Sunday, June 30, 2013

How efficient is DFA in solving the problem of undocumented OFWs in KSA?

How efficient is DFA in solving the problem of undocumented OFWs in KSA?

News item:  Thousands of OFWs still stranded





Two days to the deadline and there are still between 10-12 thousand undocumented Filipino migrant workers still waiting to be repatriated in Saudi Arabia. Why? The problem is almost half a year now and only a handful of these  victims of Saudi crackdown were returned home. This snail-paced process being utilized by the DFA is fatal to the undocumented Filipino migrant workers.

Despite the DFA's repeated announcements that the government intends to repatriate as many Filipinos as possible before the deadline lapses, only about 600 has been flown home


According to DFA Spokesperson Raul Hernandez, the Philippine government is awaiting a reply from the Kingdom regarding a possible extension of the grace period.

“We have sought for an extension of the grace period to enable us to repatriate or regularize all our OFWs in Saudi Arabia. We have yet to receive a reply from the Saudi government,” he said.

According to him, not only time constraints (because of the nearing deadline) but also “limitations” of the processing capabilities of the Saudi government are hindering the quick repatriation of foreign workers.

The problems notwithstanding, Hernandez said the number of OFW repatriates in-waiting may not be as large as 10,000.

“Since the beginning of this issue of the crackdown, about 10,000 have signified to be repatriated to the Philippines. But last May 10, a new guideline was issued by the Saudi government allowing the facility of also regularizing the papers of those who would like to continue working in Saudi Arabia.

‘So we surmise that those who originally signified to be repatriated, some of them have decided to regularize or legalize their stay in SA,” the DFA official said.

Surmises will not help solve the emergency. Again, the wait and see tactics is the cause of more problems popping out than solving the original problem, and  the migrant workers are paying for all these delays.


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Pinoy Weekly Tuwing Umuulan

Pinoy Weekly

Posted: 30 Jun 2013 12:26 AM PDT


tuwing umuulan
naaalaala ko
luha ng mga sawimpalad
luha ng mga supling ng dalita
luha ng mga inalipin ng inhustisya
luha ng mga ibinilanggo ng pagsasamantala
tumutulo ang mga luhang iyon
sa mabahong estero
inaanod ng baha ng kawalang-pag-asa
kasama ng nagibang mga dampa
luha iyon ng dalamhati ng lahi
sumisiksik sa mga kanal at imburnal
hanggang lamunin ng alon
sa baybay-dagat ng pangamba.


tuwing umuulan
naglalakbay sa telon ng mga mata
tagaktak ng pawis
ng sakada’t magsasaka
sa lupaing libingan
ng mailap na pangarap
at pabrikang taliba
ng ganid na pita
maalat na talulot iyon ng dalita
didilaan-hihimurin ng lupa
lulunukin-lalaklakin ng makina
hanggang maging masaganang grasya
ng di pinawisang asendero’t kapitalista.


tuwing umuulan
sumisiksik sa kamalayan
itinigis na dugo
ng mga mandirigma ng laya’t ligaya
sa kaparangang sakbibi ng dilim
sa kalunsurang saklot ng panimdim
umaagos ang mga dugong iyon
kasama ng mga patak ng ulan
sa tigang na dibdib ng pag-asa
sa tiyang hungkag sa pagsinta
upang mapanariwa nanilaw na mga damo
sa binaog na la tierra pobreza
ng mga panginoon ng dusa’t inhustisya.


oo, tuwing umuulan
masidhi yaring pagnanasang
humaginit na mga palaso
at umangil na mga punglo
masinsing mga patak ng ulan
at maglagos nawa sa lalamunan, sa wakas…
ng mga tampalasang diyus-diyosan!


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Pinoy Weekly Filipinas Got Problem


Pinoy Weekly

Posted: 30 Jun 2013 10:18 AM PDT


At mayroon na ngang resolusyon ang Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino na “ibalik ang gamit ng ‘Filipinas’ habang pinipigil ang paggamit ng ‘Pilipinas’ upang mapalaganap ang opisyal at modernisadong katawagan ng bansa na kumikilala sa kasaysayan at pag-unlad ng pagkabansa nito.” Noong 12 Abril pa pala ito napirmahan, siguro’y itinago muna para hindi maging “kontrobersyal,” kahit paano, noong kampanya sa eleksyon.


Paliwanag ni Komisyoner Virgilio S. Almario, tagapangulo ng KWF, sa isang kolum na nalathala noong 1992 at nasawebsite ngayon ng ahensya, “mas una at orihinal” ang “Filipinas” kumpara sa “Pilipinas.” Ito ang itinawag sa bansa ng mga mananakop na Espanyol, tatlong siglong nakilala sa pangalang ito ang bansa, ito ang ginamit sa proklamasyon ng kalayaan noong 12 Hunyo 1898, at ito ang ginamit ng mga bayani.


Malayo sa marangal na kasaysayan ng “Filipinas” ang aba, kung hindi man pipitsuging, kasaysayan ng “Pilipinas.” Nitong bungad lang ng ika-20 siglo lumabas ang “Pilipinas,” sa panahon ng manunulat na si Lope K. Santos, kaugnay ng paggamit ng abakadang Tagalog na walang “F,” opisyal na ginamit sa panahon ng kolonyalismong Hapon, at lumaganap noong dekada ’50 kaugnay ng pagbansag sa wikang pambansa na “Pilipino.”


