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The first thing that you have to consider is the course …

Son of former president Corazon Aquino vows to fight corruption as count puts him ahead in presidential poll Benigno Aquino III, the son of former Philippine president Corazon Aquino, promised today to fulfil his campaign promise to fight corruption as he headed for a landslide victory in the country’s presidential elections. “I will not only not steal, but I’ll have the corrupt arrested,” Aquino, 50, said in his first comments since yesterday’s poll. Massive corruption has long dogged the Philippines, tainting electoral politics and skimming billions of public funds in a country where a third of the population lives on $1 a day. Aquino, whose father was assassinated while opposing Ferdinand Marcos’ dictatorship and whose mother led the 1986 “people power” revolt that restored democracy, was leading the nine-candidate presidential race with 40.2% of the votes from about 78% of the precincts, while his closest rival, ousted President Joseph Estrada, had 25.5%. There is no runoff in the Philippines, home to 90 million people, and whoever has the most votes is declared winner. Despite glitches with new computerised counting machines and violence that has claimed at least 12 lives, election officials hailed yesterday’s vote as a success in a country where poll fraud allegations have marred previous contests. Turnout was 75% among about 50 million eligible voters, the elections commission said. Philippines guardian.co.uk

More than 50 million Filipinos have gone to the polls to elect a president and nearly 18,000 other national and local positions

Son of country’s two democratic heroes takes lead in poll marred by technical glitches and deadly violence Filipino inmates inside a jail in Makati city, Manila, show ink-stained fingers to confirm they have voted as the son of two heroes of democracy in the Philippines took the lead in the vote count for the presidency after the country’s first automated elections today, which were marred by technical glitches and violence that claimed at least nine lives. Senator Benigno Aquino III had 40.4% of the vote from about 38% of the precincts, while his closest rival, ousted president Joseph Estrada, had 25.8%, according to early results released by the commission on elections. The sudden political rise of Aquino – whose father was assassinated while opposing a dictatorship and whose late mother led the “people power” revolt that restored freedoms – bolstered hopes among his supporters for a clean leadership after nine years of a scandal-tainted administration that was rocked by coup attempts and protests. Aquino had promised to start prosecuting corrupt officials within weeks of his election. Turnout was 75% among about 50 million registered voters, to elect politicians for posts from the presidency to municipal councils, the poll body said. There is no runoff in the Philippines and whoever has the most votes is declared winner. In a country where celebrities commonly seek office, the jewel-studded former first lady Imelda Marcos also ran for a house seat, as did boxing star Manny Pacquiao in his second congressional bid. Like many others, Aquino was unable to immediately cast his ballot because a vote-counting machine broke down in his precinct. After Corazon Aquino died of cancer last August her son, a 50-year-old senator, decided to run, spurred by the outpouring of national grief for the leader who succeeded dictator Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and restored democracy to the Philippines. Philippines guardian.co.uk

