It is a shame to hear that the Commission on Human Rights, despite the taxing demand it now faces amid unsolved and continuing cases of extrajudicial killings, abductions, torture, and disappearances, is getting a mere pittance from the country’s PhP 1.4 trillion (USD 29.1 billion) budget for this year. BY RORIE R. FAJARDO Project Coordinator…
Category: Other Stories
12% VAT on LPG, Enough to Buy a Meal for a Family
Based on the computations of the Center for Women Resources (CWR), the 12-percent Value-Added Tax (VAT) on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) is already enough to buy one meal for a family. BY ALDWIN QUITASOL Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat Based on the computations of the Center for Women Resources (CWR), the 12-percent Value-Added Tax (VAT)…
Navotas Gov’t Shuts Down Stall of City’s 1st Newspaper Dealer
Alegre Diones, 71, is the first-ever newspaper dealer in what is now known as Navotas City. She started selling newspapers from a stall in front of the Kaunlaran High School, which is near her home in Dagat-Dagatan, in 1981, when she was still an official of the National Housing Authority (NHA). Her business had been…
Is the Call Center Industry a Bright Spot for New Graduates?
In the face of record-high unemployment and uncertainty for new graduates who will soon enter the labor force, the Philippine government says that the call center industry poses great opportunities for Filipino workers—especially amid the global crisis when firms turn to outsourcing more to save costs. But is the industry indeed a sunshine sector for…
More Than Rape of Two Filipino Women
The acts of both the US and Philippine governments regarding the cases of Filipino women Nicole and Hazel, both victims of rape by American soldiers, said progressive women’s group Gabriela and Nicole’s lawyer Evalyn Ursua, demonstrate the abusive character of the US and the subservience of the Philippine government. They are, therefore, calling on the…
Smith Custody Case Show ‘Vestiges of Past Lopsided Relations’ with US
Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, author of a Senate resolution calling for the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), Evalyn Ursua, lawyer of Subic rape victim “Nicole”; Pacifico Agabin, dean of the Lyceum of the Philippines College of Law; Renato Reyes, Jr., Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan or New Patriotic Alliance) secretary-general; and Neri Javier Colmenares,…
Oil Firms, Malacañang Unjustly Squeeze P329 M Every Day from Consumers
The oil companies and Malacañang together squeeze about P328.98 million ($6,783,092 at the current exchange rate of $1=P48.50) in unjust collections everyday from Filipino consumers. This brazen act of exploitation is downright condemnable, especially today that millions of workers face unprecedented job scarcity and poverty. BY ARNOLD PADILLA Contributor Bulatlat Pump prices continued its downtrend…
Barely Enough: Disproving the Micro Finance Solution
Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced February 4 that a P1-billion ($20,491,803 at the current exchange rate of $1=P48.80) livelihood support fund for displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) is being made available. The livelihood program is being offered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to workers displaced by the economic crisis. Each OFW who applies for…
Court Martial Rape Case vs US Soldier Dismissed
The US Court Martial recently dismissed the rape charges against an American soldier stationed in Okinawa, Japan who was accused of raping a Filipina migrant worker. BY BULATLAT The US Court Martial recently dismissed the rape charges against an American soldier stationed in Okinawa, Japan who was accused of raping a Filipina migrant worker. On…
No Hope for Fair Prices Under Oil Deregulation
The “proper” implementation of RA 8479 or even amendments to it will not address the problem [of overpricing]. It does not have any provision on overpricing because deregulation assumes that the market will set the “fair” price. Government could not penalize the oil firms for overpricing because they do not violate any law. BY ARNOLD…
Teacher Decries Harassment in Libel Suit Filed by GSIS President
Despite being slapped with libel charges, Antonio Tinio, chairperson of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) said his group will continue to expose what they deem as ‘exploitative and illegal’ policies of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) under the leadership of Winston Garcia. BY RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat In November last year, Antonio Tinio,…