Estrada dares DND chief to name, arrest cheaters 05/02/2010

GONZALES SHOULD PUT UP OR SHUT UP Estrada dares DND chief to name, arrest cheaters 05/02/2010 Former President Joseph Estrada, standard bearer of opposition Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), put to task Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales in naming and possibly arresting individuals who he said are attempting to bribe officials of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), and the Philippine National Police (PNP) as part of efforts to cheat in the May 10 elections. Gonzales told reporters last Thursday that cheating operations have begun but did not give out names of those who are supposedly behind it.  “Those proven to be involved in cheating should immediately be arrested and thrown into jail,” Estrada told reporters. Estrada said Gonzales as Secretary of Defense has the responsibility to help in ensuring clean and credible elections. Estrada added that Gonzales should stop making statements that he cannot back up with actions as he only succeds in spreading fear among Filipinos over the specter of a failed elections. “Gonzales’ warning doesn’t help. It creates fear among the people. The people get more afraid because of his statements,” Estrada said.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100502hed1.html

HEADLINES Estrada dares DND chief to name, arrest cheaters Gibo gets huge boost from One Cebu assembly Comelec pressed to probe unverified poll complaints Massacre victims file MR in Ampatuan case Thailand could slide to undeclared civil war — think tank Pinoy group decries new Arizona immigration law

Comelec pressed to probe unverified poll complaints By Aytch S. de la Cruz 05/02/2010

Comelec pressed to probe unverified poll complaints

By Aytch S. de la Cruz 05/02/2010 A poll watchdog, said to have been accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec), yesterday called on poll body officials to investigate even anonymous complaints on poll-related irregularities. The Legal Network for Truthful Elections (Lente), through one of its convenors, in yesterday’s Kahipan sa Sulo media forum in Quezon City, said that the group also hopes to have a meeting with the Comelec soon.  The group hopes to meet with Comelec commissioners to follow up on its proposal for the poll body to probe into anonymous complaints on such irregularities that are expected to occur during the May 10, 2010 polls. “We feel the agency is sufficiently empowered under our laws and the Constitution to receive anonymous complaints based on credible evidence,” lawyer and co-convenor Carlos Medina said, adding that Comelec should adopt the same system implemented at the Office of the Ombudsman, which accommodates anonymous complaints to give more whistle-blowers the opportunity to provide the poll body leads on poll-related irregularities.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100502hed3.html

HEADLINES Estrada dares DND chief to name, arrest cheaters Gibo gets huge boost from One Cebu assembly Comelec pressed to probe unverified poll complaints Massacre victims file MR in Ampatuan case Thailand could slide to undeclared civil war — think tank Pinoy group decries new Arizona immigration law

Manila finally ratifies regional pact vs terrorism 05/02/2010

Manila finally ratifies regional pact vs terrorism

05/02/2010 After three years, the Philippines has finally acceded to a long-delayed regional convention against terrorism, making it the third Southeast Asian nation to ratify the document after Singapore and Thailand. With this development, the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) Convention on Counter-Terrorism (ACCT) took another step toward becoming a regional treaty after its ratification by Manila in late March. The ACCT would be elevated to become a regional treaty once it has received ratification from at least six Asean Member States. The Philippines’ Instrument of Ratification to the Convention was signed by President Arroyo last March 24 and was deposited with the Secretary General of the Asean last April 21. The ACCT was signed by the Asean leaders at the 12th summit held in Cebu on Jan. 13, 2007.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100502nat3.html

NATION PNP sanctions gun dealer for illegal loans to new recruits Police monitor political situation in La Union, Cavite Manila finally ratifies regional pact vs terrorism Arroyo paints herself a workers’ champ Senate bets call for overhaul of labor and wage laws

