Filipino Muslim rebels take tentative steps towards governance

MANILA, 21 May 2013 (IRIN) - The oppressive summer heat bore down on this impoverished southern Philippine town on Mindanao Island as thousands gathered to hear a "proxy candidate" of the country's largest Muslim rebel force address the crowd on the eve of recently concluded mid-term elections. full report

Pressure in Philippines to end ban on formula milk aid

COMPOSTELA VALLEY, 30 April 2013 (IRIN) - Health authorities in the Philippines were vigilant in keeping out infant formula donations when Typhoon Bopha hit last December, but activists are concerned the infant formula industry will succeed in pushing through legislative changes that will allow formula donations in future emergencies, making it harder to convince women in those crises to continue exclusive breastfeeding. full report

Engaging with Philippine armed groups

COTABATO, 25 April 2013 (IRIN) - For Chris Rush, of the Swiss-based NGO Geneva Call, nuance is everything when engaging with armed groups. Although the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Maoist-inspired New People's Army (NPA) are both fighting insurrections on the same Philippines island of Mindanao, the choice of terminology is a tender issue when it comes to the use of such phrases as "armed non-state actors (ANSAs)”. full report

Philippines’ natural disaster risks shift, along with experts

MANILA, 10 April 2013 (IRIN) - As the storm season approaches, officials in the Philippines are turning to seasoned storm emergency responders to help prepare communities that have historically been spared devastation but that now find themselves in harm’s way. full report

Philippines’ reproductive health law here - now what?

MANILA, 20 March 2013 (IRIN) - After a publicly contentious 14-year battle, legislators quietly signed the Philippines’ first reproductive health law in late December. It was expected to take effect by the end of March, but on 21 March the Supreme Court halted its implementation, issuing a 120-day status quo ante to review court challenges. full report

Briefing: The Sabah affair - a new humanitarian challenge in southern Philippines?

MANILA, 13 March 2013 (IRIN) - The Philippine government has begun putting in place contingency measures over what it has described as a possible “humanitarian emergency” in its southernmost islands after hundreds of Filipino migrants, caught in the cross-fire of a Malaysian government crackdown against Filipino gunmen asserting land claims in Malaysia, have started returning home. full report

Philippine cities tackle climate change

DAVAO, 6 March 2013 (IRIN) - When asked what resilience means, the head of city planning for the Philippines’ second largest city, Davao, said that for Filipinos it means how high floodwater reaches before they agree to be evacuated. “In our most recent flooding, that level was chest-high,” said Roberto Alabado III, referring to flooding in mid-January that affected thousands of city dwellers, most in slum areas, who refused evacuation until they were chest-deep in floodwater. full report

Filipino farmers - a dying breed?

MANILA, 26 February 2013 (IRIN) - Historically, as countries have industrialized, the number of small farms has dwindled, with workers opting for city life. But the Philippines government is concerned that this trend could exacerbate food insecurity in an import-dependent country already struggling to meet current food demand. full report

Allegations of aid politicization in Philippines ahead of elections

BAGANGA/MANILA, 22 February 2013 (IRIN) - Caridad Calungsod and her three children have been living in a makeshift shelter along the highway leading into Baganga, a coastal farming municipality in the southern Philippine province of Davao Oriental on Mindanao Island that was among the hardest hit by typhoon Bopha last December. full report