Dagdag pa ni Almario, “Filipino” ang tawag natin sa wika natin kaya dapat “Filipinas” ang itawag sa bansa natin. Hudyat daw ang ganitong pagtawag sa wikang pambansa ng “modernisasyon at pagiging pambansa ng wika” – malay sa paghalaw ng wika sa bansa at labas nito. At panghuli, ani Almario, mapapadali ng “Filipinas” ang pagtuturo ng ispeling: wikang Filipino at taong Filipino sa Ingles, Filipino at Pilipino sa Filipino.


Hindi ako makumbinsi. Mas una at orihinal man ang “Filipinas,” bansag naman ito sa atin ng mananakop. Nahuli man at hindi orihinal ang “Pilipinas,” may marka na ito ng pag-angkin nating mga Pilipino. Bakit gusto nina Almario at ng KWF na maging matapat at ulirang tagasunod ni Haring Felipe II ng Espanya? Karapat-dapat ba ang hari na namayagpag sa kaigtingan ng kolonyalismo sa daigdig sa ganitong parangal?


Sang-ayon ako sa pagpasok ng titik “F” sa alpabetong Filipino; sang-ayon din ako sa paggamit ng “Filipino” sa pakahulugang ibinigay dito ng mga pasimuno. Pero ang totoo, hindi talaga kasing-dami ang mga salitang gumagamit ng “F” kumpara sa gumagamit ng “P” sa ating wika. Ilang bata na bang normal na nagsasalita sa bahay ang pinagalitan ng guro dahil hindi mabigkas ang salitang may “F” o naipagpalit pa nga ito sa “P”?


Tiyak, kokontrahin ni Almario ang ganitong paniwala. Kilala kasi siya sa pagtutulak ng paggamit ng “aspekto” halimbawa, kumpara sa “aspeto” dahil mas malapit ang nauna sa orihinal at pinaghalawang Espanyol. Maaaring marami siyang palalabasing salita na dapat ay “F” at hindi “P” ang ginagamit natin. May pagpreno siya sa paniniwalang kaligtaan na ang pinaghalawan, kung anong bigkas ay siyang baybay, at iba pa.


Kaya nga ang debate sa wika ay hindi lang debate tungkol sa wika; may pulitika rito. Sa isang banda, dapat igalang ang orihinal na wikang pinaghahalawan ng mga salita natin. Sa kabilang banda, nagbabago ang wika at may nagiging popular na hindi wasto ayon sa mga eksperto. Lagi’t laging babalansehin ang dalawa. Pero may prinsipyong dapat manaig sa kanila: Ang isulong ang kalayaan ng bansa kahit sa usaping pangwika.


Sa isang pagtingin, hindi na nagbago si Almario, na lagi’t laging tinutuligsa ng mga kasabayan niya sa pagtalikod sa aktibismo at paglilingkod sa Batas Militar. Parang diktador niyang ipinataw ang patakaran sa “Filipinas,” pinagmumukhang makabayan pero pabor sa kolonyalista. Patuloy ang obsesyon sa “F”: Fascism, Ferdinand.


01 Hulyo 2013

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Consumers warned vs. Bt talong, as CA urged to uphold landmark decision

Pinoy Weekly

Posted: 28 Jun 2013 10:56 PM PDT


Dr. Romeo Quijano: Bt talong poses serious risks to human health and environment (Pinoy Weekly)Dr. Romeo Quijano: Bt talong poses serious risks to human health and environment (Pinoy Weekly)


Consumers, scientists, and farmers urged the Court of Appeals (CA) to uphold its landmark decision to stop the commercialization of Bt talong or genetically-modified (GM) eggplant due to concerns over its adverse effects on health and the environment.

Petitioners who filed a Writ of Kalikasan (Writ of Nature) against the Bt talong field trials raised alarm over renewed pressure from the biotechnology industry and its proponents for the CA to reverse its decision. Last May 17, 2013, the CA ordered a permanent cease of Bt talong field trials and “rehabilitation of the environment.”

However, respondents of the case, led by the University of the Philippines (UP) Los Baños, have filed a motion for reconsideration, and even come up with full-page newspaper advertisements attesting to the safety of Bt talong.

In a media forum, multi-sectoral alliance Resist (Resist Agrochemical TNCs) reiterated that Bt talong is potentially dangerous and only strengthens the control over agriculture of agrochemical transnational corporations selling GM products.

“The Court of Appeals has based its decision on the fact that there was no full scientific certainty on the effects of Bt talong to human health and environment. This is enough reason for the court to prevent the field trials,” said Dr. Romeo Quijano, a medical doctor and toxicologist from UP Manila and co-petitioner against the Bt talong field trials.

“No independent tests were conducted to ascertain the safety of Bt talong to human health. The Bt talong field trials were conducted only to test the efficacy and agricultural performance of the product,” he added.

Atty. Zelda Soriano, counsel for the petitioners, said that the CA also based its decision on the lack of a governing law and safety regulations on GM products, and its relevance to public policy.
“The court acknowledges that is not a purely scientific activity. Those who are affected must be consulted and engaged in the process. The public needs to give its consent because they will be the one to assume the serious risks associated with Bt talong,” Soriano said.


Associated risks
Bt talong is an eggplant genetically modified to produce a toxin to combat the Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB). Bt stands for Bacillus thuringiensis, a soil bacteria whose genes are inserted to the eggplant to produce toxins against FSB.

Proponents of Bt talong claim that this will reduce the use of pesticides. But Quijano, steering council member of Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific, said that this was untrue.

Quijano said that even its name indicates that every inch of the Bt plant has a harmful toxin, which is “a thousand times more concentrated than the (pesticide) spray.”