Don’t count your eggs yet EDITORIAL 05/02/2010

Don’t count your eggs yet

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 05/02/2010 Liberal Party presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino seems cocksure of a landslide victory in the elections a week from now as the LP extrapolated, based on the last Pulse Asia survey, showing him having a 39 percent preference to lead rivals Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) standard bearer Joseph Estrada and Nacionalista Party (NP) candidate Manuel Villar Jr., who were tied with a 20 percent preference. The LP in a press statement after the survey was publicized, estimated that Noynoy would clinch the presidency with a lead of something like eight million votes from his closest rival. Noynoy may have picked up on the results of the surveys to also declare to the world through a foreign media interview that the only way he will lose the elections is if he is cheated and that he will lead another people power revolt if that happens. The survey results of the two pollsters, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) and Pulse Asia, while appearing always tilted toward favoring Aquino and showing a solid and unassailable base remain a mere estimate, a guesswork and a highly paid one, based on not more than 3,000 individuals at most.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100502com1.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Don’t count your eggs yet FRONTLINE It ain’t over — not by a long mile ENQUIRY Give it to Gibo BLURBAL THRUSTS Hogwash TABLETS OF STONE Motherhood statements VIEWPOINTS National elections — a national headache focus Flatulent orange superhero has a blast in British poll

Give it to Gibo ENQUIRY Demaree J. B. Raval 05/02/2010

Give it to Gibo

ENQUIRY Demaree J. B. Raval 05/02/2010 Last Wednesday, while practically scouring the length and breadth of Nepa-Q Mart to look for the best items my limited money could buy (Ilocano ngamin!), I decided to conduct a little survey. As I haggled for the best bangus for my buck, I simultaneously asked the vendors who their choice for president would be. And, not surprisingly, six out of every 10 vendors I asked answered me in this wise: “Si Gibo talaga ang gusto ko, pero huwag na lang. Sabi kasi ng mga survey matatalo naman siya.” In other words, why vote for a good candidate when he will lose anyway? That is exactly our beef against the so-called surveys. They coax voters who they should vote for, playing up on the voters’ subliminal desire to identify themselves with the eventual winner. They’re actually a form of political hypnotism, where the audience (the rest of the voters out there) believe what they see unfolding before their very eyes (the survey results).  As positioned by the surveys, the leader of the pack or the one within striking distance of winning invariably gets the vote on election day because of this mass hypnosis, as it were.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100502com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Don’t count your eggs yet FRONTLINE It ain’t over — not by a long mile ENQUIRY Give it to Gibo BLURBAL THRUSTS Hogwash TABLETS OF STONE Motherhood statements VIEWPOINTS National elections — a national headache focus Flatulent orange superhero has a blast in British poll

It ain’t over — not by a long mile FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/02/2010

It ain’t over — not by a long mile

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/02/2010 Noynoy Aquino says he won’t fall into a trap by replying to the many accusations against him, especially on questions raised about his mental health. Truth is, neither Noynoy Aquino nor his spokesmen really answered any of the allegations leveled against him, whether it is the Hacienda Luisita issue, the diversion of the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway, his do-nothing record in his 11 years as a legislator, his lack of managerial and administrative experience, or even his record as a salesman of Nike shoes and as manager of the hacienda, where big losses were incurred. And of course his alleged mental disorder. All he and his spokesmen do is to deny the charges, aided greatly by their yellow media that always make sure to put him in the best light. Yet he and his Liberal Party (LP) supporters are quick to demand explanations when charges are leveled against his political rivals when they deny these charges. So why the double standard? What makes them think that a denial is sufficient explanation when it comes to Noynoy, but not sufficient for the others?... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100502com2.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Don’t count your eggs yet FRONTLINE It ain’t over — not by a long mile ENQUIRY Give it to Gibo BLURBAL THRUSTS Hogwash TABLETS OF STONE Motherhood statements VIEWPOINTS National elections — a national headache focus Flatulent orange superhero has a blast in British poll