Benigno Aquino, son of former president Corazon Aquino, tipped to become president, as voting is extended after glitches Scattered violence and glitches with vote-counting machines being used for the first time failed to dissuade millions of Filipinos from voting in today’s elections, seeking a clean start following a decade of corruption-tainted politics. Senator Benigno Aquino III – whose father was assassinated while opposing a dictatorship and whose late mother led the “people power” revolt that restored democracy – commanded a large lead in the last pre-election polls. But even Aquino was unable to immediately cast his ballot, because a vote-counting machine broke down in his precinct. The elections commission extended voting for another hour to make up for delays. Computer problems and campaign-related violence, which has killed more than 30 people in the past three months, were the main concerns in elections that officials hope will set a new standard for the Philippines’ fragile democracy. For the first time, optical scanning machines will count votes in 76,000 precincts. A software glitch discovered a week ago nearly derailed the vote, but was fixed at the last minute. Still, some machines malfunctioned in the tropical humidity, including in Aquino’s hometown of Tarlac, north of Manila. “This is a new system of voting. We have a longer ballot, so I hope all the people can vote and not be delayed and I hope there will be no long lines of people outside when the voting ends,” Aquino told reporters while waiting for the machine to be fixed. In the past, manual counts in the country delayed results for weeks and were prone to fraud. Officials are now expecting early tallies just hours after polls close. About 50 million registered voters in this country of 90m will elect politicians for posts from the presidency to municipal councils. Election commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal said about 300 out of 76,000 machines had problems but that most already were replaced, adding that the problems were “not as widespread as it’s made to appear”. “And what’s important is that if a machine breaks down, there is a replacement and there is a back-up procedure,” he said. Mario Barreto, 52, said it took him two hours to vote in an elementary school in Manila. “The most difficult thing was to look for your name and lining up,” he said. Troops and gunmen exchanged fire in southern Maguindanao province, where 57 people were massacred in the country’s worst election-related attack last year, said army Lt Gen Raymundo Ferrer. There were no casualties in Datu Salibo town but in the nearby north Kabuntalan township, two civilians were killed in a clash between armed followers of rival candidates for vice-mayor, Ferrer said. Even with the more than 30 election-related deaths in the past three months, including three on Sunday, election attacks appear to be down: 130 deaths preceded the 2007 vote. A restive and politicised military, weak central government, private armies and political dynasties have stymied democratic institutions for generations. The next leader also will face multiple insurgencies. Muslim and communist rebels and militants linked to al-Qaida have long staged terrorist attacks and hostage raids from jungle hideouts in the south, where US troops have been training Filipino soldiers. The next leader also faces entrenched corruption – outgoing president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has been accused of vote-rigging in 2004 and implicated in several scandals that led to coup attempts and moves to impeach her. Calls for her prosecution have been an important campaign issue. She denies any wrongdoing and is in running for a seat in the house of representatives. In an indication that Filipinos are looking for a fresh face to combat this old problem, Aquino has surged ahead of his two main rivals, according to recent independent presidential surveys. Despite lacking their experience, Aquino rode on a family name that has revived poignant memories of the 1986 “people power” revolt his late mother led to oust dictator Ferdinand Marcos and restore democracy. Former president Corazon Aquino had inherited the mantle of her husband, an opposition senator gunned down by soldiers at Manila’s airport in 1983 upon his return from exile in the US to challenge Marcos. It was only after she died of cancer last August that her son, a quiet 50-year-old lawmaker and bachelor, decided to run, spurred by the massive outpouring of national grief and yearning for a kind of inspirational leadership his mother had provided despite her shortcomings. In an Associated Press interview last week, Aquino said he would start prosecuting corrupt officials within weeks if he is elected, sending a signal to investors and the public. He said he would create a commission to investigate Arroyo. Aquino’s two rivals carry the taint of scandal, all too common in the Philippines. The ratings of real estate tycoon Manny Villar, who was neck-and-neck with Aquino in early surveys, took a plunge after rivals accused him of using his position to enrich himself and avoid a Senate ethics probe. Meanwhile, ousted president Joseph Estrada, who largely draws support from poorer Filipinos, has jumped to overtake Villar. The former action movie star was removed from office in 2001 and subsequently convicted on corruption charges. He was later pardoned by Arroyo. In a country where celebrities commonly seek office, the former first lady Imelda Marcos is running for a house seat, as is boxer Manny Pacquiao in his second congressional bid. Philippines guardian.co.uk