He cited scientific studies, including those submitted to the CA as evidence, which belie the biotechnology industry’s claim that the Bt toxin is only harmful to insects and that it disappears upon digestion by mammals and humans. “Numerous laboratory experiments show that mice react to the Bt toxin, several developed cancer and had their red blood cells and immune system damaged,” Quijano said.

Experiences of Filipino farmers planting Bt corn also show that people react to it, having allergic reactions during the flowering of the plant, or stomachaches upon eating the corn, he said.

Bt corn has been commercialized in the Philippines since 2002.

Quijano also added that insects eventually develop resistance to the Bt toxin, thus compelling farmers to use pesticides. Herbicide-tolerant genes are also eventually inserted into Bt crops, as in the case of Bt corn, thus increasing the use of herbicides.  “Worldwide, there is no Bt crop being planted today that do not still require massive amounts of pesticides and herbicides,” he said.

Dr. Chito Medina, environmental scientist and co-petitioner for farmer-scientist group Masipag (Magsasaka at Syentipiko para sa Pag-unlad ng Agrikultura), meanwhile warned that even consumers who don’t want to eat GM products may have no choice, because of the high potential of contamination as well as the lack of GM labeling under the law.

“The Bt talong field trials can contaminate non-GM crops, thus undermining not only the farmers’ freedom of choice in seeds and technology, but the consumers’ right to information and freedom of choice as well,” he said.

Medina pointed out that the eggplant is mostly insect-pollinated, so contamination is highly likely, as in the case of Bt corn.


Laudable decision 
He lauded the CA decision, pointing out a similar decision by the Indian government to stop the commercialization of genetically-modified eggplant because of concerns over public safety and its effects on biodiversity.

Meanwhile, Rafael Mariano, national chairperson of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), said that only agrochemical TNCs such as Monsanto and Syngenta, which lead the  biotechnology industry, stand to gain from the commercialization of Bt talong.

He also cited the case of Bt corn, wherein “more and more farmers became indebted” due to the increase in the use and price of corn farming inputs.

“We urge the CA to stand by its decision to permanently desist the proponents from continuing Bt talong field trials. There are better alternatives and agricultural systems that will ensure better incomes for the farmers, safe food for the consumers and protection to the environment,” Mariano said.



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Pinoy Weekly Filipinas at Pilipinas bilang pangalan ng bansa


Pinoy Weekly
Posted: 29 Jun 2013 12:39 AM PDT



Kung ikaw ang papipiliin, ano ang gusto mong pangalan ng bansa natin? Filipinas o Pilipinas?


Pag-isipan nating mabuti ito. Naglabas kasi ng resolusyon ang Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) noong Abril 12 na naglalayong “ibalik ang gamit ng `Filipinas’ habang pinipigil ang paggamit ng `Pilipinas’ upang mapalaganap ang opisyal at modernisadong katawagan ng bansa na kumikilala sa kasaysayan at pag-unlad ng pagkabansa nito.”


Hinihikayat ng KWF na “baguhin ang opisyal na pangalan ng mga institusyon at kapisanang may `Pilipinas.’” At para masiguradong maipapalaganap ang salitang Filipinas, isinusulong din ng KWF ang “unti-unting pagbabago sa ispeling ng mga selyo, letterhead, notepad, at iba pang kasangkapan na may tatak na `Pilipinas’ tungo sa `Filipinas.’”


Matagal nang panawagan ito ng ilang eksperto sa wikang Filipino. Kung paniniwalaan nga ang UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino (Binagong Edisyon, 2010), ang pangalan ng ating bansa ay Filipinas (p. 362) samantalang ang salitang Pilipinas ay may ganitong maikling depenisyon: “Tagalog ng Filipinas (p. 971).” Kaugnay nito, ang mga mamamayan ng ating bansa ay tinatawag daw na Filipino, ang salitang ginagamit din para tukuyin ang ating wika “alinsunod sa Konstitusyong 1973.”


Ano ba ang nakasaad sa kasalukuyang Konstitusyon na pinagtibay noong 1987? Sa titulo ng opisyal na salin, nakasaad ang pangalan ng ating bansa: Ang 1987 Konstitusyon ng Republika ng Pilipinas. Sa panimula o preamble pa lang, ginagamit na ang terminong tumutukoy sa mga mamamayan ng ating bansa: “Kami, ang nakapangyayaring sambayanang Pilipino…” Batay sa 1987 Konstitusyon, ang pangalan ng ating bansa ay Pilipinas at ang mga mamamayan nito ay Pilipino, bagama’t nakasaad naman sa Art. XIV, Sek. 6 na “(a)ng wikang pambansa sa Pilipinas ay Filipino.”


Bago tayo magpasyang mas dapat paniwalaan ang Konstitusyon kaysa diksiyonaryo, dapat muna nating malaman ang isa pang pangyayari noong 1987. Ayon sa Binagong Ortograpiya ng Wikang Filipino (2013) ng KWF, pinalaganap ng Linangan ng mga Wika sa Pilipinas ang isang “`modernisadong alpabeto’ na ipinababasa ang mga titik sa paraang Ingles, maliban sa Ñ na mulang alpabetong Espanyol.”


Mula sa 20 alpabetong isinulong ni Lope K. Santos noong 1940 (A, B, K, D, E, G, H, I, L, M, N, NG, O, P, R, S, T, U, W, Y), ang modernisadong alpabeto na ginagamit sa kasalukuyan ay 28 na. Ang mga nadagdag ay C, F, J, Ñ, Q, V, X at Z.