Hogwash BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 05/02/2010

Hogwash

BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 05/02/2010 Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) officials are in a bind, as in caught between a rock and a hard place. A damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don’t situation. By steadfastly refusing to enlighten the Filipino people about that stunt pulled off in mid-2007 by Sen. Manny Villar, presidential bet of the Nacionalista Party, wherein he allegedly pressured the PSE board to skirt its rules in enforcing a 180-day lock-up period for about 30 percent of the 5.3 billion shares he held in Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. to enable him to cash in on the bullish market during the Initial Public Offering (IPO), they are giving the public the impression that indeed something fishy had occurred. On the other hand, if they opt to divulge the details of the transaction which allegedly enabled Senator Villar and wife Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar to amass an obscene profit of at least P6.5 billion at the expense of unsuspecting investors, they would be construed as violating the code of silence that has been one of the hallmarks of business dealings in the local bourse for as far back as can be remembered. A no-no insofar as the Old Boy network in the PSE is concerned.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100502com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Don’t count your eggs yet FRONTLINE It ain’t over — not by a long mile ENQUIRY Give it to Gibo BLURBAL THRUSTS Hogwash TABLETS OF STONE Motherhood statements VIEWPOINTS National elections — a national headache focus Flatulent orange superhero has a blast in British poll

Motherhood statements TABLETS OF STONE Larry Faraon, OP 05/02/2010

Motherhood statements

TABLETS OF STONE Larry Faraon, OP 05/02/2010 It is so pathetic to see Sen. Manny Villar’s Nanay Curing holding a news conference of her own in order to let out the emotional steam she has been keeping to herself as she watches her favorite son being manhandled by his detractors and the multi-media that highlight such mudslinging. Overall, the idea of Mrs. Villar coming to her son’s rescue may not seem palatable, especially at this point when almost everything, even real emotional sentiments and drenched sobs are suspected to be political propaganda or consequential desperate acts.  It did not, however, help much in stepping on the brakes of the wayward downward ratings trend of the multi-billionaire presidential candidate now statistically tied with President Joseph Estrada in the second place..... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100502com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Don’t count your eggs yet FRONTLINE It ain’t over — not by a long mile ENQUIRY Give it to Gibo BLURBAL THRUSTS Hogwash TABLETS OF STONE Motherhood statements VIEWPOINTS National elections — a national headache focus Flatulent orange superhero has a blast in British poll

National elections — a national headache VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 05/02/2010

National elections — a national headache

VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 05/02/2010 There are so many questions and reservations. These are even compounded by many worries and fears. These are further aggravated by some panic and hysteria even. All these mental uncertainties and emotional anxieties come from the general public, the electorate in particular. On the other hand: Everything is 100 percent ready. Nothing is left to chance. The machines needed plus the men and women tasked to run them are ready and prepared. The voters have be told what to do. All these pieces of good news in turn are proclaimed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). But it is still good to note that all contradictory factors notwithstanding, that there are still some people who have their fingers merely crossed and who are simply hoping for the best. One thing is certain though: Between the extremes of election bliss and dread, there are much more Filipinos suffering from anxiety than those rejoicing in expectancy.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100502com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Don’t count your eggs yet FRONTLINE It ain’t over — not by a long mile ENQUIRY Give it to Gibo BLURBAL THRUSTS Hogwash TABLETS OF STONE Motherhood statements VIEWPOINTS National elections — a national headache focus Flatulent orange superhero has a blast in British poll

Flatulent orange superhero has a blast in British poll focus 05/02/2010

Flatulent orange superhero has a blast in British poll

focus 05/02/2010 PORT TALBOT — Captain Beany, a lurid orange baked bean superhero, hopes to blow a wind of change through parliament at Britain’s imminent general election. The reigning Greatest British Eccentric, who zooms about in a cape and x-ray laser specs, reckons voters are sick of politicians — and need a flatulent superhero to sort them out. Beany — born Barry Kirk, 55 years old and a former computer operator — is a man-sized baked bean: The tinned haricot beans in tomato sauce beloved by Britons and reputed to induce wind. He is standing in his home constituency of Aberavon — “the posh name for Port Talbot,” as he puts it, and a staunch Labour-voting area. The struggling steelworks town on the south Wales coast, home of actors Richard Burton and Anthony Hopkins, was brought to life in style as the zany local celebrity launched his bid to become the town’s MP..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100502com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Don’t count your eggs yet FRONTLINE It ain’t over — not by a long mile ENQUIRY Give it to Gibo BLURBAL THRUSTS Hogwash TABLETS OF STONE Motherhood statements VIEWPOINTS National elections — a national headache focus Flatulent orange superhero has a blast in British poll

