By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
“While the government relies on the remittances of our OFWs to keep the economy afloat, there are still many cases of abused OFWs because the government continues to neglect them.” – Garry Martinez, Migrante
Day: June 15, 2012
Former POEA chief axed because of politics?
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com Main Article: Conditions of OFWs worsened under Aquino – migrant group MANILA – The appointment of Carlos Cao, Jr. as chief administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), January last year, could have been the start of reforms in the agency. According to Migrante International, Cao has been,…
Cheaper medicines law hasn’t served the poor
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star Four years ago last June 6, the Cheaper Medicines Law (Republic Act 9502, the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act of 2008) passed after contentious debates in the 14th Congress, was signed into law by President Gloria M. Arroyo. R.A. 9502 was intended…
Dunces and dupes
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld With the usual irony was June 12 marked this year in a country hardly aware of its history. Benigno Aquino III spoke at Barasoain Church in Malolos, Bulacan, where the First Philippine Republic was inaugurated on January 23, 1899, less than a year after Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed…
The big lie: special relations
By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo Streetwise | BusinessWorld It seems ironical that the much-heralded meeting between Philippine President Aquino and US President Obama would take place just a few days before the Philippines marks Independence Day. Here is the president of a poor and backward but supposedly independent country seeking and getting the requisite political pat-on-the-back from…
Who gained from Aquino’s US and UK visits?
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat.com Malacañang is saying that Pres. Benigno Aquino III’s visit to the UK and the US netted $2.5 billion in investments from Europe and the US. It also said that it has gained the commitment of the US to help improve the country’s external defense capabilities, specifically on the aspect of maritime…
Slain urban poor leader, a servant of the poor, loving husband and grandpa
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
“Thank you for opening your home to us. Thank you for laughing with us. Thank you for sharing your stories. Thank you for showing us what it means when we say that a ‘true revolutionary is guided by feelings of love.” – LFS San Francisco
Congress fast-tracks corporatization of public hospitals
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
“Essentially this bill is a disguised privatization scheme to further let go of the government’s responsibility for health care. It is meant to facilitate private-public partnerships and is thus one step closer to the full privatization of our hospitals.” – Bayan Muna Rep. Teddy Casiño
Severely-underpaid teachers given bulk of K+12 program implementation
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com MANILA — A week into the 2012-2013 school year, problems are still erupting left and right in the country’s public school system because of the implementation of the K+12 program. Mercedita Rillo, 31, has recently enrolled her daughter in a private school. For the second year in a row,…