At dahil mayroon nang letrang F sa ating alpabeto, hindi nakakagulat na binuo ang KWF noong 1991 “mula sa binuwag na Linangan.” Kumpara sa Linangan ng mga Wika sa Pilipinas at sa nauna pang Surian sa Wikang Pambansa (SWP), ang paggamit ng salitang Filipino sa bagong ahensiya ay malinaw na isang hakbang para ipalaganap ang nararapat na tawag sa ating pambansang wika.


Pero kung susuriin ang resolusyon ng KWF noong Abril, ano nga ba ang nararapat na pangalan ng bansa? Mababasa sa website ng KWF ang artikulo ng tagapangulo nitong si Dr. Virgilio Almario na may pamagat na Patayin ang `Pilipinas’ (Diyaryo Filipino, 1992). Simple lang ang kanyang argumento: Ang Filipinas daw ay ang pangalang ibinigay sa atin nang sinakop tayo ng mga Kastila. Dagdag pa ni Almario: “Sa loob ng nakaraang tatlong siglo ay kilala tayo sa Europa bIlang `Filipinas’ at sa ganitong pangalan ipinroklama ang kalayaan ng ating bansa noong 12 Hunyo 1898.”


Wala tayong debate sa datos pero kailangan lang natin ng maikling pagsasakonteksto.

Una, malinaw sa ating kasaysayan na hindi buong bansa ang nasakop ng mga Kastila. Kung may kinikilala man noong Filipinas, ito ay ang mga lugar lang na okupado nila. Ayaw ko mang mamilosopo, kailangang isulong ang isang “baliw” na argumento: Kung gusto nating maging tapat sa kasaysayan, puwedeng gamitin ang pangalang Filipinas pero nararapat din sigurong gamitin ang termino para sa mga hindi nasakop mula 1565 hanggang 1898. Kung matatandaan, ang tawag ng mga Kastila noon sa lumaban at hindi nagpasakop ay tulisan.


Paumanhin po sa ganitong klaseng diskurso. Hindi ko lang kasi makita ang lohika ng paggamit ng dayuhang bansag para saklawin ang lahat ng bahagi ng bansa, pati na ang mga hindi nasakop nito.


Ikalawa, ang titulo ng deklarasyon sa kalayaan noong 1898 ay “Acta de la proclamación de independencia del pueblo Filipino.” Opo, ang sinulat at binasa ni Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista noong panahong iyon ay sa wikang Kastila. Ito ang pangunahing dahilan kung bakit Filipinas ang ginamit na termino. Puwede nating punahin ang mga tinaguriang rebolusyonaryo noon sa hindi nila paggamit ng sariling wika sa isang importanteng dokumento. Pero sa kabila nito, hindi maitatangging ginamit lang ang salitang Filipinas para malinaw na iparating sa mga mananakop ang mensahe ng kalayaan.


May mga argumento pang isinulong si Almario na kailangan pang malalimang suriin. Ayon sa kanya, “kakatwa  na  ang  wika  natin  ay `Filipino’ samantalang ang bansa ay `Pilipinas.’” Sinulat din ni Almario: “(A)ng pagkakaisa na `Filipinas’ ang itawag sa ating bansa ay makapagpapagaan din sa pagtuturo  ng wastong ispeling sa mga bagay na kaugnay ng ating katangiang pambansa.”


Siguro’y pagkakaiba lang ito ng opinyon. Para sa akin, hindi kasi nakakatawa o kakaiba ang pagkakaroon ng wikang tinatawag na Filipino samantalang ang bansa at mamamayan ay Pilipinas at Pilipino. Gusto kong isiping may malawak na pagtanggap sa wikang Filipino hindi lang dahil isinulong ito ng akademya’t midya. Higit pa sa mahusay na inisyatiba ng dalawang sektor na ito, kinikilala na ng maraming mamamayan ang pag-unlad ng sariling wika.


Sa konteksto ng pagdami ng bagong salita, malinaw na ang 20 alpabeto ay hindi na sapat kaya may idinagdag na walo pa, kasama ang F. Hindi man ako eksperto sa wika, ang Filipino bilang wika ay dahan-dahan at mabagal na ebolusyon tungo sa pagkakaroon ng lingua franca sa ating bansa. Ang unang edisyon ng UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino noong 2001, halimbawa, ay isang magandang simula para makita ng ordinaryong mamamayan ang yaman ng mga salita sa iba’t ibang rehiyon, pati na ang posibilidad ng pagkakaisa nila. Mayroon ka mang hindi pagsang-ayon sa ilang nilalaman ng diksiyonaryo, ito ay mainam pa ring sanggunian sa usapin ng wika.


Para naman sa terminong Pilipinas at Pilipino, malinaw na hindi nito nabubura ang kolonyal na pamana sa atin ng mga Kastila. Pero kumpara sa terminong Filipinas, masasabing inangkin natin ang dayuhang bansag noon sa pamamagitan ng mas komportable nating pagbigkas ng P. Sa madaling salita, ang Filipinas ay naging Pilipinas dahil gusto nating magkaroon ng sariling identidad na bagama’t kapansin-pansin ang kolonyal na nakaraan ay may malawak pa ring pagtanggap sa kasalukuyan.


Kahit na sabihing mayroon nang F sa modernong alpabeto, hindi naman ito nangangahulugang dapat nang baguhin ang nakagisnan. Malinaw na kakaunti pa rin ang mga salitang nagsisimula sa titik na ito, at marami pa nga sa mga ito ay hiram sa mga dayuhang wika. Kahit sa UP Diksiyonaryong Filipino (Binagong Edisyon, 2010), ang mga salitang nagsisimula sa F ay umaabot lamang sa 20 pahina (pp. 357-376). Ikumpara ito sa sumunod na titik G mula sa lumang alpabeto na nasa 42 pahina (pp. 377-418).