‘Sticker wars’ prove Aquino is ‘President of the elite’ By Gerry Baldo 05/01/2010

‘Sticker wars’ prove Aquino is ‘President of the elite’

By Gerry Baldo 05/01/2010 The Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) yesterday said the raging “sticker wars” was the best way to illustrate the “extreme and suspicious” closeness of Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino to the country’s elite, a fact which it said also clearly shows where his real priorities are. PMP director Wilson Agbayani raised this point during the PMP coordinators’ meeting last Friday, stressing how Aquino’s yellow ribbon stickers are plastered on expensive cars and SUVs (sport utility vehicles), while stickers supporting their standard-bearer, former President Joseph Estrada, are conspicuously posted on passenger jeepneys, tricycles and “padyaks” (pedicabs). “That’s where you’ll see where a candidate’s support comes from and whom he supports,” Agbayani, in a statement, said. Agbayani is in charge of marshalling all of the party’s volunteers and coordinators in Metro Manila. “Since 80 percent of Filipinos are poor, then it follows that only a real man of the masses can represent them. It does not follow that if you have more money, then you have a bigger claim on the country’s future.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100501hed3.html

HEADLINES Mock elections prove 50% voters disenfranchisement Noynoy dared to come clean on psychiatric cases ‘Sticker wars’ prove Aquino is ‘President of the elite’ Pulse: Pinoys in pro-incumbent mood ahead of May elections DND chief dared to prove poll bribery PCGG to put Imelda Marcos’ jewels on display

Meralco ‘deal’ with Noynoy slammed 05/01/2010

Meralco ‘deal’ with Noynoy slammed

05/01/2010 A party-list lawmaker who is seeking a senatorial post in the forthcoming elections has denounced the alleged deal forged between Liberal Party presidential bet Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and the private utility firm Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to purportedly forgo the overcharging in electricity rates if Aquino is elected as President. This developed as the Movement for Better Values yesterday picketed the offices of the Meralco and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to protest recent increases in electricity rates and bared the alleged secret deal between Meralco and the Noynoy Aquino camp. “(President) Arroyo’s legacy of high electricity rates since the approval of Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act in 2001 and Noynoy’s dream for the presidency bodes ill for consumers and the people,” Nacionalista Party and Makabayan coalition senatorial candidate Rep. Liza Maza said in a press statement. “The Noynoy deal with Meralco, if this is true, could be a portent of things to come. The ERC is already sitting on the excessive billings of Meralco as proved by the CoA (Commission on Audit) audit. Should the deal push through, we are in for bigger electric shocks,” she added. According to Maza, figures from the CoA Audit Reports of Meralco reveal overcharges by Meralcio of P8.552 billion and P4.375 billion in test years 2004 and 2007, for a total of P12.98 billion. The years 1987 to 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008 were not included in the CoA audit, she noted.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune   URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100501nat4.html

NATION Binay twits Roxas on eVAT turnaround Pinoys can now avail of Korean citizenship ‘Goma’ urged to wait for Comelec ruling on DQ case Meralco ‘deal’ with Noynoy slammed Gov’t troops overrun Sayyaf camp in Basilan 12 PNP officers trained on anti-terrorism cyber course New firm bags P28-M contract for UV lamps supply LWUA develops windmill-pumped water system for Tingloy Island Illegal OFWs who grabbed Oman amnesty repatriated

Mock elections prove 50% voters disenfranchisement By Aycth S. de la Cruz 05/01/2010

Mock elections prove 50% voters disenfranchisement

By Aycth S. de la Cruz 05/01/2010 Some 30 to 50 percent of the voters will surely be disenfranchised, as proved by the mock elections conducted by the Commission on Elections at the UNTV in Quezon City Thursday April 29. Center for People Empowerment in Governance said the mock elections confirmed CenPEG’s previous warnings that the May 10 election is bound to disenfranchise from 30 to 50 percent of the registered voters. It pointed to Thursday’s end-to-end mock elections held to accommodate 1,000 voters casting their votes from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. that allowed only 503 voters to vote with three rejected ballots. The number of actual votes cast within the 11-hour voting time corresponded with earlier estimates of CenPEG based on two separate days of mock elections -- the Feb. 6 mock polls held in six sites and the March 25 JCOC mock polls held at the Senate. “The results of all the mock polls should all the more compel the Comelec to extend the voting time from 11 hours to 16 or even 20 hours to accommodate 1,000 voters,” Bobby Tuazon, CenPEG director said.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100501hed1.html

