Dukot (Desaparecidos) Movie

From January 21, 2001 to March 31, 2009, there are a total of 1, 013 victims of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines according to KARAPATAN (Alliance for the Advancement of People's Rights) Monitor from January to March 2009. This is no secret even to the international community. If you will read Wikipedia's article about extrajudicial, you will find the same data and information.

According to the same website, the meaning of extrajudicial killings is:

Extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances in the Philippines refer to the illegal liquidations, unlawful or felonious killings and forced disappearances in the Philippines. These are forms of extrajudicial punishment, and include – extrajudicial executions, summary executions, arbitrary arrest and detentions, and failed prosecutions due to political activities of leading political, trades union, dissident and/or social figures, left-wing political parties, non-governmental organizations, political journalists, outspoken clergy, anti-mining activists, agricultural reform activists, members of legal political parties or organizations that the military claims are allied with the communist movement or suspected supporters of the NPA and its political wing, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) by either the state government, state authorities like the armed forces and police (as in Liberia under Charles G. Taylor), or by criminal outfits such as the Italian Mafia.

Same perpetrator as well: the Philippine's own government, headed by the President herself, Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo, and her agents such as the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) - of course backed and funded by the imperialist United States government. These has been investigated and proven by local non-governmental human rights organization KARAPATAN. The said organization's reports were further investigated and agreed upon by the international community through the following:

• UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions Philip Alston
• 3 FIDH experts, Mr. Nabeel Rajab (Bahrain), Mr. Mouloud Boumghar (France) and Mr. Frédéric Ceuppens (Belgium), on August 13 to 23, 2007
  

Victims range from small children, to early teens, adults and even elderly. Children, women and church people even the media, none was spared as long as you are tagged and alleged as members of left-wing organizations opposing the government. Allegations again include being members, supporters and sympathizers of the New People's Army (NPA) and its its political wing, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). The victims were also found out to be listed on various Orders of Battle being recovered from state agents such as the military or on crime scenes.

KARAPATAN has aired its fears that this killings might increase with the advent of the deadline of Oplan Bantay Laya 2 (OBL 2).

That is why, a very timely release of a new movie by Joel C. Lamangan will surely increase the people's awareness of these inhumane killings of activists:

You can also sign in our online petition that is being automatically sent to the following:

• Department of Justice of the Philippines
• UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
• UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions
• Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines
• Pope Benedict XVI

Let us work together to prevent more blood spilled with impunity in our country to stop once and for all.

Justice for all the victims of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines!!!

End Oplan Bantay Laya 2!!!

Uphold our constitutional and democratic rights!!!

Finally: Solon files bill ensuring BPO workers’ welfare, protection

In a move seeking to protect workers of the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry from labor abuses, KABATAAN Representative Mong Palatino today filed a bill that would allow BPO workers to join and form unions, institutionalize an occupational safety and health policy, and ensure just compensation for BPO workers who attend work during non-working holidays.

House Bill 6921 or the BPO Workers’ Welfare and Protection Act of 2009, Palatino said, seeks to ensure the welfare and protection of BPO workers and recognize of rights as provided by the Labor Code of the Philippines. Palatino also said his office has also been receiving a steady stream of reports and complaints on violations and abuses by BPO companies from call center workers.

Citing a data from the National Labor Relations Committee, Palatino said 327 cases were filed against BPOs involving 408 workers in Metro Manila. During the first semester of 2009, 124 cases were filed against BPOs involving 175 workers.

“There is an urgent need to pass a law that would ensure the rights of our BPO workers especially since the BPO industry touted by the government as the sunshine industry. Despite our labor laws, violations and abuses are repeatedly committed by companies, who put premium on ensuring profits at the expense of our workers’ rights and welfare,” Palatino said.

The young solon said, “We should not be distracted from the fact that even if this is a dollar earning industry, our mandate, especially the mandate of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), is to protect the workers in this sector. I think it will be advisable for the DOLE to immediately come up with a proposal to establish programs or even a committee within the department with the major intention of advancing the welfare of BPO workers,” Palatino said.

Data from the DOLE shows that there are already 500,000 workers in the BPO sector, and government predicts that the number will increase to one million by the end of 2009.

