CUT OUR TIES WITH U.S. WAR OF AGGRESSION to save the life of Angelo and protect our OFWs

More than a call for prayers, a firm decision must be made by the Arroyo administration to save the life of Angelo de la Cruz. Either GMA cuts her ties with Bush’s war of aggression or sacrifice the lives of Angelo de la Cruz and thousands of our OFWs in that war-torn region.The partylist group Sanlakas made this challenge in reaction to reports that the Arroyo administration has rejected the rebels’ demand for the immediate pullout of our troops in Iraq. In a mass/prayer organized by several cause-oriented groups under the Alternatiba ng Mamamayan (Alternatiba!) in Bustillos church and in a rally with the Broad Alliance for Workers’ Interests (BAWI) at Mendiola afterwards, the group reiterated its call for the immediate pull-out of Filipino troops in Iraq as the ultimate solution to save the life of Angelo de la Cruz.[ Read More ]Related Articles:President seeks news blackout on hostage crisisSecure the Lives of Filipino Workers in Iraq!TROOPS PULL-OUT IS THE ULTIMATE SOLUTIONPull out Philippine troops from Iraq immediately, before July 20!Stop supporting the genocidal war of greed!It is the Phil. Govt. that is holding Angelo dela CruzMilitants Demand GMA: Give Filipino OFWs Jobs Here!

Japan: Massive Deportation of Immigrants Shattering Lives

TOKYO, Japan - Migrant support groups in Japan asked the immigration yesterday for an immediate stop against massive arrests and deportations of undocumented immigrants by Japanese authorities, following the announcement of Japanese Government’s plan to cut into half the estimated number of 250,000 “illegal aliens” in the country.“The massive arrests of undocumented foreign immigrants who are mostly Filipinos rise-up to a total of a hundreds every month since last year of September,” an open letter to Philippine embassy signed by concerned Filipino migrants said “Once caught by the police, these arrested immigrants have to agonize in local jails for a longer period of time before they are transferred to immigration where the actual process of deportation begins.”According to some reports, it is known that most undocumented immigrants in Japan came from poor countries in Asia, and these immigrants are really working hard to the bone for supporting their families back home. But since Japan is closing down its golden gates through its Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act (ICRRA), illegal immigrants are imposed to pay a penalty of Y3,000,000 and a 10-year ban on re-entry from 5-years, making it impossible for these poor immigrant deportees to build back their hopes for better lives. [ Related Article ]FOLLOW-UP NEWS:Filipino family in Bay Area California also faces deportation[ NO BORDERS, NO NATION | NO ONE IS ILLEGAL ]

GMA’s inauguration as president of the Philippines; today

June 30, 2004Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s (GMA) inauguration as “14th Philippine president” started today at the Rizal Park in Manila, while her state machinery is showing off its force against every possible dissent that may disrupt her inauguration rites. According to reports, thousands of troops have been deployed to strategic areas like Cebu city where GMA is set to have her second part inauguration speech and oath-taking. In an interview by mainstream local media, Lt. Gen. Rolando Garcia, Central Visayas regional police chief, told dzMM that the police forces have to secure the whole metropolitan Cebu to protect high-profile visitors attending the inauguration. 4,000 police forces in full battle gear including soldiers were positioned near the inauguration area. Meanwhile, two kilometers away from the Provincial Capitol where President Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo's oath-taking ceremony was to take place, a number of 200 protesters were violently dispersed by weilding police truncheons. According to reports, the protesters were about to march towards the Department of Energy building to submit a petition against the increase in electricity rates when thousands of police cordoned them, pushing them back and started to whack batons to the protesters, hurting everyone.Civil disobediences from various activist groups were also taking place at some parts of Cebu city and Metro Manila, conveying to the “elected” president their demand for a wage increase, scrapping of the oil deregulation law, and a review of the labor laws to protect the workers.”Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the 14th president of the Philippines who won in the national elections at the expense of using the people’s money in her campaign, massive cheating and violence,” said one of the activist. [ Related Article ]

Violent Dispersals an opening salvo to GMA’s presidential proclamation

2,000 activists were dispersed by anti-riot police squads together with the military forces using tear gas and water canons as the activist groups occupied the Plaza Rotunda in Manila while protesting against Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo’s (GMA) anomalous proclamation on Wednesday.According to mainstream media reports, the activists were dispersed by the authorities because they massed up at the Plaza without a permit to rally. While some other groups who are about to join at the Plaza were already blockaded by police squads before they plan to pass through the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon Avenue connecting to the Plaza. Violent dispersal has caused several dozens of activists brutally injured.Meanwhile, the media is fabricating reports that the anti-GMA rally was mobilized by the presidential opposition Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ), making it clear that the rally was a proclamation of FPJ as the real national election winner.In a statement/communique handed over by Alternatiba! to the press, they call upon the people to go out and protest against the sky rocketing prices of basic services and necessities, the fraudulent expenses of GMA for her presidential campaign using the people’s money, the restriction of the people’s rights to express, the everyday violent dispersals and the continuing increase of taxes. Back to the streets, the clashes continued until five in the afternoon. Thousand more activists are expected to stage civil disobedience tomorrow. [ Read More ]note: the photo above is about the positioning of armored personnel carriers to its strategic location at the Rizal Park in Manila, tightening the security of the place.

The problem of the National Power Corporation [NPC] debts is virtually a no-win situation for the Filipino people

TAKEN FROM THE NEWSWIRE:Filipinos carry the burden of the NPC debts as consumers, by way of high electricity costs. NPC passes on to consumers the cost of payments of both the principal and the interest on these debts. The debts are also one of the major justifications for the privatization of NPC – sales from the assets are supposed to be used to pay for part of the debts. However, privatization of the industry will only lead to even higher electricity rates. Filipinos also carry the burden of the NPC debts as taxpayers. Time and again, the National Government helped NPC pay its obligations by extending loans to this government-owned and controlled corporation. Instead of using these funds to improve and expand urgently needed basic services, a big chunk of taxpayer’s money goes to NPC creditors. Now, the National Government (NG) wants to assume P500-billion debts of NPC. What does this mean? It means NPC will be freed from the P500-billion obligation and paying these debts will be passed on to Filipinos as taxpayers, even as they already bear the National Government debt of P3.35-trillion (as of end-2003). Given this double burden, the public has the right to know what it is paying for. Most important, the public has the right to decide whether these debts should be paid for, in the first place. [ Read More ]

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