A political saga played out on TV and star-studded cast including Imelda Marcos’s return can’t gloss over corruption allegations If America’s tagline is “the land of opportunity”, maybe the Philippines’s should be “the land of celebrities”. The Philippines, where 45% of people live on under $2 a day , has imported a few American obsessions: malls and movies . This cultural trait has pulled the electorate into an absorbing real-life political saga with all manner of characters, so much so that their influence fuels the political establishment to the point of electing the next president. The result of next week’s presidential race could have been predicated by even the most casual of political observers at the funeral of Cory Aquino , whose son Noynoy is now a shoe-in to take over the presidency from the rapidly resented Gloria Arroyo . Last year, the enduring images that accompanied the funeral and the thousands who flocked to parade past Aquino’s coffin became the latest episode in the nation’s favourite soap opera. TV channels dedicated live streams to her wake, accompanied by a loop of montage images celebrating her family’s dramatic life. Aquino was the self-proclaimed ” plain housewife ” who became the reluctant leader of the opposition after the assassination of her husband, Senator Benigno Aquino Jr on his return from exile at Manila Airport. This sensational story all played out on TV for the 91 million population strewn the over the 7,000 islands. It was their JFK moment . In a presidential race with such a celebrity name like Noynoy, few are willing to compete. Credible candidates with solid political pedigrees, such as Gilberto Teodoro and Manny Villar , will keep the contest honest – except maybe for Joseph Estrada , the disgraced former president who regularly tops the leagues in corruption. Estrada is a walking soap opera: a former actor from one of the poorest districts of Manila who during his presidency adopted a popular policy of ” all out war ” against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front . Despite his criminal convictions, a large percentage of the electorate are willing to support the villain (a role he is famous for playing in his acting career); polls show that his support stalled at around 18% . Various senate candidates are also ex-celebrities known by their obligatory nickname, most notably pound-for-pound best boxer in the world Manny Pacquiao . “Pac-Man” is the world’s most famous Filipino, and has based his career in America earning $10m-plus per fight – a truly authentic rags to riches tale. He now resides in the city of General Santos , home to a long-running, violent Islamic insurgency where he remains an army reservist with a rank of sergeant major and has starred in films, most recently a glossy big-budget superhero movie, Wapakman , in which he plays himself. To complete the star studded roundup, we have the return of Imelda Marcos , former wife of Ferdinand Marcos , best known for her collection of shoes and extravagant lifestyle. Her return to the lower house would mean another episode in the never-ending soap opera of Philippines politics. Next Monday the country will go to the polls to choose a president and elect many of these characters to public office. However, with possible fraud in vote-counting machines potentially delaying the election climax, the reliance on the three Gs of old-school Filipino politics – guns, goons and gold – will come ever more into focus. This election was already in danger of becoming tarnished with corruption when charges were laid at the feet of incumbent politicians offering bribes to soldiers to rig results. Last November’s Maguindanao massacre of 43 political campaigners and journalists continues to leave a dark shadow over the election. • This article was commissioned after the author contacted us via the You tell us page Philippines Manny Pacquiao Tom Smith guardian.co.uk

The boxer wants a seat in the Philippines congress, but great sportsmen tend to make mediocre statesmen Manny beware. The man generally considered to be the greatest pound-for-pound boxer in the world is hoping to make the leap from pugilist to politician , with a run for the Philippines congress. But sportsmen generally don’t make good statesmen. Yes, they have plenty of natural advantages: a large support base, widespread recognition, sometimes money, presence, and an undeniable will to win. But of the scores who have tried to reinvent themselves, you could count the genuine successes on the finger of one hand. Perhaps it’s the subtleties, the policy nuances, the shifting allegiances that stump them. Perhaps it’s that most are used to simple win-or-lose formula that rarely apply in politics. Or perhaps it’s simply that the public prefers its heroes to be raising cups and trophies, not issues. Imran Khan, Pakistan Pakistan’s foremost sporting hero through the 1970s and 1980s, Khan led his country to its only World Cup triumph in 1992 . He swapped a playboy lifestyle for politics, but pace and swing on the field failed to convert into momentum and electoral swing off it, and he became a marginal figure , notable chiefly for criticising everyone but himself. George Weah, Liberia Another poor boy made good, Weah was in his day Africa’s most exciting footballer, a World Footballer of the Year, who again struggled to dazzle off the pitch. His 2005 run for president promised a fairytale ending when he won the first round, but he lost a run-off to Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf. A second bid for the presidency has not been ruled out. Menzies Campbell One of the few whose political career eclipsed his sprinting achievements, he stopped running for Britain after the 1964 Tokyo Olympics and started running for the Liberals, later the Lib Dems. Sebastian (Lord) Coe, UK The Olympic double-gold medallist was elected to parliament in 1992, became a life peer in 2000 and helped London win the 2012 games. Bernard Laporte, France Rugby union scrum half who served Nicolas Sarkozy as sports secretary . Bill Bradley, US An NBA star in the 1970s , he rapidly reinvented himself as a Democrat politician, winning a Senate race within a year of retiring in 1977. After three terms he tried, and failed, to secure the Democrat nomination for the 2000 presidential election. Colin (Lord) Moynihan An Olympic silver medallist in Moscow in 1980 who swapped a cox’s seat in the men’s rowing eight for a safe Conservative seat in parliament . Manny Pacquiao Philippines Boxing Sebastian Coe Sir Menzies Campbell Imran Khan guardian.co.uk

