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Gabriela launches petition, vows more mass actions against price increases

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Gabriela launches petition, vows more mass actions against price increases

“I know that the government is spending so much on the impeachment case. But the government should not forget that there are also other people, mostly poor, who are in need.” – Zenaida Espiritu, vendor
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com

MANILA — While Zenaida Espiritu, 49, was tending to the plastic bags she sells for a living along the busy stretch of Carriedo, she stops for a while to check on what was happening near the LRT station. A member of the women’s group Gabriela approaches her and, soon, she found herself signing a petition paper.

“I can hardly provide a decent meal to my children because of the continuing price hikes,” Espritu said, when asked why she decided to sign the petition paper.She has five children. Two are already married and one has stopped going to school. The two youngest are still studying, one in second year high school and the other in Grade 4.

Espiritu has been a vendor in Carriedo since she was 16 years old. She said her life became harder each passing year. Her capital for the products she is selling has increased through the years. “When I started selling these bags, I bought them for only $0.37. But now it increased to $0.46,” she said, “Then, people would ask for discounts.”

She goes home with only $2.79 after a day of hard work from 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Her husband does not have a steady income as a construction worker. Their meager income, amid the increasing prices of staple goods and services, is not enough for her children. “That is why I signed the petition paper. I hope that my signature could reach our government and heed our call.”

Gabriela, the country’s largest women’s group, has launched Altrapresyo(n): Alerto sa Pagtaas ng Presyo Network, a consumers campaign network that aims to secure one million signature to repeal the oil deregulation law and the E-VAT on oil products and basic goods and services. The group aims to submit the petition before the House of Representatives to oblige the lawmakers to listen to their demands.

Zenaida Espiritu signs the petition paper against increasing prices (Photos by Janess Ann J. Ellao/ bulatlat.com)
“If the Aquino government cannot do anything to address the consumers’ problems regarding the increasing prices of basic goods, women would do all possible means from protesting in the streets to the Congress,” Lana Linaban, secretary general of Gabriela, said, “We would call the attention of the Aquino government because our impoverished conditions and hunger would never be acceptable.”

Signing the petition 

Along with the petition signing, Gabriela also conducted a free blood pressure reading. It goes well with their campaign Altapresyon, which literally means high blood pressure.
Espritu said she often has high blood pressure whenever the increasing prices of staple food never seems to stop. “My children’s school supply, gas, sugar and rice,” she added, “Before I only spend $0.58 for a kilo of rice. But now I spend $0.88.”.... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2012/02/10/gabriela-launches-petition-vows-more-mass-actions-against-price-increases/

Syria would not send troops to protect protesters at OWS – envoy to UN (Video)



Syria would not send troops to protect protesters at OWS – envoy to UN

UN is applying double standards towards Syria, the country’s envoy stated while addressing the General Assembly. He said that his country, like any sovereign state, has exclusive responsibility for maintaining security on its national territory.

­“Every sovereign state represented here bears an exclusive right to protect its citizens,” Bashar Ja’afari said, addressing the assembly. “We in Syria could not imagine sending soldiers to defend OWS [Occupy Wall Street] protesters. Neither we nor any other government can imagine sending troops to protect demonstrators in London or Paris.”.... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/syria-envoy-un-assembly-221/

Anonymous describes the destruction of CIA.gov (VIDEO)



Anonymous describes the destruction of CIA.gov (VIDEO)

Following Friday’s crippling of the CIA’s official government website, an alleged member of Anonymous has uploaded a video explaining how the collective crushed the agency’s online presence — and why the CIA should have been ready.

A distributed denial of service, or DDoS attack, brought CIA.gov down for hours late last week, in one of the longest-lasting assaults credited to the online hacktivist group Anonymous — and also an attack on perhaps the collective’s largest target yet. With a DDoS assault, a website’s server is flooded with an onslaught of requests, essentially overloading its capacity and rendering it nonoperational. In a video uploaded to YouTube over the weekend, a member claiming allegiance to the loose-knit hacktivist group explains that the assault on the CIA’s servers is now out of their control and even apologizes for the attack, but adds that the move has generated attention towards something much more serious than just the cybersecurity status of the agency..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/usa/news/anonymous-attack-video-cia-219/

FBI ‘spot the saboteur’ guide: Cash, snorkel, US Constitution

FBI ‘spot the saboteur’ guide: Cash, snorkel, US Constitution

Fancy a quick scuba lesson before going on a last-minute trip to Hawaii? Paying in cash for a snorkel? Just shaved mustache because it doesn’t go with a dive mask? Big Brother will spot a terrorist: “See something, say something” policy in action.

