A FEW weeks after the Maguindanao massacre, Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, chief administrator of martial law in the area, received an unusual call on his cell phone. On the other end of the line was a trusted aide of Datu Zaldy Uy Ampatuan, who was days earlier replaced as governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

IN JULY last year, Philippine National Police officers from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (PNP-ARMM) met with representatives from the Arms Corporation of the Philippines (Armscor) for what should have been a fairly straightforward transaction.

With just five Congress session days to go, a broad coalition of over 100 media, civil society and nongovernment organizations yesterday urged senators and congressmen to set aside partisan politics this week and ratify the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act as a unanimous vote for good governance and stronger democratic institutions.