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“They really want to abolish the NPO because of the kickbacks they would get when working with private companies.” — Teresita Crisostomo, employee, National Printing Office
SPECIAL REPORT: A Sept.16 forum on the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement looked back on the historic 1991 Senate decision on the removal of the US military bases in the country, and at the tasks ahead as their return looms.
"OceanaGold’s operations should immediately be stopped by DENR to prevent further pollution, and should immediately hold these environmental criminals accountable.” – Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment (Kalikasan PNE)
The LRT privatization deal has been dubbed by Bayan and commuter groups such as the RILES Network as the “great train robbery.”
“It is about time for a radical shift, not only in consciousness, but also in the people and the system. We need to step up to a level where we do not only demand justice, but address the very causes of injustice.” – Monique Wilson, actress, woman activist, global director of One Billion Rising global director
So far, the biggest likely overpriced project involving HCC is the P700-million Iloilo Convention Center (ICC), a pet project of Senate President Franklin Drilon. The convention center has been partly funded by Drilon’s Priority Development Assistance Fund and the Disbursement Acceleration Program.
See also: Youth solon pushes probe of Makati building contractors' other govt projects
Col. Pepito Flamenco, warden of Bulacan Provincial Jail, and Sr. Supt. Ferdinand Divina, acting chief of the Bulacan police, admitted that the supposed threats to Palparan’s life are “speculative.”
Related story | ‘Special treatment’ | Groups slam transfer of Palparan to military jail
“Our wage is like before and yet everything is being taxed so that they [government officials] would have money to turn into pork for their taking.”
During the dark days of Martial Law and up to the present, the mountains and rivers of the Cordilleras have been a flowing source of inspiration and hope, because of heroes who dedicated their lives to defend the right to life, land and self-determination.
“We say no to President Aquino’s dictatorship. We have had enough of pay cuts, taxes and lay-offs, which best describe the situation of the more than 1.4 million government employees for the last four years.”-- Ferdinand Gaite, Courage president
SPECIAL REPORT: A fact-finding mission to Palawan in June reported how the peasants of Yulo King Ranch have been dispossessed of the land they were tilling when it was declared a pasture land during Martial Law. Their impoverishment and landlessness show a picture of failed agrarian reform from the regime of the dictator Marcos up to Aquino.
“The administration of President Benigno S. Aquino is only allotting 2.2 percent of our GDP for education. It doesn’t even reach half of the UN recommendation.” -- ACT secretary-general France Castro.
Engineer Fidela “Delle” Bugarin Salvador, 50, was a staff member of the Cordillera Disaster Response and Development Services (CorDisRDS) and was monitoring projects in the area when she was caught and was killed in the crossfire.
Under the Aquino government, the running MRT trains went down from almost 73 to just about 43. MRT3 workers said that even if some of the remaining trains have problems in its machine or manifesting technical troubles (like in its doors or controls or motor), it is still being used or inserted among others that are still functioning. Worse, workers have to make do with discarded parts because of the lack of spare parts, which was supposed to be provided by maintenance contractors.
See also: ‘MRT3 not milking cow but public service,’ groups tell Transportation Sec. Abaya
“Residents have endured the decrepit state of the buildings, which should have been maintained by the NHA but the residents have in fact been doing the needed repairs themselves. Now, they have been told that the housing complex is condemned without conclusive scientific tests to back the local government’s claim.” – Gabriela
“At the onset, HB 4807 will create a chilling effect on media and would especially affect citizen journalism particularly those who are trying to expose graft and corruption in government.” – Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate
Related story: Journalists say ‘privacy’ bill dangerous to press freedom
“We, the health workers from different hospitals are one with the call of the Rx Abolish Pork Barrel System Movement to take the fight to the streets, schools, churches.” – Sean Velchez, president of the National Orthopedic Hospital Workers Union-AHW (NOHWU-AHW)
Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle encouraged people to be "stewards of God's creation," and signed a petition to oppose the Laguna Lake Expressway Dike Project.
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