­The 25 flyers issued by the FBI and the Department of Justice give no mere Orwell creeps. Every area seems to be bursting with bombers: airports, beauty shops, construction sites, banks and internet cafes. Your tattoos master meets a bunch of them every day. Terrorists have taken to your favorite shop with train models across the street – remember how you pressed your nose against the glass after school? Now press harder: see something, say something, do something for your country..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/fbi-terrorists-guide-security-171/

Danger: Democracy-builders at work AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 02/14/2012

Danger: Democracy-builders at work

AN OUTSIDERS VIEW
Ken Fuller
02/14/2012
In late December, security forces in Cairo raided US-financed groups, including the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). The raids were part of an investigation into illegal financing. In public, Washington made disapproving noises and, according to an administration official cited by the New York Times, issued a much stronger message through private channels.

A month later, Egypt prevented Sam LaHood, Egypt director of the IRI, from boarding a flight to Dubai. In all, five IRI employees (three of them American) and six from the NDI (including another three Americans) were prevented from leaving the country. Obama had already warned Field-Marshal Tantawi, the Egyptian leader, that military aid ($1.3 billion per year) would be at risk unless the military regime took steps to democratize the country, referring specifically to the criminal investigation into the US-funded groups. After the travel ban, this warning was made public..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120214com5.html

SM has it all NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 02/14/2012

SM has it all

NO HOLDS BARRED
Armida Siguion-Reyna
02/14/2012
Entering Week 5 of the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, and my attention is called to an “incident” at the SM Mall in Cebu. This, amid rising talk about an impending “coup” at the Senate, which I can’t, as of this writing, comment on until, and if, it really takes place.

Anyway. Currently screening at the SM City Cebu, all the way up to Feb. 16, is the much-touted Cinema One Originals Festival. It was supposed to have been a “powerful line-up” with the multi-awarded Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria (best Asian feature film award, Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival in Indonesia; Cinemanila 2010 Best Picture, Southeast Asian Category; and 34th Gawad Urian Best Picture),” other Cebuano-made films such as ’Di Ingon ‘Nato, My Paranormal Romance, Confessional and Imburnal, yet another Visayan-dialect film, but made in Mindanao. Plus, the 2011 Cinema One Originals Festival winners Ka Oryang, Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay, Mga Anino sa Tanghaling Tapat, Castas de la Soledad, Sa Kanto ng Ulap at Lupa, Sa Ilalim ng Tulay and Big Boy..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120214com4.html

Restitution VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 02/14/2012

Restitution

VIEWPOINTS
Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz
02/14/2012
With the reality of a good number of thieves entrusted with public offices supposedly for public service plus the fact of many racketeers, especially in the multinational corporate world, and with the well-known wealthy political dynasties, not to mention the known gambling agencies with their big-time gambler patrons, it is but right and proper not only to know, but to remember well the mandate of restitution of stolen goods — be this in kind or in cash.

And the imperative of restitution is not merely a fundamental ethical norm but also a basic moral principle. Otherwise, people would have a country and a world that would provide a haven for burglars and crooks, swindlers and racketeers — thereby making honesty a joke; integrity a farce..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120214com6.html

CJ’s dollar records fake —PSBank’s Tiongson By Benjamin B. Pulta and Angie M. Rosales 02/14/2012

TUPAS ACCOUNT UNCOVERED, PROSECUTORS IN HOT WATER FOR BOGUS ‘EVIDENCE’

CJ’s dollar records fake —PSBank’s Tiongson

By Benjamin B. Pulta and Angie M. Rosales 02/14/2012

Annexes attached by the House prosecution panel in its request for a subpoena by the Senate Court on the Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) as “evidence” against the head masgistrate were admitted to be fake documents by the bank’s branch manager, who said the records presented by the prosecution to obtain the subpoena of the dollar accounts allleged to be owned by Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona were not the same as the bank documents the bank has, although the numbers al-legedly corres-pond to Corona’s dollar accounts.

The illegally-obtained document which later turned out to be a fake copy of a bank paper was slipped by the House prosecution panel in its request for a subpoena from the impeachment court on the bank papers of Corona..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120214hed1.html

CJ: Noy committed impeachable offense 02/14/2012

CJ: Noy committed impeachable offense

02/14/2012
Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona yesterday accused President Aquino of having committed impeachable offenses, as he charged, in a press statement, that the impeachable violation of the Constitution came when he came out swinging by openly urging the senator-judges to disobey the fundamental law, or the Charter, whihc the president has personally sworn to uphold.