Binay twits Roxas on eVAT turnaround 05/01/2010

Says it’s ‘too little, too late’ Binay twits Roxas on eVAT turnaround 05/01/2010 United Opposition (UNO) vice presidential candidate, Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay yesterday said Liberal Party (LP) rival bet Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II’s statement that he would not raise the expanded value added tax (eVAT) to 15 percent was intended to arrest the erosion of his survey numbers. “First he pushed for 12 percent eVAT, now he says he will not add another three percent. Does he expect us to be grateful? It’s not even a principled stand. It’s an attempt at damage control that merely reinforces the view that Senator Roxas sees nothing wrong with taxing the poor,” Binay said. He noted that Roxas made that statement after the Social Weather Stations (SWS) released the results of its April survey where the LP bet’s rating fell for the third time in a row since the start of the campaign period in January. A survey by Pulse Asia released three days after showed Binay further cutting Roxas’ lead to only nine points.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100501nat1.html

NATION Binay twits Roxas on eVAT turnaround Pinoys can now avail of Korean citizenship ‘Goma’ urged to wait for Comelec ruling on DQ case Meralco ‘deal’ with Noynoy slammed Gov’t troops overrun Sayyaf camp in Basilan 12 PNP officers trained on anti-terrorism cyber course New firm bags P28-M contract for UV lamps supply LWUA develops windmill-pumped water system for Tingloy Island Illegal OFWs who grabbed Oman amnesty repatriated

Junta on his mind EDITORIAL 05/01/2010

Junta on his mind

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 05/01/2010 Defense Chief Norberto Gonzales claimed that cheating at the polls has begun — by way of bribing Commission on Elections officials as well as elements from the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police — to rig the elections in favor of two unnamed presidential candidates. He claims to have documents to substantiate his claims and would be filing cases soon. He also says that he is pretty concerned over scenarios of a people power revolt, which has been threatened by Liberal Party standard bearer Sen. Noynoy Aquino, should he lose the elections, believing that the only way he can lose is for him to be cheated of his victory. There is no question that with the Comelec cheating syndicate, led by the “Big Four,” said to be Comelec executives alive and kicking, rigging of the polls is a possibility — even if the nation is going to have automated elections. After all, the poll body can hardly be called transparent in its ways and has even done away with virtually all the security marks apart from other anti-fraud measures, along with the many glitches being reported. It is also known that candidates do make deals with Comelec officials to make them win, in certain districts or provinces, and even pay to land a second or third slot in the provincial level, if the first slot has already be bought by another candidate.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100501com1.html

Denials galore FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/01/2010

Denials galore

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/01/2010 Denials of Noynoy Aquino’s alleged psychiatric history come very, very, fast, especially when it comes to the yellow media, which is clearly all out for him. The first psychiatric report was quickly aired by the very partisan ABS-CBN, and aired even when it was clearly fake, then it attributed the leakage to Nacionalista Party sources that the network refused to identify. The publicized fake report with quick denials from the alleged signatory and the Ateneo psychology department made many wonder why the yellow TV channel aired it at all, considering the fact that it was clearly a fake document — even at first glance. But perhaps the intent was precisely to publicize it to snuff out as fakes whatever psychiatric report was expected to come, since this alleged mental instability of Noynoy Aquino has been the talk of the town for months on end... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100501com2.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Junta on his mind FRONTLINE Denials galore FEATURE Cairo’s zabaleen want only respect in a rubbish life