Under the proposed legislation, erring companies shall be punished with a fine of not less than Ten Thousand Pesos (P10,000) and/or imprisonment of not less than two (2) months but not more than one (1), or both at the discretion of the Court.

Meanwhile, Palatino said Kabataan Partylist would launch a series of fora and symposia among call center workers to inform them about their rights as workers of the BPO industry.

Full text of the bill can be read here.

Typhoon Ondoy (International name Ketsana): Nature's Not-So-Motherly Reminder

September 26, 2009, Typhoon Ondoy, with winds of up to 85 kilometers per hour and gustiness at up to 100 kph, devastated more than 30 areas, including Metro Manila, while it inches closer to Central Luzon that same day. In less than 24 hours time, the nation's capital experienced the worst flooding it had in 42 years. Rich and poor people alike were affected, no one was spared. Many lost a lot of their possessions; cars seem to be parked all over the place, parked askew. It was a day unexpected and dreaded by all. But it was also a very comforting and hair raising experience especially to see everyone trying to help. The media, non-governmental organizations, environmental organizations such as Green Peace, progressive partylists, personalities each did their share. Each and every ordinary person helping in his/her own way.

However, such devastation could have never befallen us, only if we are learning. We can see Mother Nature's wrath unleashed that day to our capital, where you will seldom see a patch of living greenery. We could have prevented these ordinary typhoons from becoming super typhoons if we could have taken care of our world; there could be no such a term as global warming as well.

Yes, the one affected the worst by our actions is Nature. However, if we will analyze deeper, it is not just Nature. But let us look into them one by one.

Global Warming

We don’t need any study or reference to prove that pollution in the country is worsening every day be it air, water or soil pollution. In addition, we do not want to present here numbers or data collected supposedly as to justify funds or foreign aid, e.g. the World Bank’s reports. Anyway, pollution in the country has contributed much to us experiencing the subtle yet worsening effects of global warming.

The months starting September until January are really typhoon seasons in the country. However, these typhoons are not the usual ordinary typhoons that we used to experience before. It seems like they’re leveled up typhoons.

Wherever you go around the world, all these never before experienced environmental catastrophes were all blamed to global warming, which is a fact. If we could just be more serious in proper factory waste disposal (which already killed the Pasig River and hundreds of rivers across the country), waste management, plastic eradication and stoppage of illegal logging, it could just have been one ordinary typhoon.

However, with the kind of environmental agency that we have in the face of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and our government herself represented by our President who always favor foreign requests for them to freely rape our own environment and sovereignty with the promise of prosperity, I don’t think that this would be given solution at the soonest possible time.

If the Pasig River is an alive and flowing river today, it could have easily drained the city of the waters and spilled them all to the sea. But with its current situation, it is one river that is being desperately revived with the efforts of Kapit Bisig Para Sa Ilog Pasig started by ABS-CBN, whose advocacy I also support by constantly sending GIVE ILOG to 2366.

One major cause as well of environmental problems especially landslides in some areas affected by typhoons is the unconstitutional and unregulated mining, legalized by our own government through the Mining Act of 1995. There was never such a thing as profit from these mining in the very start if you will read the said Mining Act but what is returned to us is poisoned seas, unusable soil, molested forests, destroyed lives.

Corruption in the Government and Misallocation of Its Funds

I read one post in Facebook on the height of the typhoon Ondoy that says that instead of the President spending millions for a dinner in the U.S., the said money could have been used to buy rescue boats that could have saved hundreds of trapped residents in different places in Manila.

Well that is not a bad solution indeed. Moreover, they could have come up with better solution other than buying rubber boats. We could have never experienced such catastrophe which also killed many lives if the government is building high-quality and efficient drainage system, which garbage clog from time to time. Instead of the people’s money going to the pockets of government officials and to some petty projects like paving of streets which after 3 or so months would be a hellish drive because the cement were already chipped off. That money could have been used honestly to building those lasting and efficient infrastructure.

