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Philippines vows cooperation with UN rights expert probing political murders
The Philippines government has pledged to cooperate fully with the UN rights official who arrived in the country Monday to investigate the surge of political murders. In a statement on behalf of Philippines President Gloria Arroyo [official website; (More) |
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UN rights official to investigate political murders in Philippines
The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights announced Tuesday that UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Philip Alston will go to the Philippines next week to investigate political murders in the coun (More) |
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Philippines courts-martial ordered for 30 military officers in failed coup plot
Thirty Philippine military officers will face courts-martial on mutiny charges in connection with their alleged involvement in a February coup plot to overthrow the government of Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo [official website; JURI (More) |
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Philippines president to press constitution change despite high court ruling
Philippines President Gloria Arroyo will move forward with plans for constitutional change despite last month's ruling by the nation's Supreme Court that her planned referendum on modifying the country's charter to abolish the upper ho (More) |
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Philippines high court nixes referendum on scrapping US-style congress
The Supreme Court of the Philippines on Wednesday ruled that a planned referendum on modifying the country's constitution to abolish the upper house of congress cannot proceed. The referendum would have amended the 1987 constitution to aboli (More) |
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Philippines president names panel to probe extrajudicial political killings
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo [official website; BBC profile] on Monday appointed an independent commission to investigate "the series of extrajudicial killings of journalists and militant activists in the country." Arroyo has been (More) |
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Philippines lawmakers quash second Arroyo impeachment complaint
Philippine legislators on Wednesday quashed a second impeachment complaint against Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo [official website; Wikipedia backgrounder]. The House Committee on Justice on voted 56-24 to dismiss the impeachment co (More) |
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Philippines warned to report rights abuses to UN or face sanctions
The United Nations may sanction the Philippines if its government continues to refuse to submit reports on human rights abuses in the country, the chairwoman of the Commission on Human Rights Philippines (CHRP) said Thursday. Purificacion Valera (More) |
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Philippines president faces second round of impeachment challenges
Opponents of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo [official website; Wikipedia profile] filed a new impeachment complaint against Arroyo on Monday, exactly one year after opponents filed an impeachment complaint on three other charges. The (More) |
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Philippines president signs law abolishing death penalty
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo [official profile; JURIST news archive] of the Philippines Saturday signed into law a bill abolishing the death penalty. The law repeals the country's 12-year old death penalty and converts all current death p (More) |
Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance
On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools.
The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was more recently the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing. The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life offers more Pledge of Allegiance resources.