He has seen off all comers. Now the great Filipino fighter is trying to make the rare leap from sportsman to statesman Manny Pacquiao is used to the frenzy. Tens of thousands of fans bob and throng feverishly in front of the stage in the heavy, sticky heat of a tropical night. Young and old, rural and urban, devout and secular: all are eager for a glimpse of the man who is undeniably the Philippines’ most famous sporting hero. For a man who is a boxing phenomenon, it is a familiar scene. Pacquiao is used to punishing opponents in front of crowds like this. Only on this occasion, he is turned out not in his trademark red flame-emblazoned white shorts and robe but in jeans and an orange shirt. A natural entertainer, he cradles a guitar and shows off another string to his bow: a singsong-like baritone that belts out a campaign tune. “I would not be where I am today without you, and now I want to help the Philippines,” he declares, warming to his theme. “What is important is my relationship to God and to the Filipino people.” Pacquiao’s rise from extreme poverty to sporting superstardom is a narrative that resonates with many Filipinos. But as the campaign for the crucial 10 May general elections intensifies here, the man considered the best pound-for-pound fighter the world has ever seen, with 51 wins out of 56 bouts in a 17-year career, is facing a far greater challenge than just another welterweight slugger in the ring. In running for Congress in a rural province of Mindanao, Pacquiao joins a rare group of athletes who have sought to make the leap from sportsman to statesman. “Boxing is about honour,” he tells the Guardian in an interview during some rare downtime in a pool bar that he owns in General Santos City. “Now I want to be known as a good public servant. I want to be known as a generous person.” Politically, it is a seductive message. Forty per cent of Filipinos live on less than $2 (£1.30) a day. Pacquiao has already been drawing on a personal fortune estimated at upwards of $40m to support projects in his province such as one that provides drinking water for impoverished areas. Sometimes he opts for instant charity: guards at his mansion say he rarely leaves home without giving cash to the crowds of destitute people who gather there each day. His electoral pitch is that he would lobby for the most basic needs of the 600,000 people in his district: livelihood programmes, free education, healthcare and medical assistance. “That’s the major problem right now,” he says after shooting a few frames of pool with some friends. “Do they need money? No. They need livelihood, to feed their family. They will not ask the government to help them if they have work.” The fever surrounding “Pacman”, as he is known, is heady. But some sceptics note that sports stars do not always fare well in politics. The economist Winnie Monsod, a professor at the University of the Philippines, says she does not doubt his sincerity. But she warns: “I am not ready to translate that sincerity into actual deeds, because the other politicians he associates with do not exactly have the highest reputation for integrity.” Pacquiao has aligned himself with the presidential candidate Manny Villar, who is taking on a colourful slate of candidates. Among these are Benigno Aquino, the son of the former president Corazon Aquino, and the disgraced ex-president Joseph Estrada. Imelda Marcos, the widow of the former dictator, is also running for Congress. Pacquiao’s failed attempts at an acting and singing career may also indicate people’s lack of readiness to accept him in a new role. “They love him as a boxer but may not be ready to take him in any other capacity,” Monsod says, adding that he failed to get elected three years ago for that very reason. Pacquiao’s politics are informed by early years that millions here can relate to. The eldest of six children living with a single mother, he became the provider at a young age, spending his days finding food, water and shelter. He has said: “We were so poor I tried to sleep outside in a cardboard box when I was 10 years old. And some days, I didn’t eat. “I feel what the people feel right now because I have been there. We need a leader who has experienced this and who will never forget it.” For a merciless pugilist, Pacquiao is surprisingly eloquent, communicating with a simplicity as powerful as his jabs. He prays at least three times a day, and has a priest come to the dressing room for prayer before each fight. His bodyguard, Ernesto Madidis, says Pacquiao’s faith is a core value. “He really doesn’t change. He never turned his back on where he comes from. He still plays with the friends he had when he would sell doughnuts at 4am, and still knows the name of everyone in the area he grew up in.” Other supporters, such as Zed Protactio, are taken by his generosity: “He is not thinking of himself but of the people,” Protactio says. “Most politicians are not like this. Even before he entered politics, he had a track record of helping people. He is not materialistic. He has enough, so gives the rest.” The majority of Filipino voters are tired of a deeply corrupt political system in which candidates make promises during their campaigns only to forget them later. Pacquiao’s team says the boxer intends to lead by example. But even if he wins – and his team admits he has a fight on his hands, against a candidate from a dominant local family – he may find it hard to punch his weight. As a legislator in a parliament renowned for balking at passing bills to help disenfranchised and marginalised sectors of society, Pacquiao’s influence may be limited. He refuses to be drawn on whether he sees Congress as just a first step towards higher political office. Monsod said: “He needs to be able to sell his ideas. What he is saying about not being corrupt is not enough to make him an effective politician.” Pacquiao’s ability to transform ideas into action will also depend on how well the Nacionalista party, led by Villar, does at the polls, Monsod said – and on whether, if his political career does take off, he acts as a member of the club that holds power. Manny Pacquiao Philippines Boxing guardian.co.uk

