Piercing Pens

Migrant workers issues have always been close to my heart, thus, the reason for me voting for Migrante in my first national elections. My father worked in Saudi Arabia for four years. For a time we lived comfortably but within our means but as the usual OFW story goes, we didn’t invest on anything except for education. He returned home almost totally blind from a strange disease we all think he got from there. My father who’s 62 now is already retired and is receiving a measly P1,000 from his monthly SSS pension.

My eldest brother went to Kuwait with a dream of sending his four kids to private schools. He went home four months after for reasons too heartbreaking to talk about here. He’s waiting for another chance to leave this country and to work overseas.

This week, 179 OFWS who were detained in Saudi Arabia returned home after being detained for crimes, mostly petty, they allegedly committed. Mrs. Arroyo is of course readily taking credit for this but should she?

Manila — Swathed in nothing but red hot chili peppers next to the tagline “Spice Up Your Life—Go Vegetarian!” Filipino supermodel Isabel Roces appears in a brand-new ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Asia-Pacific touting the many benefits of a meatless diet. Isabel wants people to know that going vegetarian is the best way to stay trim, fight animal abuse, and avoid life-threatening illnesses. The ad was shot in Thailand by ace photographer Amat Nimitpark.

OUR FIGHT FOR PRESS FREEDOM CONTINUES

We commemorate World Press Freedom Day today anguishing over the lack of genuine freedom of expression in our country and girding our loins to resist yet other attempts to muzzle the Philippine Press.

The statistics are grim enough:

Seventy-six of our colleagues were lost to the ultimate form of censorship – murder – in the past two decades since the supposed restoration of democracy in the country in 1986. Thirty-nine of the killings happened only in the past five years during the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, making her administration the deadliest for Filipino journalists.

Reposted below is the full text of the “Free the Sagfada 11 petition”. which calls for the release of the 11 young mountaineers accused of being communist rebels.

To: Philippine Government, Police Force, Military, Justice Department

Last February 14, a group of 11 backpackers went to Baguio to join the festivities in the annual Baguio Flower Festival and proceed to the idyllic mountain paradise of Sagada. They were Rundren Berloize Lao, 24, from Davao City; Aldoz Christian Munoza, 18, single, of Santolan, Pasig City; Darwin Alazar y Padilla, 21, single, native of Tipuso, Urdaneta City, Pangasinan; Arvie Nunez, 21, single, native of Silang, Mayaw, Lucena City; Ray Lester Mendoza y Esquerra, 16, from San Francisco, Makati City; Neil Russel Balajadia, 25, single, from Santolan, Pasig City; Jethro Villegas, 21, single, of Malagos, Calinan, Davao City; Anderson Alonzo, 18, single, also of Malagos, Calinan, Davao City; Ronron Pandino, 20, single, from San Quintin, Laguna; Frencess Ann Bernal, 15, single, of Camupang, Marikina City; and Jefferson dela Rosa y dela Cruz, 20, single, of Santolan, Pasig City. All of them just wanted to have some fun, after their musical tour (they came from a punk music event that was held in Tarlac).

Continue reading “Sagada 11 Petition”

Gloria Arroyo’s calibrated preemptive response (CPR) policy that suppresses the people’s right to free assembly has just been declared as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Below is an excerpt from the decision released today:

Furthermore, Calibrated Preemptive Response (CPR), insofar as it would purport to differ from or be in lieu of maximum tolerance, is NULL and VOID and respondents are ENJOINED to REFRAIN from using it and to STRICTLY OBSERVE the requirements of maximum tolerance. The petitions are DISMISSED in all other respects, and the constitutionality of Batas Pambansa No. 880 is SUSTAINED.

The Supreme Court yesterday voided parts of Executive Order No. 464, upholding Congress’s right to compel Palace officials to appear in congressional hearings in aid of legislation. But it declared as constitutional parts of the EO that bans executive officials from appearing during the question hour.

Read the full text of the decision here.

After the New York Times, now it’s the American think tank Heritage Foundation that has not-so-good things to say about President Arroyo:

Philippines President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is in trouble.

The political situation in her island nation is in crisis. Her popularity ratings have dropped into the low teens. “People power” demonstrations break out regularly in Manila. She recently survived an alleged coup attempt.

Arroyo appears to have given up on convincing her constituents of her competence. Instead, she has resorted to the methods many dictators use to silence criticism.

Here’s the link to the full article : In Philippines, killing of journalists growing problem