in July '91.

     PTA records showed that it had already spent 130-mil
lion pesos to refurbish 150 cottages inside the resort. "The
Americans did not leave anything when they left.  Even the
pillows and blankets were taken so we have to buy everything
again," said Patricia Paez, executive assistant to the
general manager.  Other Media sources report that even
telephone wires were torn from the walls in offices and
rooms when the departing Americans "stripped off everything
that was movable..."

4. FISHERIES ALSO HIT BY 9-MONTH DROUGHT ... Fishing indus
try leaders in South Cotabato said the nine-month drought
has caused a 60-75% drop in the volume of fish caught in the
first three quarters of this year.

     In 1991, the fishing industry in South Cotabato record
ed daily catches of 300 - 400 tons of fish, the second
largest volume of fish production in the country, next only
to Navotas.  "Now, because of the drought, we've only been
catching at most 100 tons per day (since) the lack of rains
kept nutrients from washing down into the seas from the
mountains", according to the Regional Dept. of Fisheries.
End of Part 1/2 --- BYE // Jack-n-Davao


INFO-Davao: 9 Sept. '92:   Death & Debt - Marcos "honors"
                                  Lines - Cost of War
To continue ....                  76 Lines     Part 2/2

5. LIFE ENDS BUT DEBTS CONTINUE ... The USD$200,000 in
hospital bills that former Pres. Marcos incurred during his
illness in Hawaii now stand as a possible obstacle to bring
ing his body back to the Philippines for burial in his home
town of Batac in Ilocos Norte Province.

     Records at St. Francis Medical Center in Honolulu show
that Marcos was in and out of the hospital for about a year
before his death in 1989. Mrs. Marcos has signed an agree
ment with the Philippine Government this past week allowing
her to bring back Marcos' body  for burial.  The body is to
be flown directly to Laoag Airport.

     Insisting that she has no money, Mrs. Marcos, through
her son, Congressman, Ferdinand (Bongbong) Marcos, Jr, has
said that if allowed to use ordinary air transport, she
could bring the body home at family expense.  This would
necessitate bringing the body to Manila International Air
port which is not acceptable to the Government for "security
reasons.  There were reports that the Government offered a
plane to return the body directly to Laoag Airport. This was
later denied.

     Quite mysteriously, a woman claiming to be the "Ameri
can Ambassador to Guam" appeared on the scene to sign a
contract with Philippine Airlines to pay USD-$250,000 for a
chartered plane to bring Marcos' body direct to Laoag air
port. In a TV interview, she said that her offer was an
expression of her love for the Filipino people and the best
way to help restore peace and unity in the country.  The US
Embassy in Manila denied any knowledge of the woman! Her
offer is authentic and the Marcos' flight is 23 Sept.

6.  WHAT KIND OF "HONORS" FOR MARCOS???      Protests are
mounting around the country against any plan to give Marcos
"full Military Honor befitting a former President and Com
mander-in-Chief..." as demanded by the Marcos Family.

     Defense Secretary, Renato de Villa said (8/21) that the
government will give appropriate military honors to Marcos
"befitting a former Army Major not a Commander-in-Chief".
Marcos-appointed Generals have volunteered to be the pall
bearers.

7.  21,000 KILLED IN 23 YEARS OF WARFARE ... Brig. Gen Romeo
Padiernos, AFP Civil relations Service (CRS) chief reported
to Media on 22 August that, in the past 23 years, the Gov
ernment's war against insurgent has caused more than 21,000
persons being killed on all sides.

     The "break-down" of this figure is: 10,789 killed among
New People's Army regulars in the past 7 years alone.
Defense Secretary Renato S. De Villa reports that some
11,000 Government troopers were killed in efforts to crush
the Communists insurgents. Of this number, 8000 were sol
diers, 1300 were Policemen and 1700 were "militia-men" plus
a number of government officials and civilians.

     Padiernos also reported that, from a peak figure of
25,000 in 1988, the NPA's fighting strength has dropped to
13,000 as of August 7th.  He claims that Government forces
have captured 6142 ranking communists leaders while, at
least, 5125 others surrendered.

     Ramos, as former Defense Secretary, had "vowed" that
the AFP would have crushed the Communist insurgency by 1992
before the end of Pres. Aquino's term of office.  Military
publications now admit that the Government's plans are
already a year behind its timetable to "completely eradicate
the country's insurgency", said to be the longest and most
active in Asia today.  And so it goes for now. I hope that
all goes well for you.  Peace.  End Part 2/2 - BYE // Jack
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