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The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called on all the candidates running for the presidency in the Philippines to make a public commitment to overturn the country’s culture of impunity for the killing of journalists. The call comes as the Philippines government announced it would drop charges of multiple murder against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan , both of whom were arrested after the massacre of 58 people, including 32 members of the media, last November. The IFJ, in company with other press watchdogs and many Filipino journalists, believes the decision – made by the Philippines’ acting justice secretary, Alberto Agra – suggests political interference in the judicial process. The Ampatuan family is known for its support of the government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo , and for involvement in voting irregularities that benefited Arroyo in previous elections. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said in a statement: “It is not for us to proclaim the innocence or guilt of either Ampatuan… But neither is it for Agra to do so. Not after the charges have been formally filed in court. Not after the judge has issued a commitment order against them.” Source: IFJ Press freedom Journalist safety Philippines Roy Greenslade guardian.co.uk

Freelance radio reporter Edwin Segues was shot dead on Wednesday in Mindanao in the southern Philippines. He was on his way to work when he was approached by two men on a motorcycle, who shot him three times before driving off. The Philippines was the most deadly country for journalists in 2009 when 38 journalists were killed because of their work – 32 of them in the infamous Maguindanao massacre in November 2009. Source: IPI Journalist safety Press freedom Philippines Roy Greenslade guardian.co.uk

The Elections Commission had denied Ang Ladlad accreditation as a party last November because it tolerated ‘immorality’ The Philippine supreme court overturned a decision yesterday barring a gay rights group from contesting national elections in May and recognised it as a legitimate political party for the first time. In a unanimous ruling, the 15-member court threw out decisions by the Elections Commission denying accreditation to Ang Ladlad (Out of the Closet) on grounds that it tolerates immorality and offends both Christians and Muslims. The justices said the party had complied with all legal requirements, and that there is no law against homosexuality. “I felt vindicated,” said the group’s leader, Danton Remoto, an English professor at the Jesuit-run Ateneo de Manila University. He said that Ang Ladlad had struggled for recognition and accreditation for the past seven years. The Elections Commission caused outrage among gay people and liberals in November by saying the group could not run as a political party because it “tolerates immorality which offends religious beliefs.” Three of the commissioners cited passages from the Bible and the Quran to justify their ruling, claiming that Ang Ladlad exposes young people to “an environment that does not conform to the teachings of our faith.” Homosexuals are generally accepted in the Philippines and many prominent Filipinos are openly gay, despite the dominant Roman Catholic religion’s rejection of same-sex relations. The group has received support from Leila de Lima, head of the independent Commission on Human Rights, who denounced the November ruling as “retrogressive” and smacking of “discrimination and prejudice.” The group filed a case in January in the Supreme Court, which said that government is neutral and no legal impediment should be imposed on groups on religious grounds. “The denial of Ang Ladlad’s registration on purely moral grounds amounts more to a statement of dislike and disapproval of homosexuals, rather than a tool to further any substantial public interest,” the court said. Ang Ladlad is one of more than 100 parties seeking to win 50 of the 286 seats in House of Representatives allocated for marginalised sectors. Philippines Gay rights Human rights guardian.co.uk

Photographs from the Guardian’s Eyewitness series

Photographs from the Guardian’s Eyewitness series

Imelda Marcos, the now 80-year-old widow of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, is standing for congress in Ilocos Norte, northern Philippines