Well, enough dreaming of Utopia. As long as this government remains to its current trending, then nothing will happen. (I do not mean Charter Change here OK. I am not in favor of it. I meant change as to whom the government is for.) But with such rigorous, patriotic and heart-full citizens and people that we saw after the typhoon, even a government who does nothing will be forced to do what it’s supposed to do and accomplish – hopefully. But this government should know its priroties. A government was created to serve the people, not a foreign few, and mostly not the few people holding positions on it.

BLOG ACTION DAY 2009: Filipino bloggers take a stand on climate change

On October 15, bloggers worldwide will speak as one on climate change. We, Filipino bloggers, have much to say and share in this global conversation.

We just survived and continue to grapple with supertyphoons Ondoy (Ketsana) and Pepeng (Parma) that snatched hundreds of lives, destroyed property and livelihood and took the issue of climate change to the very center of our conversations with family, friends, classmates, colleagues.

That it was caught unprepared to mitigate the effects of the rampaging floods is the government’s lightest offense. The worst is that it apparently ignored serious warnings raised in 2007 when an international study found the Philippines as the No. 1 victim of climate change in the previous year.

We cannot be apathetic or cynical. We as a people have the solemn duty to accept the reality of climate change, to study it, and to take a stand.

Bloggers Kapihan thus calls on Filipino bloggers to take time out on Oct. 15 to post your thoughts and aspirations, frustrations and hopes, photos, videos and stories, on climate change and how it affects our family, community, country and the globe, and how we wish to make things better.

If you wish to join this event, write a post on climate change on Oct. 15 and place a link to this post. You may also spread the word about Blog Action Day by placing this badge on your blog:

OFW

I entered one of the internet cafes in the City, and the only vacant seat was that beside a mother and with her is her daughter, which I guess is about 7 or 8 years old. The poor child has to give way of course for me. Anyway, I became curious what the mother and her daughter were up to. I saw the mother setting up the webcam and the headphone. They are going to chat with her husband. The husband, I learned through eavesdropping (sorry!) is an Overseas Filipino Worker or OFW as known to all.

While I was so busy checking my farm in Country Story*, I can see the child so busy typing what she wanted to tell her father, while the mother is busy talking with her husband over the headphone. Fine, I cleaned my tanks and sold the adult fishes in Fish World*. Then, the mother started scolding the daughter slightly. The daughter was crying silently. Poor little girl, and one can see the missing, the sadness, the loss she’s feeling in between those silent sobs.

That was the time that I started to come back to my senses. That has caused my week-old writer’s block to dissolve in thin air. So here I am, writing, while listening to David Archuleta’s songs. Running is currently playing.

OK, I am done with cleaning my restaurant and successfully leveled up to Level 8, hired my fifth worker, and had my helpers rest in Restaurant City*, the little girl is still so busy typing on the chat window the words she wanted to tell her father, though I cannot read them. There was this still constant tear that I can see forming on the side of her eyes. (Though the lady on my left is pissing me off as she was singing Jai Ho while watching a video over You Tube, where there are lyrics as well. Imagine her singing with that not so good voice, with the headset on her ears! I am so bad really :-)...)

Anyway, going back. They are the perfect picture and the epitome of the real economic situation of the country. Parents forced to leave their children and their families to work abroad, for some even in very destitute situations, with hopes that that ultimate sacrifice will eventually hurl their loved ones from the slowly killing poverty.

We cannot do anything for them at times but to feel sorry for them. Helpless overseas workers, facing death penalties on foreign soils, mothers and female workers raped, abused, treated like dogs, experiencing all kinds of abuses, are some of the situations all aspiring to work abroad are dreadful of and praying to be not their fate.

But again, these are the sad realities that await some of our not so fortunate Kababayans. If we will look on the bigger picture, we can attest the situation to the very poor situation in the country. This is the very reason why we question the government’s claims of creating millions of jobs every year. Again, to hell with their words, especially the Malacañang executives headed by the foreign-serving President herself, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Philippine unemployment rate in April 2008 rose to 8.0 percent according to a report published by AFP in March of the same year.

To quote,

"Unemployment in the Philippines rose to 8.0 percent in April as economic growth began to ease amid soaring food and energy prices, the government said Tuesday.

This was up from 7.4 percent in January, the National Statistics Office said in its quarterly employment report.

