“There is a perception now that this latest incident on the Napoles saga will be followed by a ‘political witch hunt,’ with Napoles as the main weapon, against members of the opposition and other personalities not aligned with the interest of the Aquino administration.”– Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate
Category: Top Stories
With planned MRT, LRT fare hike, public to ‘subsidize’ profits of private concessionaires – RILES Network
Citing financial statements culled from past public consultations with DOTC and train operators, RILES Network said the real cost of a single ride ticket, which already covers the maintenance and operation, is only P9.50 ($0.21). What the government has been “subsidizing” is the difference between the current fare and the P60 ($1.35) per passenger fare it guaranteed to private concessionaires.
Tens of thousands gather vs. pork barrel as Aquino gov’t skirts the issue
What could the P10 billion government officials, in collusion with Janet-Lim Napoles, buy? It could finance free health care services for Filipinos for five years; it could finance the rice production of half a million peasants; and it could provide scholarships to a lot of deserving students so that no student would have to go through the desperation and helplessness felt by the late Kristel Tejada.
‘Teaching items for sale’, other corrupt practices prevalent in some public schools – ACT
The principal of a public school in a province in northern Luzon allegedly asked newly-hired teachers to pay P50,000 each.
A choice between fighting for their homes or living in neglected relocation sites
The relocation site for urban poor families living along Road 10, North Harbor is right in the middle of a rice field. The houses are poorly constructed with no electricity, water supply; and there are no livelihood opportunities.
Indigenous peoples deplore Aquino government ‘snub’ of their agenda
Against the 156 processed Certificate of Ancestral Domain Titles, of which only 37 were registered, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples issued a total of 320 certifications allowing mining operations.
People power: Disgust over the pork barrel system and corruption
For the first time, the Aquino administration, which rode on the people’s disgust over the scandalous corruption under the previous Arroyo government to propel Benigno Aquino III – who was never remarkable during his stint in Congress – to Malacañang, is facing the people’s wrath over, of all things, corruption and the pork barrel system. This is the biggest challenge that the Aquino government, which claims it is trekking the daang matuwid, is facing. The broadness of the protest activity today is strikingly similar to that of Edsa 1, in which, ironically, his mother the late president Corazon Aquino was the icon of. Luneta, where the protest activity would be held today August 26, was also the site of Corazon Aquino’s Tagumpay ng Bayan (People’s Victory Rally) on February 16, 1986, where she launched a civil disobedience campaign to force the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos to vacate Malacañang.
Filipinos here and abroad all set for colorful, varied protests vs pork barrel, corruption
“Basically, the Palace only removed PDAF in name, but the money’s still there. Worse, it’s now under the president’s full discretion.” – Kabataan Party-list Rep. Terry Ridon
‘Aquino has the greatest pork of all’ — progressive groups
“Aquino remains obstinate on his own lump sum appropriations, which are far greater than the legislative pork barrel. “
Anti-mining folk in N. Vizcaya decry violations of int’l humanitarian law by state forces
“Why do the military insist that the reasons we are so determined to stop the foreign mining companies are the NPAs, who are supposedly pushing us to do so? Don’t we, lowly people, also have the right to unite to protect our lands?”
Govt dared: ‘Scrap pork and use funds for climate-proofing PH’
“The P10-billion (US$ 228 m) pork barrel re-channeled to fake NGOs should have been used instead for an P8.3-billion restoration project for our country’s mangrove forest cover and almost four year’s worth of community-based disaster preparedness and response programs costing at least P2 billion.” – Kalikasan-PNE