Former first lady – now 80 years old – hopes political platform will enable her to bury her husband in a heroes’ cemetery Imelda Marcos, former first lady of the Philippines, has begun a campaign for a congressional seat that she hopes will allow her to bury her husband in a heroes’ cemetery and clear his sullied name. Marcos, 80, and nearly 18,000 other politicians are traversing the impoverished south-east Asian nation on the first official day of campaigning for the 10 May elections. Presidential and senatorial candidates have been campaigning for more than a month. Police say political violence, which often goes hand-in-hand with campaigning, has already claimed close to 80 lives, including 57 people massacred on the 23 November in an election caravan in southern Philippines. Also among the celebrity candidates is the boxer Manny Pacquiao, who is seeking a congressional seat in his southern province. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who has been threatened with criminal charges by critics when her turbulent term ends in June, is another candidate for the 287-seat lower chamber. Emerging from more than a decade of political obscurity, Marcos strode back with a vengeance. She led journalists at daybreak to the mausoleum of her husband, Ferdinand Marcos, in Ilocos Norte province, his northern stronghold. Kissing his glass coffin (above), she said: “This is one of our major injustices.” She then went to church and rode on a lorry festooned with balloons and posters as thousands cheered her along the way. She was flanked by her daughter Imee, who is running for governor in Ilocos Norte, a tobacco-growing region about 250 miles (400km) north of Manila. Imelda’s son, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, is seeking a senate seat. Marcos said she will continue her campaign to have her husband buried in the national heroes’ cemetery in Manila if she wins. His burial there has been opposed by officials amid public outrage after Marcos – accused of corruption, political repression and widespread human rights abuses – was ousted in a 1986 revolt and died in exile in Hawaii three years later. Imelda Marcos and their three children were allowed to return to the Philippines in 1991. She said: “My ambition is to serve without end and to love without end.” Philippines guardian.co.uk

November 2009 killings blamed on Ampatuan clan – allies of the president – trying to eliminate rival Mangudadatu family from poll A Manila court has issued formal arrest warrants for 189 people suspected in the election-related massacre of 57 people last year – the country’s largest murder case since war crimes trials that followed the second world war. Most of the suspects are former government-armed militiamen and police loyal to a powerful clan. The court ordered police to continue detaining seven others including the clan patriarch, Andal Ampatuan Sr , and several of his sons, who were arrested without formal warrants on suspicion of plotting the 23 November killings in southern Maguindanao province, said a state prosecutor, Juan Pedro Navera. Among those covered by the arrest warrants are 47 police officers who were placed in custody after being suspended by the national police for alleged involvement in the killings, said Francisco Don Montenegro, chief of the national police investigation and detection group. The 142 others still at large included 99 former militiamen, 16 police officers and four soldiers, Montenegro said. Within days of the massacre police arrested the clan leader’s son, Andal Ampatuan Jr, on multiple murder charges . Prosecutors filed an indictment against his father and 195 others in February. No arrest warrants were issued at that time because prosecutors were still gathering evidence and witnesses. The indictment said they were all part of a conspiracy to ambush and kill members of the rival Mangudadatu family and their supporters, who were gunned down on a hilltop in Maguindanao. The attack apparently was aimed at preventing Esmael Mangudadatu from challenging the Ampatuans’ control of the province in an election in May for the governorship. Among those killed were 30 journalists and their staff covering the filing of Mangudadatu’s candidacy papers. Election violence and political killings in the Philippines have claimed hundreds of lives in the last 10 years, but only the war crime trials of Japanese commanders in the Philippines involved more victims, said Agnes Devanadera, a former justice secretary. The 69-year-old Ampatuan Sr, a political ally of the president, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, has denied any involvement and said the charges were fabricated. The Ampatuans are facing separate charges of rebellion for allegedly mobilising armed resistance against the government after the massacre. Philippines guardian.co.uk

By Julian Miglierini BBC News, Mexico City The first Mexican opera to deal directly with the country’s drugs conflict has staged its premiere in Mexico City. The opera, Only the Truth, is based on a popular Mexican song of the 1970s which tells the story of a woman who smuggles marijuana into the US. Her lover betrays her and in an act of crazy revenge, she murders him. Violence connected to Mexico’s drugs trade has killed more 15,000 people in the past three years. Since the song was first made popular, the central character of Camelia la Tejana seems to have become a mix of fact and fiction. Many women have claimed to be the song’s inspiration. Gabriela Ortiz, one of the opera’s authors, believes this is because her role goes beyond the expected, submissive part women often have in such tales. “This is exactly the opposite,” she said. “This is a very strong woman who finally kills her lover and disappears with the money. She became like a hero.” ‘Narco corrido’ But it is in her role as a drugs trafficker that Camelia’s story has more resonance for today’s Mexico, as Jose Arean, the opera’s musical director explained. “Out of the last 20 years, I would say, this is the one opera that is telling us a story that is not only on everyone’s mind, but also in the headlines. It is how Mexico is perceived outside as well,” he said. The song on which the opera is based is a corrido, a type of Mexican ballad initially created to tell epic stories of heroes from the Mexican revolution a century ago. In recent years, a whole sub-genre known as “narco corridos” has developed that narrates the adventures of the drugs barons. Some have called for the narco corridos to be banned, but artists defend their freedom of expression. The drugs issue seems to have permeated every aspect of Mexico’s culture – even that elusive, hard to reach genre that is opera.

