NEWS AT A GLANCE

P125 wage increase ‘long overdue’ says solon

The legislated P125 wage increase is “long overdue” and, if approved, will only serve as “an immediate economic relief” for workers in this time of increasing oil prices and the value-added tax, said Anakpawis Party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano in his Nov. 4 statement.

He said the wage increase will not pacify the people calling for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s ouster given the “burdensome VAT that she herself implements.”

Mariano also called Labor Secretary Patricia Sto.Tomas, Economic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos and Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Dep. Gov. Diwa Guinigundo “capitalist apologists” for warning that “wage increases would be inflationary.” Instead, he said that the wage increase will even strengthen the purchasing power of the people.

“Ms Arroyo’s continued refusal to certify the wage hike bill as urgent only proves her insincerity to push a P125 increase in minimum wage,” Mariano added.

Militant workers have been demanding a P125 across-the-board wage increase since 1999. Bulatlat

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Japanese religious group condemns RP killings

In its Nov. 4 statement of concern, the National Christian Council in Japan (NCCJ) condemned the spate of “political killings” in the Philippines which has victimized church leaders, trade union leaders, human rights defenders and members of progressive organizations.

The NCCJ expressed concern on the alleged participation of the police, military and civilian militias “mobilized to make way for industrial and real estate development projects against the interests of the people and the environment.” The concern has deepened, the statement said, because the “Philippine government appears to proactively sanction extrajudicial killings and brutality by security forces in the name of the 'war against terror', in which victimization of civilians is only regarded as incidental or 'bound to happen.'”

“As Japanese citizens, we feel compelled to register this concern with the government of the Philippines and Japan because Japan's ODA [official development assistance] have been playing a major role for such development projects,” the statement said.

The NCCJ has been working with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) for the last 20 years “to bring about reconciliation and peace through organizing mutual visitations and regular consultations.” In fact, NCCJ delegates to the Pastoral Ecumenical Delegation Visit organized by the World Council of Churches and the Christian Conference of Asia in July 2005 met the victims and their families and heard the testimonies firsthand. Bulatlat

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OFW group urges RP to protest spying on domestic workers in Singapore

Migrante Sectoral Party (MSP) chairperson Connie Bragas-Regalado urged the government last Nov. 1 to initiate the appropriate diplomatic actions to safeguard the interests and well-being of Filipino domestic workers. Bragas-Regalado was reacting to reports that Singaporean employers are secretly planting high-tech security cameras at home to spy on their migrant househelpers which she described as “racist and discriminatory.”

“This is downright racist and discriminatory as these moves assumes and presume that migrant domestic workers are criminals,” Baragas-Regalado, herself a former domestic worker, said.

MSP reported that more than 140,000 domestic workers, mainly from the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka, work in Singapore. Domestic workers receive the lowest salaries among all OFWs in Singapore at S$350 (P14,511) to S$400 (P16,584) as mandated under Singapore’s salary scheme, added Bragas-Regalado.

Based on reports, security camera vendors in Singapore told the media that home queries had risen sharply in the past three years, with about 20 or 30 houses having security cameras installed per day, and customers opting for coin-sized cameras that can easily go unnoticed.

There are 90,000 OFWs in Singapore working as domestic helpers, accountants and other office jobs. Bulatlat

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Church group condemns death threats on activist priest

The Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) condemned Nov. 1 the death threats on activist priest Rolando “Rollie” de Leon, the 50-year old Roman Catholic priest of the Malolos Diocese. De Leon is the parish priest of San Andres Apostol, Norzagaray, Bulacan and spokesperson of the Alyansa ng Mamamayan para sa Pantaong Karapatan and the Bulacan Ecumenical Association of Churchpeople Offing Nationalism (BEACON), the provincial chapter of PCPR.

The PCPR reported that four envelopes with words, “Isang babala para sa’yo: Ikaw na ang susunod!” (A warning for you: You’re next!), were found in the collection bags after the morning mass on Oct. 30. Three of envelops contained bullets.

De Leon and his co-workers suspected the elements of 56^th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army under Lt. Noel Clement were behind the incident and the other threats and harassment against other human rights activists in the province. He recalled being photographed by Sgt. Arnaldo Pagala of the Military Intelligence Group (MIG-3) under the Northern Luzon Command during a rally last March 16. Pagala pretended to be a media person but was found by the rallyists carrying a .45 caliber. He was brought to the police headquarters in Malolos where he admitted his real job.

The priest also said that the threat against him is “part of the systematic and nationwide pattern of political repression” under the Arroyo administration. The latest victim was Federico de Leon, Anakpawis-Bulacan chair, killed on Oct. 26 allegedly by military agents. Bulatlat

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