Cairo’s zabaleen want only respect in a rubbish life FEATURE 05/01/2010

Cairo’s zabaleen want only respect in a rubbish life

FEATURE 05/01/2010 CAIRO — Children stop their game of marbles and scatter as rubbish-laden trucks trundle up their dusty street, swarming with flies and grinding dead vermin beneath their wheels. The sight — and smell — is all too familiar in Zarayib, meaning “the Sties,” a shanty-town in northeast Cairo where the zabaleen make their living by sifting through garbage in search of anything recyclable. Before the Egyptian authorities a year ago ordered a total pig cull in the face of the outbreak of swine flu, the animals would do a lot of the messier work for the zabaleen, as Egyptians plying the garbage trade are known. Without the pigs, the women of Zarayib are now forced daily to sit atop mounds of detritus in the slum’s alleyways sorting rotting food from plastics and glass. The government said the cull of pigs, estimated in the tens of thousands, was a precaution against swine flu. The mostly Coptic Christian slum dwellers resisted, but eventually surrendered. But without the pigs the job is nowhere near as efficient and the scavengers are now forced to leave the organic waste in stinking mounds around Cairo or dump it in landfills.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100501com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Junta on his mind FRONTLINE Denials galore FEATURE Cairo’s zabaleen want only respect in a rubbish life

After the Herrera Law Weakened Workers’ Rights, another Labor Code Revision in the Offing?

After the Herrera Law Weakened Workers’ Rights, another Labor Code Revision in the Offing?


By MARYA SALAMAT
Bulatlat.com

 Two decades after the Aquino government successfully rammed through the first major revision of the country’s Labor Code to the detriment of workers’ rights, the Employers’ Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) recently aired its desire to revise it anew. As with previous attempts to change the Labor Code, their stated reasons boil down to the ‘imperatives of creating jobs to improve the economy.’


Their announcement followed the first major public appearance of ex-Senator Ernesto Herrera, leader of the government-backed Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP). Herrera is the principal author of Republic Act 6715 of 1989, dubbed as the Herrera Law, the first major revision of the Labor Code, which was passed in 1974 during the Marcos dictatorship. It was followed a few weeks later by the “Wage Rationalization Act” or RA 6727, which provided for the creation of regional wage boards, composed of representatives of the government, corporations, and labor, for the purpose of determining wage increases. This, workers asserted, was meant to weaken the national unity and struggle of workers for legislated wage increases.

After his role in changing the Labor Code, Herrera lost his reelection bid for the senate. But recently, he came out of hibernation to lead TUCP in the filing of wage hike petitions in some regional boards, while the rest of the labor sector have given up on these “inutile” wage boards and are lobbying instead for a legislated wage hike.

What is in store for private sector employees and workers now that the ECOP and TUCP, which progressive unions accuse of conniving to mangle workers’ rights, are again actively pushing for their respective agenda? These two groups, which are favored by the government and the International Labor Organization (ILO), also often represent the two sides of the tripartite body that formulates proposals for labor legislation.... MORE  

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.bulatlat.com/main/2010/05/01/after-the-herrera-law-weakened-workers-rights-another-labor-code-revision-in-the-offing/

Appellate Court Affirms Rights Commission’s Mandate and Jurisdiction

Appellate Court Affirms Rights Commission’s Mandate and Jurisdiction
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com

The Court of Appeals (CA) 7th Division initially ruled in favor of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) by holding in abeyance the petition for a temporary restraining order (TRO), which was filed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), to stop the commission’s hearings on the complaint of human rights violations filed by 43 health workers.

The 43 health workers, who were arrested on Feb. 6 in Morong, Rizal, filed a complaint of human rights abuses before the CHR against the police, military and others involved in their arrest and detention.

For three consecutive hearings, the AFP defied the CHR order to produce the Morong 43 and instead filed a petition for TRO before the CA.

The CA 7th Division under Justice Juan Enriquez did not issue a TRO because it deemed the petition as “premature” and the CHR has a clear constitutional mandate to investigate such cases, Rachel Pastores of the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) and one of the legal counsels of the Morong 43 said.

“We are satisfied by the way the CA handled the hearing,” Pastores said.

“The CHR has yet to issue any resolution in the case and it has not performed adjudication as claimed by the petitioners,” Pastores said further. Pastores stressed that the CHR is only doing its mandate of conducting a fact-finding investigation on the serious allegations of human rights violations.

