This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 14, May 15-21, 2005
Lawyers for lawyers Members of the Integrated
Bar of the Philippines (IBP) said that they are willing to give legal assistance
to the families of slain colleagues who were killed and harassed by unknown
assailants over the past four months. "We welcome the IBP's move
to provide legal services to the families of slain lawyers and other legal
practicioners who were killed in the course of performing their duty and
exercise of legal profession," Neri Colmenares, Bayan Muna Party-list legal
counsel, said A team of lawyers will be
sent Nueva Ecija, La Union, Metro Tacloban and other towns where the ambushes of
lawyers took place in the first five months 2005, he added.
* * * Migrant group denounces
SA finger-printing The decision to have
everyone entering Saudi Arabia finger-printed is grossly derogatory to Filipinos
and other nationals. Migrante Sectoral Party
Chair Connie Bragas-Regalado last week said that this shows a sweeping
generalization that migrant workers who enter Saudi Arabia have criminal
records. Bragas-Regalado said that
the Philippine government should look after the welfare of Filipinos who are
overstaying, stranded or undocumented in Saudi Arabia who will now be subjected
to inhumane procedures in a sweeping crackdown.
KMP opposes coco fund
appointment Kilusang Magbubukid ng
Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) last week opposed the
appointment former Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Chair Danny Coronacion as
the new chief of the Coconut Industry Investment Fund (CIIF). KMP Deputy
Secretary-General Willy Marbella raised their claim to return the coconut levy
funds to the farmers, not to an appointee of the administration. "We do not want another
Malacañang appointee who will only tighten Gloria's grip on the P140-billion
($2.58 billion, based on an exchange rate of P54.20 per U.S. dollar) coconut
levy fund,” Marbella said. Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
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