Manila and the surrounding provinces, which together account for more than half the country’s economic output, had double-digit jobless rates topped by Manila’s 13.8 percent.

Of those who were employed, 35.7 percent only had part-time work of less than 40 hours a week, the office said. Economic growth eased to 5.2 percent in the three months to March amid rising oil prices, the slowing US economy and the strong peso, which impacted on exports and pushed up inflation.

The economy grew 7.2 percent for the whole of 2007. Some 49.6 percent of those employed worked in the services sector, 35.5 percent in the agriculture sector and 14.9 percent in industry.

Unskilled workers made up 32.6 percent of those employed, while farmers, forestry workers and fishermen accounted for 17.3 percent.”

Now, these I believe has neither changed nor improved as you all will agree, won’t you? On her recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), the President, again, boasted of the jobs she has created. What jobs, those street sweepers and cleaners contracted only for some months? And afterwards, what will happen? Of course, back to unemployment.

This is due to the programs of the government which are not meant to really help and give jobs, real and stable jobs, for the Filipino people. If the government is really sincere in her intentions, there will be no jobless Filipinos in the long run. The problem again is that this government is always after the thumbs up of foreign investors. These present government has been in the office for almost 9 years, but things has been worse than before.

To site as an example, she [the government] could have opposed the law that allows companies to hire workers as contractual workers only. That has alleviated big companies the pain-in-the-ass process of regularizing their employees, and of course relieved of the duties they have for regular employees. Due to that, the employees’ rights are continually and openly violated many times. I have experienced such oppressing scheme in a former job I have. For a good employee to stay in the company when her contract ends, re-application is a must, UNDER A DIFFERENT NAME, under a different identity, again to be a contractual worker.

Secondly, until now, the HB 1722: Legislating the P125 Across the Board Wage Hike is still sitting in Congress, being fought for by our Representatives, Representatives of the real pro-masses progressive Party-lists (Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, and Gabriela, being supported by Kabataan Party-list, the only legitimate youth party-list in Congress).

The said bill is impractical according to DOLE. That would hurt more the workers in the long run according to Esther Guirao, officer-in-charge of National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) (back in 2001 when this statement was released). Many establishments that would be unable to grant P125 across-the-board increase in December, she said, might just opt to close their businesses, leading to massive unemployment.

It would adversely hit many of the people and cause more suffering because the affected manufacturers and producers would raise the prices of their commodities rather than absorb the added weight of increased wages by themselves.

Clarifying reports that the NWPC was blocking a P125 daily wage hike, Guirao said the wage boards, while deliberating on the amount of increment to be given to workers, are opposed only to an across-the-board mode of increase.

That was in 2001. It is 2009 already and nothing has come out of “consultations conducted in at least five other regions”. Again, that was back in 2001.

But, is that really the reason behind DOLE and the government’s turtle-like speed in addressing this issue? Or is it due to the pressures of the crocodiles living in the waters around Malacañang palace? If this bill will be passed in Congress, in the Senate and eventually by the President, then I don’t think I will be seeing another mother and daughter with the same heart-breaking situation in the near future. These companies have already enjoyed all these years the benefits of underpaying and under compensating their employees. So I don’t think it would be very hard for them to adjust. And besides, if the government will support such move, I don’t think there would be much problem, wouldn’t it? If that HB will be passed into a law, I don’t think the brain drain that is happening in the country will continue.

When will the government start to be for her people and not for anybody else?

P125 Across the Board Wage Hike Now!!!
Real jobs for the Filipino people!!!
Protect the democratic rights of workers!!!


*These are games in Facebook, a Networking site.

No To Legazpi As Casino City!!!

This has been the one of the hottest news in Legazpi City. A Casino will soon open in Embarcadero, described as "one of the most anticipated developments in the city of Legazpi" and "is a major waterfront development located at the harbor area of Legazpi City adjacent to the alluring Kapuntukan Hill (also called Sleeping Lion Hill)".

I just posted this in my Facebook account: "No to Legazpi as Casino City!", and a couple of reactions have been cast already. Well, such reaction is anticipated as is a rain with a heavy and dark mass of clouds. Well, this is a legitimate question indeed, "What's wrong with a Casino in a premiere city such as Legazpi?" Another friend even made a comment that sounds like, "are these people protesting against a casino in Embarcadero taking morality as their grounds are actually living a moral life?" Two legitimate questions actually.