In an interview with Bulatlat, CHR Chairwoman Leila de Lima said the court advised them to sit with the Office of Solicitor General (OSG), the counsels of the petitioners to discuss certain undertakings.

“They said they are willing to produce the Morong 43 but they have all sorts of excuses,” de Lima said.
The court advised the Department of National Defense (DND) to secure permission from the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Morong to be able to produce the detainees before the CHR hearings.

“The AFP and PNP [Philippine National Police] are attempting to be above the law by defying the orders of the court and trying to manipulate it. This is a reason for all Filipinos to be alarmed,” Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan chairwoman, said in a statement.

Hide the Truth

Pastores said the OSG stopped questioning the CHR’s jurisdiction to conduct the hearings but insisted that it should limit its questions. “The DND and AFP do not want the CHR to ask about the legality of the search and the arrest. What else would the CHR ask?” Pastores said, adding that those questions are vital in determining whether human rights abuses have been committed.

“The petition itself is an attempt to hide the truth and evade responsibility and to perpetuate the culture of impunity,” Pastores said.

The Morong 43 lawyer said the CHR hearings exposed many things, including how the military and the police conducted the raid on Feb. 6.
“Be brave enough to face your stupidity,” Evelyn Montes, wife of Dr. Alex Montes, one of the detainees, told the military and police at the picket outside the CA compound yesterday.

Meanwhile, the CA’s 12th Division granted a similar petition filed by Judge Cesar Mangrobang and Cyrus Jurado and issued a TRO.

Mangrobang is the judge who issued the search warrant used in the Feb. 6 raid and Jurado, according to the relatives of Morong 43, is the lawyer who was hired by the military to represent five of the 43 detainees.
De Lima said they will file a comment and ask the CA to lift the TRO.

In a text message, Karapatan said it welcomes the decision of the CA’s 7th Division and urges the 12th Division to follow suit and lift its TRO.

Pastores said the CA 12th Division did not conduct a hearing before issuing a decision. “The court should have studied the case well given the seriousness of allegations of human rights abuses,” she said.
“This reflects the low level of appreciation of the courts on the work of the CHR and on human rights issues in general,” Pastores added.

Pastores explained that the case filed before the CHR is totally different from those filed at the RTC. “Under the Constitution, the people have the right against unreasonable seizure, illegal arrest, among others. The CHR has the mandate to hear the case.”

In Defense of the CHR

“We call on all peace-loving Filipinos to support the moves of the CHR to assert its independence and exercise its mandate to investigate human rights violations,” Enriquez said.

“The CHR is the only institution that oppressed people like us can turn to. They must not suppress the CHR,” Mrs. Montes said.

Dr. Julie Caguiat, spokesperson of the Free the 43 Health Workers! Alliance said the CHR is the only venue where abuses of the military and police have been exposed. (Bulatlat.com)


(Reprinted with permission from Bulatlat.com)

Source: Bulatlat.com

URL: http://www.bulatlat.com/main/2010/05/01/appellate-court-affirms-rights-commission%E2%80%99s-mandate-and-jurisdiction/

Environment, Human Rights Top Indigenous Peoples’ Electoral Agenda

By LYN V. RAMO
Bulatlat.com

BAGUIO CITY – As in the past, the 26th Cordillera Day celebration heightened the indigenous peoples’ resolve to advance the issues on environment, human rights, women and children, genuine regional autonomy, jobs, public services, and economic development.

Cordillera Day this year was earlier celebrated in provincial gatherings in Benguet on April 10, Mountain Province on April 17, Apayao and Kalinga on April 24. Abra will hold its post-Cordillera Day celebrations on May 1.

Each of the provincial celebrations resulted in the formulations of electoral agenda consolidated as Cordillera Day Declaration for Politics of Change and May 10 Elections.

Based on experiences for many decades, Cordillera IPs have seen their suffering and exploitation due to anti-people laws and policies and destructive projects and programs in the homeland.... MORE
 
Source:  Bulatlat.com

URL: http://www.bulatlat.com/main/2010/04/29/environment-human-rights-top-indigenous-peoples%E2%80%99-electoral-agenda/