Describing President Macapagal-Arroyo’s ninth State of the Nation Address (Sona) as “another wizard’s potion concocted to fool the poor,” a militant lawmaker called on the President to instead lay down her exit plan and stop the push for term extension via Charter change. “Ms Arroyo’s Sona was filled with illusions and statistical magic, as if…
Category: Press Releases and Statements
OFWs in NZ tell Arroyo, Congress: Get Busy With Pro-Poor Bills, Not Cha-cha
“OFWs in New Zealand and around the world would be happier if Arroyo and her allies in Congress would get busy pushing for pro-poor legislation that will benefit OFWs rather than the Charter Change maneuvers.” This was the message of Migrante Aotearoa New Zealand to Malacañang and Congress on the occasion of Arroyo’s Sona. In…
The US-Arroyo Regime Has Multiple Organ Failure And Is Not Fit to Rule
Statement of Health Alliance for Democracy on the State of the Nation Address (Sona) 2009 The signs and symptoms exhibited by the government of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo over the last eight years are consistent with the moribund condition of multiple organ failure. Thus, the regime is no longer fit to rule. This is the diagnosis…
With Steep Prices and Depressed Wages: Filipinos’ Purchasing Power Slashed by a Third Under Arroyo
With the government’s deregulation policies and the imposition of the Expanded Value-Added Tax, the Pinoy worker’s purchasing power has been slashed by one-third. This, while the much-needed legislated wage hike remains ignored by the government, according to labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno. Citing the Consumer Price Index timeline released by the National Statistics Office, KMU…
Remittances Slowing Amid Rising OFW Deployment
MANILA — While government economic managers report that overseas Filipino remittances are increasing, actual remittances or transfers are in fact slowing, according to research group IBON. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) show that the year-on-year growth of remittances dropped from 4.9% in February and 3.1% in March to just 2.2% in April.…
Majority of New Jobs Created Non-Earning, Low-Paying, Part-Time Work
MANILA — Some 1.3 million or the overwhelming majority of the supposedly 1.5-million new jobs created since last year are actually non-earning, poorly earning or otherwise insecure jobs including part-time work, according to research group IBON. In April 2009, 540,000 of the jobs created were either unpaid family work (394,000) or domestic household help (146,000).…
ON THE RESUMPTION OF THE GRP-NDFP FORMAL PEACE TALKS
The Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform (PEPP) welcomes the recent announcements made by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) that the GRP-NDFP formal peace talks will resume next month, August 2009. The PEPP commends the negotiating panels of the two parties, as well as…
Arroyo-Obama Meeting Questioned
For the Arroyo government, it would be a dream photo ops come true. For the United States government, it would be a chance to reinforce their neo-colonial interests in the Philippines. “Both Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and US president Barack Obama plan to utilize the meeting for their own gain. Arroyo needs the publicity as a…
UP Prof. Raymundo Victim of Political Repression — Group
TENYUR NGAYON NA PARA KAY PROP. SARAH RAYMUNDO BATAY SA MGA PANG-AKADEMIKONG PAMANTAYAN, HINDI SA MGA ARBITRARYO AT NAKATAGONG DAHILAN! “ [UP] Its ideological inclination has always been anti-Establishment. Even as it produces graduates that can fit into the existing social order, it openly bids them to go against the tide. “Tatak UP” is how…
Bayan Condemns Spate of Bombings in Mindanao
The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today condemned the four explosions that rocked Mindanao, particularly Jolo in Sulu, the city of Iligan and Lanao del Norte. “The explosions that resulted in civilian deaths are condemnable and cannot be justified. We condemn in the strongest terms the spate of bombings that have hit Mindanao over the…
Independent Probe Urge on Mindanao Bombings
Initiatives for Peace in Mindanao PRESS STATEMENT July 7, 2009 InPeace calls for independent probe on bombings InPeace Mindanao calls for an independent probe on the bombings in Mindanao that will also look into a military plot intended to stage emergency rule. We urge the authorities to look beyond the ‘Muslim terrorist’ propaganda fanned by…