By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com Migrant groups have launched an on line campaign for the scrapping of the Aquino government’s affidavit of support (AOS) requirement for those going to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The AoS is a documentary requirement certifying that an OFW dependent who will be traveling with a visit…
Category: Other Stories
Guimba peasants face calamities all year round
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat.com Main Story: Groups slam inadequate government assistance to farmers affected by typhoons MANILA — Even as the floods in northern Luzon started to subside, peasants from Guimba, Nueva Ecija said it would take some time before they could recover from the calamity, which they refer to not only the…
Critics view cha cha as 10 times more disastrous than current typhoons
By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com Main Story: Groups say Constitution needs enabling laws, not amendments MANILA — In Tuesday’s hearing in Congress by the Committee on Constitutional Amendments, few groups expressed support for amending the economic provisions of the constitution. Of the nearly 20 groups that arrived to take part in the discussion, most expressed opposition…
Groups say Malacanang using double-standards in Llamas AK-47 case
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com President Benigno Aquino III may not like the “wang-wang” of emergency sirens, but it looks like he doesn’t mind the “bang-bang.” This was the reaction of various groups after reports came out that personal friend presidential adviser Ronald Llamas owns a high powered assault weapon, specifically an AK-47. The…
Santa residents assert protection of their natural environment and resources
By JOAN GARCIA Bulatlat.com ILOCOS SUR – 386 kilometers north of Manila, the town of Santa, Ilocos Sur boasts of being in the center of the Ilocos Range, Abra River and the China Sea. If one is traveling from Manila to Vigan, there is no shortage of eye candy when passing through Santa: the green…
What happened to Aquino’s programs addressing climate change? – solon
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com What has happened to the Aquino administration’s commitment to address issues connected to climate change? In the aftermath of two killer typhoons Pedringa and Quiel, a lawmaker is demanding that President Benigno Aquino III issues a report on the accomplishments of his administration’s Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Program.…
On World Teachers Day, teachers ‘chalk walk’ to Malacañang
By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL Bulatlat.com MANILA — “We are overworked but underpaid, but even so, I never think of quitting my job,” said Michelle Silva, a teacher of five years at the Demetrio Tuazon Elementary School. On this year’s World Teachers Day, Silva, like other hundreds of teachers from across the country, joined the…
Fisherfolk group planks to stop Apeco, calls for probe of Angara
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com MANILA — The Pambansang Lakas ng Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) and allied groups under the Resist Apeco! Defend Aurora Movement are pressing the Senate to investigate one of its own. In a symbolic protest which saw leaders of Pamalakaya “planking” on massive stones lining the breakwater area in front…
VAT on toll fees, a precedent for all public services under PPPs
By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com MANILA – It is bad enough that the Philippine government has been ceding to the private sector the operation of vital public services such as major highways, turning its operation into a business instead of a public service. What is also worrisome even for authors and consultants to the crafting of…
Students, administrators of SUCs troop to Senate budget deliberations
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat.com MANILA — John Mark Malquisto, 19, was forced to stop schooling after his grandfather, who shouldered his school needs, died. “I really wanted to study but what can I do? I do not have the resources to send myself to school,” Malquisto told Bulatlat.com. After his parents separated, Malquisto’s…
Radio workers in Davao gear up for strike
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – Workers of a radio station based in Davao City are gearing for a strike after the management insisted on a moratorium on increases in salaries and benefits. Members of the Radio Mindanao Network Davao Employees’ Union (RDEU), filed a notice of strike at the Department of Labor and…