Tungkol naman sa pagpapagaan sa pagtuturo ng wastong ispeling, ipinaliwanag ni Almario na “sa ngayon ay dalawa ang paraan ng pagsulat sa ngalan ng mamamayan sa ating bansa. `Filipino’ sa Ingles at `Pilipino’ sa ating wika…Maiiwasan natin ang problemang ito kung`Filipinas’ ang magiging opisyal na pangalan ng ating bansa. Lahat ng ating katangiang pambansa-mamamayan, halagahan (values), kultura, pilosopiya, atbp­ ay isusulat sa iisang pangalan (`Filipino’) sa Ingles man o katutubong wika.”


Totoo mang mas magaan ito sa pagtuturo, paano naman ang ebolusyon ng wikang Filipino? Sa aking palagay, hindi nararapat na hikayatin natin ang mga mamamayang gamitin na lang ang wikang Ingles nang walang pagsasaalang-alang sa konteksto ng pagsakop ng mga Kastila sa ilang bahagi lang ng bansa natin. Katanggap-tanggap man ang paghiram ng dayuhang salita, ibang usapin na ang paggamit ng Filipinas (Kastila) at Filipino (Ingles) samantalang mayroon naman tayong direktang salin ng mga ito sa sariling wika.


Malinaw na masalimuot ang simpleng panghihikayat sa pagpapalit ng pangalan ng bansa. Ang usapin dito ay hindi lang paggamit ng modernong alpabeto kundi ang interpretasyon ng ating kolonyal na nakaraan, pati na ang kolektibong pagtingin sa kasalukuyan.



Para makipag-ugnayan sa awtor, pumunta sa www.dannyarao.com


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Pinoy Weekly Kani-kaniyang Rizal

Pinoy Weekly

Kani-kaniyang Rizal
Posted: 29 Jun 2013 01:43 AM PDT


Ang buhay na siguro ng pambansang bayaning si Jose Rizal ang pinakapaboritong gawing paksa sa mga pelikula. Taong 1912, bago pa lamang ang paggawa ng pelikula sa bansa, dalawang pelikulang batay sa buhay at kamatayan ni Rizal ang ginawa ng mga Amerikanong prodyuser.


Maging ang mga nobelang kaniyang isinulat ay paborito ring isapelikula. Unang naisapelikula ang “Noli Me Tangere” noong 1930 sa direksyon ni Jose Nepomuceno. Gumawa naman ng sariling bersyon ang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining sa Pelikula na si Gerardo de Leon noong 1961. Nang sumunod na taon, ginawa at ipinalabas ni de Leon ang ikalawang nobela ni Rizal na “El Filibusterismo.”
Dalawang pelikula rin ang ginawa batay sa karakter na si Sisa (1951 at 1999) na tauhan sa nobelng Noli Me Tangere.


Cesar Montano bilang Jose Rizal sa pelikulang dinirehe ni Marilou Diaz-AbayaCesar Montano bilang Jose Rizal sa pelikulang dinirehe ni Marilou Diaz-Abaya


Sa mga huling taon ng dekada ’90, maraming pelikulang historikal ang nilikha bilang bahagi ng selebrasyon ng sentenaryo ng kasarinlan bansa. Tatlo sa mga ito ay tungkol sa iba’t ibang aspekto ng buhay at kabayanihan ni Rizal.


Itinampok ni Tikoy Aguiluz sa pelikulang “Rizal sa Dapitan” ang pag-iibigan ng destiyerong si Rizal at ni Josephine Bracken sa Dapitan. Isa namang komprehensibong talambuhay ni Rizal ang “Jose Rizal” ni Marilou Diaz-Abaya. Imbestigasyon sa kabayanihan ni Rizal ang naging tuon ng pelikulang “Bayaning Third World” ni Mike de Leon.


Tila nais sagutin ng mga pelikulang ito kung paano nalilikha ang isang bayani. Nariyan ang pagpapatampok sa kadakilaan ni Rizal at ang kaniyang pagiging henyo. Sa kabilang banda naman, inilalarawan din siya sa mga pelikula ito bilang tao, na tulad nati’y may mga kapintasan at kahinaan (partikular sa aspeto ng pag-ibig).


Makikita sa pagdadakila kay Rizal sa mga pelikulang ito kung bakit siya ang pambansang bayani. Hindi ito dahil naging inspirasyon ang kaniyang sulatin ng rebolusyon at naging mitsa ang kaniyang kamatayan ng lalong paglagablab ng armadong pakikibaka ng Katipunan laban sa mga Espanyol. Para sa mga pelikulang ito, naging pambansang bayani siya dahil sa mga merito ng kaniyang buhay: isang ilustrado na namulat reyalidad ng kaniyang panahon at tumindig ayon  sa kaniyang prinsipyo kahit pa buhay ang kapalit.


Totoo sa isang bahagi na ginawang pambansang bayani si Rizal noong panahon ng kolonyalismong Amerikano sa halip na si Andres Bonifacio (na mas mapangahas, delikado at banta sa gobyernong kolonyal). Makikita rin ang ganitong pagkiling sa paggawa ng mga Amerikano ng pelikula tungkol kay Rizal sa panahong sinusupil nila ang mga labi ng pakikibaka ng Katipunan sa unang bahagi ng ika-20 siglo.


