NEWS AT A GLANCE 

Malaysian crackdown on Filipinos condemned

The Kabataan ng Migranteng Pilipino para sa Bayan (Kamiyan), a migrant workers’ youth group, condemned Oct. 31 the series of arrests and deportation of alleged undocumented Filipino workers in Malaysia.

Reports from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) showed the Malaysian government deported 354 Filipinos to the Philippines last week and followed by 500 more on Oct. 27 on board commercial vessels.

“Given the Malaysian government’s track record of maltreatment and abuse on our kababayans (compatriots), it is high time that they be reminded that undocumented migrant workers are human beings also [who] have rights and dignity that should be protected and upheld,” said Mac Ramirez, Kamiyan's deputy secretary general. The group cited cases of brutal crackdowns on Filipino communities in Sabah, Malaysia two years ago, citing attacks by dogs and destruction of their houses using chain saws and even putting some ablaze.

Kamiyan said that the Malaysian government is again preparing to boot out over 5,000 detained undocumented Filipino workers by mid-November. However, the group said the number could reach up to 10,000.

It called on the Arroyo administration act on the matter and send a diplomatic protest to the Malaysian government to condemn the alleged ill-treatment of Filipinos.

* * *

GRP-NDFP Peace Talks Breakdown Decried

The Promotion of Church People’s Response (PCPR) denounced Nov. 2 the scuttling of peace talks between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). The church group criticized the Arroyo administration’s move to “review” the talks, citing intelligence reports that link the NDFP to “international terrorism.”

The PCPR said that the peace talks' agenda on Social and Economic Reforms could have been a substantive venue to discuss the demands of the poor for higher wages, genuine land reform, adequate housing, education and other basic needs, especially that the country is experiencing worsening socio-economic crisis.

The church group also criticized warmongers who reportedly batted for the talks’ breakdown, among them presidential chief of staff Norberto Gonzales. Gonzales had earlier called for the expulsion of Bayan Muna and other militant party-list groups from Congress.

* * *

Children’s Month

Carlos Padolina, secretary general of Salinlahi Foundation Inc. (Alliance for Children's Concerns), said Oct. 31 that the government's Bright Child Program is a contradiction of its policies. The Bright Child Program is an integrative approach in delivering services to children launched last January.

“High prices of basic commodities, erroneous textbooks, plus a meager 44 centavo-per-day-budget for health services will not equal to a Filipino bright child," Padolina said in commemoration of October as Children's Month .

Padolina said that nutrition and psychosocial stimulation, education and health needs of a child should be adequately met. However, these needs are not being delivered as prices of commodities go up and without the government's support to increase their parents' salary.

Bulatlat

BACK TO TOP ■  PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION  ■   COMMENT

© 2004 Bulatlat ■  Alipato Publications

Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.