This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. V, No. 9, April 10-16, 2005
NEWS AT A GLANCE Solon urges gov’t to curb
prostitution Gabriela Women's Party-list
Rep. Liza Maza called on the Arroyo government last April 6 to step up efforts
in curbing prostitution in the country. She made the statement following the
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) report that the flesh trade has boomed
into a multimillion-dollar industry, making it the fourth largest source of the
country’s gross national product (GNP). “In addition to addressing
the improper use of technology in the country, the government must also
prioritize the creation of jobs, the legislation of higher wages and the
imposition of price control mechanisms to give the public much needed relief
from poverty,” she said.
* * * KMP `celebrates’ IRRI’s 45th
year with rally The Kilusang Magbubukid ng
Pilipinas (KMP, Peasant Movement of the Philippines) denounced the International
Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in its 45th anniversary. Staging a
rally in front of the Department of Agriculture (DA), the KMP stressed that it
has been “a pest to Filipino farmers.” KMP spokesperson Willy
Marbella said that the IRRI, aside from allegedly stealing more than 4,800
traditional rice varieties from peasants, is now making hybrid rice that would
compete with the traditional varieties. He added that the “IRRI now has the sole
right on the use of these traditional varieties…and it says it has the right to
file charges against any farmer who would use IRRI patented varieties.” Meanwhile, Dr. Giovanni
Tapang, convenor of the Resistance and Solidarity Against Agrochemical
Transnational Corporations (RESIST), said
that with the help of Masipag, a non-government organization which has a
traditional rice variety preservation program as well as a sustainable
agricultural framework, more than 800 traditional rice varieties have been
regained by farmers. Tapang also said that the IRRI should also return the more
than 220-hectare land it has allegedly stolen from farmers in Laguna and take
responsibility for the death and diseases it caused the families in the
province.
* * * No help for undocumented
Filipino migrants Migrante Youth denounced
last April 6 the move of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs to
prohibit the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) from extending
assistance to undocumented Filipino migrants. According to the group,
House Bill (HB) No. 383, authored by Rep. Roseller Barinaga (Zamboanga del
Norte) states that undocumented Filipinos should fend for themselves abroad.
Migrante Youth found it unjust, arguing that “no Filipino ever dreamed of
working overseas illegally.” The group also asked, “Does
the government ask if the billions of dollars of remittances come from
documented or undocumented migrants?” Mac Ramirez, deputy
secretary-general of Migrante Youth, called for the rejection of HB 383. “It is
the duty and responsibility of the government to look after the welfare of its
citizens abroad even if they are undocumented.” Bulatlat © 2004 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
The development of new technology in the country, the UNICEF-commissioned study
revealed, contributed to the prostitution and pornography boom in the country.
Maza added that since most parents do not earn enough, many of their children
are forced to work even under exploitative conditions. Maza, however, said that
“more than technology, the country's worsening poverty is the real culprit."