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Militants oppose Charter change

The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan – New Patriotic Alliance) last week opposed moves to amend the Constitution through a constituent assembly, saying these were motivated by the vested political and economic interests of the ruling elite.

"The moves emanating from Congress to amend the Constitution is motivated mainly by Speaker Jose de Venecia's obsession to have himself elected prime minister as well as the greed of our lawmakers for greater political power once a unicameral system is in place," said Bayan Secretary General Teodoro Casiño.

Casiño added that charter change proponents also wanted to remove Constitutional provisions on the economy and national patrimony that protect the country from unbridled foreign competition and monopoly control.

Bayan also expressed concern that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her political allies would use the amendment process to postpone the 2004 elections and hold on to power until 2007.

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Shoemart workers decry sexual harassment

In attempts to diperse their picketline, company security guards sexually harass Shoemart (SM) employees, militant women’s alliance Gabriela disclosed over the weekend.

In last week’s dispersal at SM branch in Cubao, Quezon City the guards rubbed the breasts of a worker, Gabriela deputy secretary general Emmi de Jesus said.

De Jesus said the harassment aims to dampen the morale of SM workers who have been on strike for almost two months. 

In two consecutive attempts to disperse the picketline in Cubao, three were hurt, including the 10-year-old son of one of the workers.  Another worker lost his wallet and other valuables when he was reportedly mauled by the guards.

The striking workers – most of them casuals – are demanding better pay and job security as the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reached a deadlock.  

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Students oppose plan to delay schoolyear opening

The National Union of Students of the Philippines (NUSP) yesterday opposed proposals to move the opening of classes from June to September saying there is no compelling reason for the change right now.

Raymond Palatino, NUSP national president, said "We stand behind the announcement of Health Secretary Dayrit that the threat of SARS has already been contained in the country. There is now no urgent reason why we should postpone the opening of classes."

Palatino described the proposal as "insensitive and ignorant to the peculiar conditions of the country."

"June is the opening of classes in the Philippines not because of some flimsy desire to have summer vacations but the agricultural economy prevailing in the country warrants the tapping of the youth to help in harvest season during summer,” the NUSP leader said. “This may not be obvious to our leaders but it is during summer and harvest time that Filipino families earn much needed income to pay for the tuition of their children." 

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Reds denounce "terrorist" tag on MILF

The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) last week denounced U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardone and Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes for pushing that the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) be declared “terrorist” by the U.S. government. 

"Ricciardone has once again come out with another of his unabashed interventionist utterances and schemes, and the chief U.S. puppet in the AFP (Reyes) is drooling for it," said Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal, spokesperson of the CPP. Rosal also took note of the fact that many Filipinos, including in the Senate, raised vehement opposition to such proposal.  

"Upon U.S.’ prodding, the Macapagal-Arroyo government had even before already intensified its military campaigns of suppression in violation of GRP-MILF ceasefire agreements in order to scuttle the peace talks and lay the ground for the deployment of U.S. troops in wider areas of Mindanao," Rosal said. 

Reacting to military claims of a so-called NPA-MILF-MNLF-ASG alliance, Rosal also said the NDF-MILF alliance had long been know to the public. "The AFP's current fiction that the NPA and MILF are in league with the Abu Sayyaf only reveals their desperation in wanting to tarnish the integrity of both the CPP-NPA-NDF and the MILF-BMIAF."

"What actually exists and what has been exposed over and over again is the utterly despicable AFP-Abu Sayyaf alliance," Rosal said.

Bulatlat.com  

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