Albader Parad, one of the Philippines’s most wanted Abu Sayyaf leaders, killed in Jolo island raid, says military Philippine marines killed a top al-Qaida-linked militant commander and five other extremists today in an assault on a rebel camp on a southern island, a senior military officer said. Albader Parad, a wanted militant leader was among the dead following a raid on a camp belonging to the Abu Sayyaf group outside Maimbung township on Jolo island, said Lieutenant General Benjamin Dolorfino, head of the military’s western Mindanao command. “It’s a very significant gain in our campaign against terrorism because we all know that Albader Parad is one of the influential leaders [of the Abu Sayyaf],” he told the Associated Press. “This will have a very big demoralising effect on the other members and shows that they cannot hide forever from the arms of the law.” Government troops first encountered Parad’s group late on Saturday and caught up with them at the encampment early today, he said. One marine was killed and three others were wounded in the clash, a marines spokesman said. The recovery of the dead militants and their weapons indicated the Abu Sayyaf gunmen were caught by surprise and could have suffered more casualties since it was unusual for them to leave the bodies of dead comrades behind, Dolorfino said. He said a 30-man marine platoon was backed by other troops deployed to block the escape of the militants from their encampment on Jolo, where the militants have operated for years despite a US-backed military campaign against them. The Abu Sayyaf, which has about 400 fighters, has been blamed for numerous bombings, beheadings and kidnappings of Filipinos and foreigners. It is believed to have received funds from al-Qaida and is on a US list of terrorist organisations. Parad is accused of the abduction of three International Red Cross workers on Jolo early last year. The three – a Filipino, a Swiss and an Italian – were eventually freed by the militants. Philippines Global terrorism al-Qaida guardian.co.uk

Andal Ampatuan Sr indicted with 196 others including soldiers and police after 57 people were killed by gunmen Prosecutors in the Philippines today filed murder charges against the head of a powerful clan and 196 others, including his three sons, for the massacre of 57 people in November. The indictment said Andal Ampatuan Sr and the others were part of a conspiracy to ambush and kill members of the rival Mangudadatu family, who were shot by 100 gunmen in Maguindanao province, in the southern Philippines. Twenty-five other members of his family, 65 soldiers and police officers, and 106 members of a civilian militia force were also charged over the murders. Copies of the indictment papers showed witnesses had identified some of the Ampatuans as among those who shot most of the victims at close range. Other family members were alleged to have helped plan the massacre. Among those killed in the country’s worst election violence were 30 journalists on their way to cover the filing of candidacy papers of Esmael Mangudadatu, who is running for governor, in the May elections. Mangudadatu, claiming he had received death threats from the Ampatuans, had sent his wife and other female relatives and supporters to the provincial capital in the expectation that the group would not be harmed. Before today’s indictment, only the patriarch’s son, Andal Ampatuan Jr, had been formally charged . The 69-year-old clan patriarch, once an ally of President Gloria Arroyo, has denied any involvement and said the charges were fabricated. He also denied a witness’s statement saying he allegedly told his son, Andal Jr, “You know what to do” with the people in the convoy. The Ampatuans are facing separate charges of rebellion for allegedly mobilising armed resistance against the government after the massacre. The family was expelled from the governing party after the killings. Last week, relatives of 14 of the journalists killed asked the nascent Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations to ensure the suspects did not escape justice. The indictment came as the election campaign officially got under way. Fifty million voters will choose a new president and thousands of lower positions on 10 May. One of the frontrunners in the presidential contest is Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, the son of the former president Corazon Aquino, who died last year of cancer. Aquino has seen his big lead in the opinion polls evaporate. A rich property developer, Manny Villar, is virtually level with Aquino, after an advertising spending spree. Third in the polls is the disgraced former president Joseph Estrada, who was forced out halfway through his first term in 2001 and later convicted of corruption. Philippines Mark Tran guardian.co.uk