Ganito rin ang lohika kung bakit mas katanggap-tanggap at mas niyayakap ng panggitnang uri si Rizal bilang bayani. Sa pagdadakila kay Rizal sa midya at pelikula, tanging itinatampok ang kadakilaan ng kaniyang naging buhay ngunit hindi ang rebolusyong binigyan niya ng inspirasyon.


Sa kabila ng bilang ng mga pelikulang tumalakay sa buhay ni Rizal, wala ni isa ang nagtangkang bawiin si Rizal mula sa pagkakahon na ginawa ng mga Amerikano nang ideklara siyang pambansang bayani. Ang tanging pelikula na magbibigay hustisya sa kabayanihan ni Rizal ay isang pelikulang magtatampok sa kanyang rebolusyonaryong potensyal sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng konteksto sa naging papel niya sa pagsiklab ng rebolusyon. Siya ang Rizal na hindi pa natin napapanood sa pinilakang tabing at kailangan nating makilala.


Film clips at trailers ng ilan sa nabanggit na mga pelikula (Ed.):

“Noli Me Tangere” ni Gerardo de Leon

“Bayaning 3rd World” ni Mike de Leon

“Rizal sa Dapitan” ni Tikoy Aguiluz

“Jose Rizal” ni Marilou Diaz-Abaya


##

PNoy ‘bagsak’ sa ikatlong taon niya – Kabataan

Pinoy Weekly


Posted: 29 Jun 2013 07:38 AM PDT


Martsa ng militanteng kabataan patungong Mendiola para kondenahin ang ikatlong taon ng administrasyong Aquino. (Pher Pasion)
Martsa ng militanteng kabataan patungong Mendiola para kondenahin ang ikatlong taon ng administrasyong Aquino. (Pher Pasion)
Isang pambasang pagkilos ang isinalubong ng mga kabataan para markahan ang tatlong taong panunungkulan ni Noynoy Aquino bilang presidente.


Sa pangunguna ng Kabataan Party-list, binigyan ng mga nagprotesta ng “bagsak” na marka ang tatlong taon ni Aquino sa bigong pagtugon ng administrasyon sa usapin ng edukasyon, serbisyong panlipunan, karapatang pantao, kahirapan at trabaho.


Kasabay ng Kabataan sa Maynila na kumilos ang mga nasa probinsiya gaya ng Cavite, Pangasinan, Negros, Cebu, at Davao City.


“Nananatili pa rin ang dating mga problema at mas lumala pa nga sa tatlong taon ni Aquino bilang presidente. Milyong mga pamilya pa rin ang lubog sa kahirapan. Milyong kabataan pa rin ang hindi nakakapag-enroll dahil sa problema sa pinansiya. Kaya sinasabi ng kabataan na hindi kayang mamuno ni Aquino sa nalalabi niyang taon bilang presidente,” ayon kay Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon.



Tass-singil
Habang abala pa rin ang administrasyon sa popular nitong pagpostura bilang kalaban ng korupsiyon, umaabot naman sa pinakamataas na tala ang mga presyo ng pangunahing mga bilihin, sabi pa ng Kabataan.


“Naging regular na pangyayari na lamang ang pagtaas ng (presyo ng) gasolina. Tumataas pa rin ang mga matrikula. At ngayon, ang singil batayang mga serbisyo gaya ng tubig, kuryente at transportasyon ay nakaambang tumaas,” ayon kay Ridon.


Nitong Hunyo, pinayagan ng Commission on Higher Education (CHED) na magtaas ng matrikula ang 354 kolehiyo at unibersidad sa bansa sa kabila ng mga reklamong inihahapag ng mga grupo ng mag-aaral tulad ng mga hindi maipaliwanag na pagtaas ng pagsingil at bogus na mga konsultasyon sa mga mag-aaral.


Samantala, naghain naman ng taas sa kanilang singil ang Maynilad Water Services Inc. (P 8.58 per cubic meter) at Manila Water Co. Inc. (P5.83 per cubic meter). Kung matutuloy ang naturang pagtaas, madadagdagan nang P234 hanggang P342 ang binabayaran ng mga kabahayang komukunsumo ng 30 cubic meters kada buwan sa average.


Nag-anunsiyo naman ang Meralco ng pagtaas sa kanilang generation charge nang 22 sentimo kada kilowatt-hourngayong buwan matapos umanong “mawalan” dahil sa power outage noong Mayo 8 sa Luzon. Nakaamba ring tumaas ang pasahe sa MRT at LRT sa mga susunod na buwan.


“Malinaw na sinuportahan ni Aquino ang lahat ng pagtaas na ito kahit na nangangahulugan pa itong dagdag pasanin para sa mga mamamayan. Naging malinaw sa kanyang mga pahayag ang suporta niya sa kagustuhan ng malalaking negosyo na hindi iniisip ang katotohanang ang mga ito ay magpapalala sa sitwasyon ng mga mamamayan. Nagpapakita lamang ito na walang pakiramdam si Aquino para sa mga mamamayang Pilipino,” ayon kay Ridon.


Lumalala
Para sa Kabataan, bagsak si PNoy dahil sa unti-unting pag-abandona ng kanyang administrasyon sa pagbibigay ng serbisyong panlipunan, gayundin ang pagpapatindi ng pagsasapribado sa mga serbisyong ito. (Pher Pasion)
Para sa Kabataan, bagsak si PNoy dahil sa unti-unting pag-abandona ng kanyang administrasyon sa pagbibigay ng serbisyong panlipunan, gayundin ang pagpapatindi ng pagsasapribado sa mga serbisyong ito. (Pher Pasion)


Ayon sa Kabataan, mas malala pa si Aquino kay dating Pangulong Gloria Arroyo sa pagtugon sa krisis ng kawalang trabaho sa bansa mula sa datos mismo ng gobyerno.


