On March 21, 2008, Edgar de la Cruz Candule, a 23-year-old Aeta, was picked up by policemen in Zambales. What followed was a nightmare, as the cops tortured him and accused him of being a Communist. According to human-rights groups, Candule’s case illustrates the dangers caused by a skewed interpretation and application of the Human Security Act.

With the worsening crisis of the US and global economy expected to further aggravate poverty in the country, independent think-tank IBON Foundation today said that it has become more crucial for government to ensure enough resources are spent for the poor.

SEATCA is calling on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Health Ministers who will be meeting this week to pressure their governments into adopting policies that will make it more difficult for people—adults and minors—to buy cigarettes.

“The right to reply should be looked upon not as an infringement on the freedom of speech and expression now being enjoyed by the media. It is an expansion of the right of the people to express the other side of a controversy in which they are unduly maligned,” he said.

As government’s economic managers prepare a contingency plan for the US financial turmoil, research group IBON Foundation urges the government to immediately increase social services spending to cushion the effect on the people.

“We are not surprised that the JPEPA has been approved while the rest of the country is not watching. This treaty has been negotiated by Malacanang and signed by Ms Gloria Arroyo in virtual secrecy. The undemocratic and non-transparent manner with which the deal has been conceived has resulted in a seriously flawed agreement that threatens to further destroy the jobs and livelihood of Filipino workers, farmers and fishers and further destroy local industries and stunt long-term economic development.”

Migrante International, the largest global alliance of Filipino migrants and the families, warned that more Filipino domestic helpers could become targets of sexual exploitation and abuses because of the racist depiction of a Filipina domestic helper as a sex object in an episode of a BBC comedy show “Harry & Paul.”

By Carlos H. Conde |  As far as Malacanang is concerned, journalists can be pests. They can provoke people — especially hot-tempered and arrogant people like Arroyo — into doing something silly during a press briefing, like raising their voice, respond condescendingly to reporters or, heaven forbid, throw a cellphone at one of them. Or worse, Arroyo can be painted into a corner on questions about her legitimacy and all the scandals facing her and her people.

The recent conflict between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and government forces threatened communities in southern Philippines, including the predominantly Muslim provinces in Mindanao. This resulted in 511,090 persons being displaced during the height of the conflict.

Amidst news of the recent passage of House Resolution (HR) 6897, aptly titled “The Filipino Veterans Equity Act of 2008″, in a 392-23 vote by the Democrat-led House of Representatives last Tuesday, the US-based Filipino alliance known as BAYAN USA is not celebrating any victory for the 60-year old struggle of aging Filipino war veterans [...]

The Bangkok-based think-tank, Focus on Global South, reveals that a US military base construction unit has awarded a P3.5-billion contract for work in Mindanao. The award is part of a multi-billion peso contract lasting until 2012, it says.

“PLCPD is a legitimate NGO made up of members of Congress. We are advocating for the RH bill solely for the improvement of women’s health and to uphold freedom of informed choice,” Ramon San Pascual, Executive Director PLCPD, clarified. “That is all there is to it. There is no hidden agenda behind this campaign.”

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Q. Pimentel, Jr. today urged Congress to stop dilly-dallying on the bill decriminalizing libel which has been proposed a long time ago to make the law less harsh for journalists who are punished for reports that are unfair and defamatory to certain individuals.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is extending a $250 million loan to strengthen the policy reform initiatives of the Philippine government for fiscal management, investment climate and social sectors.

Analysis |  Having produced only disastrous results, economic management can no longer be left in the hands of an elite corps of bureaucrats and technocrats who ape models purposely to make corporate profits bigger at the expense of workers, farmers, and other marginal sectors.

AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros called for the use of ‘women power’ to counter the efforts by anti-RH legislators to stall plenary debates on the controversial bill by questioning the quorum, urging all fifty-two female members of the House of Representatives to be always present and active during session hours.
She said that the 14th Congress is [...]

Senator Pimentel said they will thoroughly look into the proposal submitted by Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Jr. for an additional Pl0 billion for the AFP budget for 2009, which amounts to a l7.7 percent increase in the P56.5 billion already earmarked for the military under the national budget submitted by Malacanang to Congress.

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Could a more watchful Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) have averted, or lessened the massive financial losses incurred by Philippine banks due to the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc.?
Sen. Loren Legarda raised this question shortly after US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said US regulators allowed Lehman to [...]