Bulatlat - The Philippines's alternative weekly magazine

Bu-lat-lat (boo-lat-lat) verb: to search, probe, investigate, inquire; to unearth facts

Vol. V, No. 21 July 3 - 9, 2005 Quezon City, Philippines

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	NEWS AT A GLANCE New tax to worsen crisis - Ibon Independent think-tank Ibon Foundation said in a statement that the July 1 implementation of “the expanded value-added tax (E-Vat) amid the most serious scandal that the Arroyo administration is facing will further isolate the president and fan public unrest.” Ibon also criticized President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for saying June 27 that VAT-generated revenues would be used to fund social services for the people when in fact, the think tank added, debt servicing remains the highest priority of government. The finance department itself has said that the bulk of VAT proceeds is earmarked for “deficit reduction,” such as servicing the ballooning public sector debt amounting to nearly P5.3 trillion as of end-2004. Bulatlat * * * Journalist locked up inside bathroom Reporting to the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines, Nueva Ecijia freelance journalist Carlos D. Marquez Jr. said he was harassed on June 28 by provincial board member (4th district) Napoleon Interior. Marquez, Jr. was with three other reporters. The reporters were discussing press matters at the Grill Bar and Restaurant in Cabanatuan City when Interior arrived. Interior, Marquez said, insulted the journalists accusing them of for lack of balance in reporting local politics. With his two bodyguards, Interior locked up Marquez inside the men’s room to confront him, it was reported. “Titirahin na kita” (I will attack you), Interior reportedly told Marquez. "If not for the alerted colleagues who forced open the door, I could have been beaten black and blue," Marquez said. The NUJP condemned the harassment and vowed to support Marquez if he files charges against Interior. Bulatlat * * * Philippine embassy in Lebanon accused of neglecting OFWs The chair of Migrante Sectoral Party (MSP), Connie Bragas-Regalado, last week accused the Philippine embassy in Lebanon of “criminal neglect” following reports that 10 distressed overseas Filipino workers in Beirut were not given assistance for their plight by the Philippine diplomatic officials. One of the 10 was a domestic who was reportedly raped and got pregnant. “Due to the criminal neglect of embassy officials themselves,” justice has not been served for at least three mysterious deaths of domestic workers in Lebanon last year, Bragas-Regalado also said. Regalado said that OFWs are forced to work more than 10 hours without sufficient food and not paid their salaries. Despite this treatment and the lack of social and labor accords to protect migrant workers, the Philippine government continues to deploy Filipino migrant workers to Lebanon. There are at least 30,000 OFWs in Lebanon. Bulatlat BACK TO TOP ■ PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION ■ COMMENT © 2004 Bulatlat ■ Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.