The Standard - 2016 April 21 - Thursday

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VOL. XXX NO. 68 3 Sections 32 Pages P18 THURSDAY : APRIL 21, 2016 www.thestandard.com.ph editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Bayan: LP bets are most corrupt

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PROBE COTABATO SLAYS, UN URGED

Palace: Govt committed to safeguarding rights By Christine F. Herrera, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Sandy Araneta

SOME 200 civil society organizations from more than 60 countries have signed a statement urging Hilal Elver, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Right to Food, to investigate the killings of Kidapawan farmers and the government’s failure to address the plight of starving communities due to the El Niño phenomenon.

Spearheaded by the Peoples Coalition on Food Sovereignty (PCFS), several organizations from Europe, USA, Africa, Middle East and Asia have issued statements condemning the violent dispersal by police of the protesting farmers oin Kidapawan City on April 1. These appeals came as the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas said calamity funds withheld by various government agencies

should be released to help millions of farmers who are suffering from drought across the country. “The government is awash with funds, yet, it neglected and left drought-hit farmers and their families starving and abandoned,” said KMP chairperson Rafael Mariano as he lambasted what he described as the continuing criminal negligence of President Benigno Aquino III. Next page

The fight continues. Farmers from North Cotabato chant slogans Wednesday at a picket line outside the Senate in Pasay City, where senators resumed their inquiry into the violent dispersal of protesters in Kidapawan City on April 1. The dismissed police director of the province told senators that Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Mendoza ordered him to disperse the rally. EY ACASIO

Duterte disowns apology issued by his party By Rio N. Araja PRESIDENTIAL candidate Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday disowned an apology for remarks he made about the rape of an Australian missionary in 1989, saying that it was issued on his behalf by his party, the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan. Duterte said he never approved the

statement, which was released by PDPLaban spokeswoman Paola Alvarez. “Anyway, [it was] PDP-Laban, okay na iyon [it’s okay],” he told reporters. On Sunday and Monday, Duterte was adamant that he would not apologize, after a video showed him telling a rally that he was angry at inmates who raped an attractive Australian missionary in 1989, not only because they com-

mitted a crime, but because they beat him to her. But in a forum in Quezon City, the PDP-Laban spokeswoman contradicted Duterte, saying that the mayor refused to read the draft statement because it was written in English. She said the apology was “sincere,” and tried to steer media attention instead Next page

Poe bares copy of ID as US student

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