Overseas Filipino workers are dubbed as “modern-day heroes” by government. Rightly so, because their remittances prop up the economy by bringing in the much-needed dollars and stimulating domestic consumer spending. They are also “modern-day heroes” because they risk life and limb just to provide a decent income for their families. The sad part about being…
Category: Labor & Employment
Solon’s Prolonged Detention Assailed in 2-Day Vigil, Rally
Marking the sixth month of Rep. Crispin Beltran’s illegal detention, the Free Ka Bel Movement (FKBM) together with Anakpawis Party List led a two-day vigil and protest rally of labor unions, progressive organizations and Beltran’s supporters demanding the legislator’s immediate release. BY MAUREEN HERMITANIO Bulatlat.com Hundreds of supporters of Anakpawis (Toiling Masses) Rep. Crispin Beltran…
OFWs Still Being Deployed in Danger Zones
In spite of President Arroyo’s statement that it is government policy to “allow our citizens to work only in safe places,” some 1.1 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are still working, and many more are being deployed in danger zones all over the world. BY AUBREY SC MAKILAN Bulatlat.com Two Filipino truck drivers were killed…
Running from Hell: The Harrowing Story of a Filipino Migrant Worker in War-torn Lebanon
Two months of maltreatment forced Mariz Yabes, a 20-year-old mother of two from Isabela, to decide to escape from her employer. The war in Lebanon gave her a chance to flee. BY MAUREEN HERMITANIO Bulatlat.com Mariz Yabes, a 20-year-old-mother of two from Isabela, northern Philippines was still shivering and in near tears as she told…
Masbate Villagers Live Off Anchovies
The diminutive dilis (Philippine anchovy) plays a big role in the lives of villagers in Dimasalang town in the island-province of Masbate. Native folks here say it is the only fish variety that can be processed in two ways and is useful, rain or shine. BY DABET CASTAÑEDA Bulatlat.com DIMASALANG, Masbate – The sun was…
Janitors Protest Retrenchment from UP
Some 138 janitors fired by the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman campus are protesting their retrenchment. Some of them have worked in UP for as long as 16 years. BY EMILY VITAL Bulatlat.com Those who used to clean up the mess are now protesting how they were “swept out” of their jobs. Some 138…
Tug of War in Hacienda Luisita
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) has set June 10 as the date for initial land distribution in Hacienda Luisita but the parties to the dispute, including DAR, appear to be getting deeply embroiled in a tug-of-war.
Only in the Philippines
BY TRINA FEDERIS Bulatlat.com GUESS? clothing sold locally is actually sewed here in the Philippines. And while it is put up for sale at exorbitant prices, the workers just earn a pittance for their hard work. GUESS? clothing sold locally is actually sewed here in the Philippines. And while it is put up for sale…
Gov’t to Stop Illegal Quarry Operations in Luisita
BY Abner Bolos GLNS/ Bulatlat.com Posted 6:39 p.m., Apr. 27, 2006 City of San Fernando—After almost a year of protest, workers in Hacienda Luisita have succeeded in pushing the government to declare as illegal quarrying operations for the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway Project [SCTEP] inside the hacienda. Officials of the Department of Agrarian Reform [DAR], Department of…
Women Activists Protest Price Increases, Low Wages
BY Bulatlat.com Posted 7:00 p.m., Apr. 24, 2006 Around 500 members of the women’s group GABRIELA, most of them residents of urban poor communities, held a march earlier today to protest against low wages amid the rising prices of prime commodities. Prices of basic goods and services have soared anew amid the steep rise in…
Bayan Muna warns of misuse of 2006 budget for Cha-cha
Bayan Muna-Southern Mindanao Region expressed fears that the P1.06-trillion 2006 budget, now in the Senate for approval, will be used by Malacañang allegedly for the charter change drive. Bayan Muna-SMR spokesperson Jeppie Ramada criticized what he described as the “state’s propensity to consume the national budget for its personal gains.” He also recalled Election Commissioner…