With the first question, there are too many to mention short-time and long-time effects of Casinos. Quoting CBCP former president and Archbishop Oscar Cruz of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan in Pangasinan, when he slammed the proposal to allow casinos to operate in the country when they were first proposed last year with P2.85 billion (approx US$60.5 million) budget for 2009, “These official gambling houses do not only cater to those who crave for the money of everybody else, but in effect provide for the making of gambling addicts, for their commission of different crimes to sustain their vice of gambling—to the extent of doing away with own families." This was further supported by Pamalakaya, a legitimate fisherfolk alliance in the country. They knew the one of the effects of casinos in the lives of the small fishermen when 16 years ago, the government forcibly evicted about 5,000 fishing families in Pasay Reclamation Area along Manila Bay to pave way for more reclamation of more coastal waters to host the ambitious multi-billion dollar casino and entertainment complex along the bay.

Not only those, the real point of casinos in the lives of people is that they usually produce an array of crimes like prostitution, breaking up of families, theft, embezzlement of funds, issuance of bad checks and aggravated burglary, including increasing cases of child abuse and family abandonment. All of those so to sustain their vice of gambling. All of those mentioned are just a few reasons why we are questioning and protesting against the putting up of casinos in Legazpi City. All of those are the reasons why we question it based on the grounds of morality.


In addition, people who are proposing the said casinos' are boasting of thousands or even millions of pesos of revenues that these casinos will bring to the city. Well those revenues will just be spent to the cost to society of the problem gambler.

To illustrate the exact impacts of casinos on public, Pamalakaya cited the report made by U.S. Senator Paul Simon to the U.S. Senate Committee investigating the effects of casinos on the American public. Quoting Simon's report in the U.S. Senate in the early 1990s, the group said, “Costs to society of the problem gambler vary from the most conservative estimate of US$13,200 to US$30,000 per year."

According to a study cited in the senator report, "Overall, the state gains US$326 million in net revenue from the presence of the casinos. However, this figure is reduced substantially -- to US$166.25 million -- when even the lowest estimated social costs of compulsive gambling are included in the calculations. With mid-range estimated social costs, the overall impact becomes negligible, while with higher social-cost estimates, the impact becomes clearly negative."

The fisherfolk group further stressed the presence of casinos would attract more people to gamble as in the case of Illinois: “The Simon report points out that nationally, less than 1 percent or 0.77 percent of the population are compulsive gamblers, but when enterprises are located near a population, that number increases two to seven times."

The second question of are we living moral lives to speak against something immoral? Well, she might first ask the people in the Diocese of Legazpi if they do, because they are in the front lines with us against the putting up of casinos in the city. Besides, that is out of the question. As I've answered her, immorality is man's second nature. But as men, we do struggle to the point of overcoming such weakness. Besides, if we will allow ourselves to be conquered by our own weakness, then we will stay in one corner, with our tails between our legs. Anyways, that is basically out of the question. She's a political science student, so I know she will understand the hollowness in her reasoning.

Going back, we had the same questions before the Embarcadero was opened. That time, they did not even tilted a head to listen. Now, many local fisherfolks were dislocated as they were forcibly evicted as well so the construction of Embarcadero will push through. Remaining local fishermen are also ailing because of the alarming scarcity of fishes which was unlikely before the Embarcadero was constructed. Soon, we will be summarizing here the many lives and families broken and disentangled and many more social problems that will pester the city like flies and cockroaches.
People might see us as hindrance to development. People might see this as just for the sake of protesting, the leftist way. Again, the question here is morality, not economy. Lest we will answer to the children of the deranged and broke gamblers who will be attracted by these casinos. If we can stop such hideous effects now, what's to be afraid of voicing out againsts the cause?

YES TO PROGRESS, NO TO GAMBLING!
NO TO LEGAZPI AS CASINO CITY!

Brace for jeers at wake, solon tells Arroyo - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

Brace for jeers at wake, solon tells Arroyo - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipinos

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