NEWS AT A GLANCE

Gabriela scores Bulacan party-list officers’ arrest
 
The Gabriela Women’s Party (GWP) condemned May 14 the arrest of its secretary general for Bulacan, Riza Bunyi, along with two other Anakpawis Partylist-Bulacan chapter officers in Malolos, Bulacan following the violent dispersal of an anti-fraud protest at the Hiyas ng Bulacan Convention where the provincial canvassing is being held.

Canvass watchers of the six party-list groups were at first not allowed to observe the canvassing which further fueled their suspicions that anomalies were taking place. GWP also said no votes were recorded in some areas where they have chapters and several listed members.

Malou Turalde-Jarabe, GWP third nominee, said “dispersing protest actions instead of listening to the grievances and responding to the allegations properly only add clouds of suspicion over the conduct of the elections and its consequent results.”

The day before, members of GWP, Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Anak ng Bayan, Migrante and Suara Bangsamoro held a picket outside the convention to protest massive vote-buying and anomalous canvassing. GWP reported that on election day, votes were being bought for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Josie dela Cruz and Reli Plamenco, running for president, governor and vice-governor, respectively.

“Having failed to dissuade our members and supporters with black propaganda, it now appears that there is a systematic attempt to shave off the votes of Gabriela as well as other progressive party-list groups who are known critics of the administrations policies,” said Jarabe.

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Bring home OFWs in Iraq

Migrante Sectoral Party (MSP), a party-list of overseas Filipinos and their families, said May 12 that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should answer for the recent deaths of four overseas Filipino workers in Iraq.

The four OFWs died last May 11 after a mortar attack on the U.S. military’s Camp Anaconda in Balad, Iraq.  The four new casualties are yet to be identified.

In April, Rodrigo Reyes, a 52-year-old truck driver, was killed in an ambush on the way to Camp Charlie, where he was to deliver materials and supplies.

”Now that five OFWs have been killed in the past two weeks, we decry [Macapagal-Arroyo’s] stubborn stand of keeping the estimated 4,200 Filipinos, including 51 Filipino troops, in war-torn Iraq,” said Connie Bragas-Regalado, MSP chairperson and first nominee.

There are around 1,360 Filipinos working inside the camp while Migrante International estimates more than 4,200 OFWs working all over Iraq. This figure does not include those sent to Iraq by their companies based in Kuwait, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. 

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Lacson's treachery should forewarn all – Ka Roger 

In a May 15 statement, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) warned the people of what it called opposition presidential aspirant Panfilo Lacson’s “grand treachery in the last elections.”

CPP spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal said that Lacson's recent moves showed his “long connivance with Malacañang to intentionally frustrate the opposition's presidential bid and early on concede the elections to the incumbent.” 

Rosal said Lacson's deal with Malacañang included “insisting on his candidacy to split the opposition, his continuous rankling of the opposition to weaken its electoral campaign, his backing out from the Jose Pidal expose, his malicious insinuations about protest actions against the massive electoral fraud and lately his premature concession of the victory of the incumbent.” 

He added that all this is in exchange for “large under-the-table campaign contributions and gratuities and for the promise of a large share of power in line with Malacañang's renewed "government of national unity.’"

"What we are saying is that Lacson cannot be trusted at all, not by the opposition, and neither by the administration with whom he is now playing footsies, and certainly not by the people,” said Rosal. “The revolutionary and progressive forces have never trusted him, and his latest acts have only strengthened the basis for such mistrust." 

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OFWs warned of South Korea's new employment system

Migrante International warned May 13 prospective overseas Filipino workers of the alleged anti-migrant policies of South Korea’s new Employment Permit System (EPS). 

Migrante International said foremost among the EPS’ anti-migrant provisions are the stipulation that employers have to renew the migrant workers visa yearly, while OFWs have no right to change employers. Other anti-migrant policies the group cited are low pay, poor working conditions, few benefits and the trainee system.

Under the EPS, undocumented migrants in South Korea who stayed between three to four years may re-enter after leaving the country while those over four years have to leave altogether. Those who did not voluntarily exit by Nov. 16 were the target of the crackdowns. 

Instead of resolving the problem, the Philippine government is “now intently focused on the ‘new batch’ of OFWs they’re about to send because of the remittances and state exactions the Philippine government will get in exchange,” said Mark Padlan, Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants Korea coordinator.

Migrante records show there are around 290,000 undocumented workers in South Korea.

EPS was a deal signed by Philippine Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas and her South Korean counterpart to export OFWs to that country.  It was passed by the Seoul government last July 2003 and will be implemented in August this year.

Bulatlat.com

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