Armed Forces of the Philippines admit seizing opposition supporters. The Philippine military yesterday confirmed that the government had in custody five supporters of ousted Philippine President Joseph Estrada. The admission came only two hours after Philippine Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita emphatically said that de facto President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's administration had nothing to do with the five individuals' disappearance on Monday (Manila time). Many see this capture of a political rival's supporters as yet another one of Macapagal Arroyo's desperate attempts to stay in power. Macapagal Arroyo has been facing calls for her ouster after the discovery of a taped conversation between her and a chief elections official that explicitly indicated vote-rigging.

New US-Phililippine "counter terror" pact. The US and the Philippines are set to sign a new security agreement that will supposedly "counter terrorism" and deal with threats like piracy and bird flu. The agreement includes the establishment of a a joint panel called the Security Engagement Boar, details of which are yet to be made public. Stay tuned to www.gabnet.org for more on this latest development in US-Philippine relations.

Amnesty International condemns human rights violations in the Philippines. In its 2006 report on the global state of human rights, Amnesty International cites the Philippines as having “a climate of impunity." The group said, "Most of the attacks were carried out by unidentified assailants on motorcycles, at times wearing face masks, who were often described as ‘vigilantes’ or hired killers allegedly linked to the AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines).” The Philippine Commission on Human Rights, in a separate statement, held Macagapal Arroyo's administration accountable for all the political killings. Philippine Press Secretary Bunye said that the "conjectures" made by Amnesty International were "unfair and misplaced." Bunye tried to excuse the lack of prosecutions by saying that the killings would be better addressed if the victims and the public would cooperate with government investigators.

US Senators vote 73 to 25 to limit debate on immigration bill. The final action on the much-debated US immigration bill will take place this week after US Senators voted to limit the debate.