Noong Abril 2010, inulat ng National Statistic Office (NSO) na nasa 3.1 milyon ang tinatayang walang trabaho sa bansa. Ipinakikita naman ng NSO sa April 2013 Labor Force Survey, tumaas sa mahigit 4.8 milyon ang walang hanapbuhay na Pilipino sa kabila ng sinasabing paglago ng Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ng bansa.


“Sa kanyang (Aquino) termino bilang presidente, pawang manipulasyon sa datos at magpapasikat sa ‘paglago’ ng ekonomiya (ang ginagawa niya) para pagtakpan na ang kanyang rehimen ay mas masahol kesa sa kanyang sinundan (Arroyo). Pero ang mga datos na ngayon ang mismong nagsasabi,” ayon kay Ridon.


Resulta umano ito ng deka-dekada nang pagsunod sa dating mga polisiya na inuuna ang dayuhang pamumuhunan. Umaasa din umano sa demand ng imperyalistang mga bansa para sa murang lakas-paggawa imbes na mamuhunan sa pambansang mga industriya na makakalikha ng trabaho sa bansa, dagdag ni Ridon.


“Sa loob ng tatlong taon, hindi lang basta walang nagbago sa sitwasyon ng sambayanan. Lalo pang sumahol ang kondisyon ng mga mamamayang Pilipino. Kaya’t ang panawagan ng kabataan ngayon ay ‘tama na’,” ayon kay Ridon.


Nagbanta rin ang Kabataan ng mas malalaking kilos-protesta hanggang sa pagsalubong ng mga ito sa nalalapit na ikaapat na State of the Nation Address ni Aquino sa Hulyo 22.


##

What would be Pnoy’s SONA this year

What would be Pnoy’s SONA this year





The State of the Nation Address (SONA; Filipino: Talumpati sa Kalagayan ng Bansa) is an annual address by the President of the Philippines to the Congress of the Philippines. It is required by 1987 Constitution of the Philippines and must be delivered every fourth Monday of July at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. From Wikipedia



We still do not have a clear idea of what the President will say in his next SONA speech. But we have to bear in mind his campaign promises. And perhaps as a centerpiece, he will also highlight his accomplishments on the national economy. But the nation also expect to hear how he is doing about his campaign promises which, hopefully, he has not forgotten.


Pnoy’s campaign promises



A Commitment to Transformational Leadership:
1. From a President who tolerates corruption to a President who is the nation’s first and most determined fighter of corruption.

2. From a government that merely conjures economic growth statistics that our people know to be unreal to a government that prioritizes jobs that empower the people and provide them with opportunities to rise above poverty.

3. From relegating education to just one of many concerns to making education the central strategy for investing in our people, reducing poverty and building national competitiveness.

4. From treating health as just another area for political patronage to recognizing the advancement and protection of public health, which includes responsible parenthood, as key measures of good governance.

5. From justice that money and connections can buy to a truly impartial system of institutions that deliver equal justice to rich or poor.

Economy

6. From government policies influenced by well-connected private interests to a leadership that executes all the laws of the land with impartiality and decisiveness.

7. From treating the rural economy as just a source of problems, to recognizing farms and rural enterprises as vital to achieving food security and more equitable economic growth,worthy of re-investment for sustained productivity.

8. From government anti-poverty programs that instill a dole-out mentality to well-considered programs that build capacity and create opportunity among the poor and the marginalized in the country.

9. From a government that dampens private initiative and enterprise to a government that creates conditions conducive to the growth and competitiveness of private businesses, big, medium and small.

10. From a government that treats its people as an export commodity and a means to earn foreign exchange, disregarding the social cost to Filipino families to a government that creates jobs at home, so that working abroad will be a choice rather than a necessity; and when its citizens do choose to become OFWs, their welfare and protection will still be the government’s priority.


Government Service
11. From Presidential appointees chosen mainly out of political accommodation to discerning selection based on integrity, competence and performance in serving the public good.

12. From demoralized but dedicated civil servants, military and police personnel destined for failure and frustration due to inadequate operational support to professional, motivated and energized bureaucracies with adequate means to perform their public service missions.


Gender Equality
13. From a lack of concern for gender disparities and shortfalls, to the promotion of equal gender opportunity in all spheres of public policies and programs.


Peace & Order 
14. From a disjointed, short-sighted Mindanao policy that merely reacts to events and incidents to one that seeks a broadly-supported just peace and will redress decades of neglect of the Moro and other peoples of Mindanao.

15. From allowing environmental blight to spoil our cities, where both the rich and the poor bear with congestion and urban decay to planning alternative, inclusive urban developments where people of varying income levels are integrated in productive, healthy and safe communities.


16. From a government obsessed with exploiting the country for immediate gains to the detriment of its environment to a government that will encourage sustainable use of resources. 

