By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
There are 25,737 Filipinos in Libya, working as medical workers, professors or skilled workers. Most of them, Migrante International said, are caught between the riots and are clueless as to how they would be brought out safely from Libya.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
"When we were still (in Saudi) the government did not help us. Now that we are home, they still could not extend any assistance to us." – Lubaira Guiandal, 43, one of the OFWs who lived under the Khandara Bridge while awaiting repatriation.
OFWs on Death Row and the Aquino Gov't
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
In jail, maltreated, away from home and without any assistance from the government, these OFWs are no longer concerned about pursuing their dreams of escaping poverty. Their main concern now is to survive their ordeal and be able to go home to their families as free individuals.
Sidebar: Lawmaker Calls Attention to Increasing Number of OFW ‘Drug Mules’
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat.com MANILA -- The small alley that leads to the community of urban poor dwellers along Agham Road in Quezon City was filled with ashes soaked in water. From being a congested and heavily populated area, all that was left of their...
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
She became known as the small but firebrand speaker during the protest actions leading to the People Power II uprising that ousted then president Joseph Estrada. Protesters from all walks of life, from the urban poor to well-dressed women from the elite, went near the stage whenever she spoke during rallies.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Migrante International is dismayed by the ruling, saying said that by absolving labor attaché Romulo Salud of his verbal abuse of Agnes Tenorio, the DOLE is encouraging more such abuses in the future.
I thought, at first, that it was a mere coincidence that I get to hear similar wishes over and over again from families of OFWs in distress. But in the three years that I have been writing issues concerning migrants and OFs, it never fails.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Way before Tuesday’s demolition of the houses owned by informal settlers in Corazon de Jesus, a poor community in San Juan City, the former mayor and now congressman, JV Ejercito, had declared that the US White House was the inspiration for the new city hall that he would like to build in his city.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK | The Pinaglabanan residents did not need my tears. They needed help. And if reporting about their struggles and exposing what they had to go through could help, why would I deny it to them?
Pinaglabanan Folk Fight for Their Homes
MANILA -- Amid intensifying calls againsts the impending 56% fare increase in the train systems, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) criticized the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) management and Malacañang for using the consecutive accidents at the MRT to justify the proposed hikes, calling it an act of desperation and heartlessness. (Photo by Janess Ann J. Ellao / bulatlat.com)
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
For urban poor group Kadamay, buying an expensive car such as a Porsche is like Aquino saying "I do not care if prices are high for as long as I have the money to buy myself a nice car." The group also compared Aquino to a father who ate an entire roasted chicken for himself while his children are starving.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Kentz, a major contractor that operates one of the world’s biggest nickel-cobalt refineries in the world, is accused of mistreating its Filipino workers, one of whom the company allegedly kidnapped to prevent the other abused workers from protesting.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Since Aquino became president, he has not made any significant policy that would alleviate the conditions of OFWs. Instead, his administration has allowed anti-migrant policies to continue and even reduced the budget for legal assistance for OFWs.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Denial of their rightful claim to the land they have been tilling for generations, forcible eviction, killings, and harassments continue to plague the peasantry even after the Aquino administration replaced the much-hated Arroyo administration.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Mercy Castro and Judilyn Oliveros gave birth while in police custody and had been under “hospital arrest.” Their release on Friday signaled not just a new beginning but, most importantly, a continuation of their struggle and commitment to help the poor.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
All throughout her imprisonment, Camille said, no embassy official visited her nor asked her side of the story. "I went to court hearings five times but they (Philippine embassy officials) did not attend."
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
The kuliglig is one of the quickest ways to go in and around Metro Manila's inner streets. It can navigate the smallest alleys with ease. If only the struggle by the drivers of these uniquely Filipino contraptions to keep their jobs and livelihood were as trouble-free.
Sidebar: Kuliglig, Pedicab Drivers Protest Highlights Lack in Jobs, Mass Transport
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
With or without the removal of the congressional insertions, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said, the budget for SUCs would remain lower than last year's. He said these congressional insertions were mainly allotted for scholarships and capital outlay while it is the SUCs MOOE that has suffered greatly from the budget cut.
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