In the same statement, the Chief Justice denied having committed any wrongdoing saying that “throughout (his) public career,” and that he has never been involved in any anomaly or scandal. “Whatever assets my wife and I have acquired are products of 45 years of toil and honest work.

My wife and I have been privileged to come from families of comfortable means. We grew up some of the best exclusive schools in the country. I went on to earn several postgraduate degrees, including a Master’s degree in Harvard Law School. Our parents provided well for our future. Family resources continue to be available to us anytime.”.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120214hed6.html

Noynoy ignores impeach rap filed against him By Fernan J. Angeles 02/14/2012

Noynoy ignores impeach rap filed against him

By Fernan J. Angeles 02/14/2012

President Aquino is not bothered about an impending impeachment bid filed against him by a “lowly citizen” in connection with what had been reported as an anomalous sale of a 3.4 hectare parcel in Baguio City to the SM Investments Corporation.

In an ambush interview with Palace reporters, Aquino cited reasons why he wouldn’t bother to think on the reported impeach bid against him by one Danilo Lihaylihay who had already asked the minority congressmen to initiate impeachment proceedings against him for culpable violation of the Constitution, high crimes, and betrayal of public trust for the alleged anomalous sale of the 3.4-hectare government property known as “Governor’s Park” along Session Road, Baguio City in September.

“Inasmuch as I wanted to, I would rather not mind it considering that this person did nothing but to press charges against practically all the people in the government,” Aquino said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20120214nat2.html

SC upholds CA ruling over SMC’s claim of Malinta Estate ownership By Benjamin B. Pulta 02/14/2012

SC upholds CA ruling over SMC’s claim of Malinta Estate ownership

By Benjamin B. Pulta 02/14/2012

A ruling by the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the ruling of the Court of Appeals (CA) in favor of the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) over the ownership of more than 8,000 square meters in Valenzuela known as the Malinta Estate.

In its decision by Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, the high court’s First Division upheld the CA decision of April 21, 2006 decision on the case.Chief Justice Renato Corona and Associate Justices Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, Martin Villarama, Jr. concurred.

The CA had affirmed the trial court’s judgment, which dismissed a complaint for the nullification of the title of SMC predecessor-in-interest, Ramie Textile , Inc., over Lot 1131 of the Malinta Estate and granted Ramitex’ prayer for the cancellation of petitioner Leoncio Oliveros’ title over the subject property..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20120214nat1.html

Pestao lawyer disputes claim insisting on suicide angle 02/14/2012

Pestao lawyer disputes claim insisting on suicide angle

02/14/2012
The accused in the Pestao case are trying hard to divert public attention from the murder charge filed against them by the Office of the Ombudsman for the killing of naval Ensign Philip Pestao in 1995.

There are circumstances in the killing of Pestao and certain acts that indicate not only the involvement of the accused in the murder but also in the subsequent cover-up of the crime.

Their assertion that Pestao committed suicide was belied by forensic experts local and international who were presented by the parents of the victim before various investigative agencies over the course of the last 15 years since the murder was committed..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120214met1.html

All structures in Caloocan can withstand strong earthquake — Echiverri 02/14/2012

All structures in Caloocan can withstand strong earthquake — Echiverri

02/14/2012
The administration of Caloocan Mayor Enrico \"Recom\" Echiverri yesterday assured the residents that it has been maximizing its resources by conducting regular inspections of all buildings and other similar structures in the city to determine if they can withstand a strong earthquake.

Echiverri issued the statement in the wake of the recent tragedy that struck the Visayan region that resulted in scores of casualties and damages to property.

Just the same, the Caloocan chief executive has directed anew the members of the City Engineering Office to make sure that all buildings in the city are thoroughly checked on their structural integrity and compliance with the building code..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120214met4.html

Manila gov’t stops add’l financial aid to teachers 02/14/2012

Manila gov’t stops add’l financial aid to teachers

02/14/2012
Manila City Hall authorities yesterday clarified that the additional monthly financial assistance being given by the city government to the teachers had to be stopped after the Commission on Audit (CoA) questioned its legality.
This clarification was issued by Ric de Guzman, chief of staff and media bureau director, who cited a memorandum dated Nov. 21, 2011, questioning the grant of the said allowances to teachers and other national employees stationed in Manila which was issued by city auditor Chito Ramires.

De Guzman said that the P2,000 regular financial assistance is being given to the teachers on an updated basis and the only one was questioned by CoA was the P500 being given additionally on top of the P2,000..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120214met3.html

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