###

RED HOT CHILI: Sex for flight scandal

RED HOT CHILI: Sex for flight scandal
by Belarmino Dabalos Saguing
Emnail: bdsaguing@gmail.com      Mobile  +39 335 6880613

News items:  Akusado sa ‘sex-for-flight scam’ sa Saudi isasalang na sa probe – DOLE spokesma                          Wife of embattled PHL labor attache in sex abuse scandal defends husband                                           DOLE: Labor exec in sex abuse raps to face probers after arriving from Saudi                                                          PHL to send female welfare officers to MidEast amid sex abuse scandal

 

 

 


The involvement of staff and officials in the Philippine’s foreign posts, surely, has became the hottest topic among the Filipino migrant workers around the world today. It stands up like a sore thumb, both for the government agencies involved and for the migrant workers themselves. This development pierced the heart of the OFWs around the world for now, they face the truth: they have nowhere to go when in trouble in foreign lands. The only haven they know is proving more an enemy than a friend.


It is unfolding, the trouble is centered more on DOLE officials. Resource centers are managed by the POLO. The officials involved are POLO officials. The phrase “POEA is the biggest recruiter” and “the Philippine government is the biggest human trafficker” seems to be not just a pun after all. It is becoming a reality.


To remedy the situation, DOLE has hurriedly announced it will prosecute the involved officials. But it has a catch: if they could find  complainants. Two days ago, Migrante International, a Filipino migrant migrants’ right watchdog, has communicated to DOLE the incident that the accused officials from Riyadh is cohersing the female OFW wards in the shelter of the PE Riyadh to sign an affidavit refuting the accusations. And, sure enough, the news of OFWs supporting the accused official came out the next day! The problem is that the would be complainants are still wards of the POLO overseas and are scared to go forward in the open. In this case, the probes may turn out to be just a show. No justice could ber reached.


The problem of the slow repatriation of distressed OFWs many of whom are inside the POLO shelters is another thorn that throbs. Many of the would be accusers are among them, if the snail phased process of repatriarion continues, there would be no accusers present in the Philippines. The accusers will be buried in the shelters. What’s more, this slow process of repatriation has made the OFWs in distress very ripe for the abuses of POLO officials as proven by the sex scandals.  The officials were able to scare the women OFWs into prostituting them with these officials as pimps. The only solution here is to repatriate all distressed OFWs in wholesale numbers, one thing that the embassy officials said that they can not do.



And sending female officials to replace the suspect males may not be too effective. IT IS NOT THE SEX OF THE OFFICIALS that can guarantee the efficacy of their service, it is their proffessionalism and dedication to service determines their worth.


###

Friday, June 28, 2013

Philippines in the eyes of China

Philippines in the eyes of China

News item: China media warns PH of 'counterstrike' in South China Sea  http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/global-filipino/world/06/29/13/china-media-warns-ph-counterstrike-south-china-sea



In a commentary, China’s media pictured the Philippines as a baby crying for milk from her patron USA aided by its friend ASEAN. The commentary also remarked that Manila is resorting to several “unscrupulous” acts” in the disputed waters.


On Thursday, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi warned that countries with territorial claims in the South China Sea that look for help from third parties will find their efforts "futile", adding that the path of confrontation would be "doomed".


China promised last week  to protect its sovereignty over the Second Thomas Shoal, known in China as the Ren'ai reef. The Philippines is accusing China of encroachment after three Chinese ships, including a naval frigate, converged just five nautical miles from an old transport ship that Manila ran aground on a reef in 1999 to mark its territory.


Also, China’s Foreign Minister warned on Thursday that countries with territorial claims in the South China Sea that look for help from third parties will find their efforts "futile", adding that the path of confrontation would be "doomed".
China and the Philippineswere locked in a tense two-month standoff last year at the Scarborough Shoal, which is only about 124 nautical miles off the Philippine coast. Chinese ships now control the shoal, often chasing away Filipino fishermen.


The 10-member ASEAN hopes to reach a legally binding Code of Conduct to manage maritime conduct in disputed areas. For now a watered-down "Declaration of Conduct" is in place.
Is Manila prepared to face this menace? Philippines is weak and depends mainly on American support for defense. But is America willing to go all the way to defend the Philippines if and when China decides to turn its velicose words into actions and actually attack the Philippines?


The situation is tense and could blow any moment  from a word war into a shooting match. And we must look into reality. What is in stake is our sovereignity as a nation, not just a “ward” of the USA, or a child  tha can be bullied by a big bad boy.


Our weakness lies on the fact that we have neglected to industrialize to be self sufficient. We are weak because we do not have industries that can make our own defense, make our people strong and self-respecting, strong enough to make our own policies. Strong enough to be a truly democratic independent nation standing on own feet undictated by others. Strong enough not to be bullied by other states. 


###

Oliver Stone, Noam Chomsky, Tom Hayden Urge President Correa to Grant Snowden Asylum

Oliver Stone, Noam Chomsky, Tom Hayden Urge President Correa to Grant Snowden Asylum
Submitted by Megan Iorio on 26 June 2013 - 3:12pm
 



 
Dear President Correa,
 
We write to urge you to grant political asylum to whistle-blower Edward Snowden.
 
Snowden’s disclosures have already done much to unveil the alarming scale of U.S. government spying on its own citizens and on people around the world. They have revealed severe overreach by the U.S.’ National Security Agency (NSA), which seeks to gather an overwhelming and invasive amount of information on people within the United States. Snowden has also revealed that the constant NSA surveillance also applies to millions of people outside the U.S., whose phone calls, emails and other communications are also indiscriminately targeted.
 
These are severe abuses of the basic constitutional rights of U.S. citizens and the rights of people in other nations. Yet rather than focusing on the danger to citizens' freedom and privacy exposed by these revelations, and what reforms are necessary to protect citizens' rights, the Obama administration, the U.S. Congress and much of the media are again focusing their ire on the messenger – the brave whistle-blower who, at great personal risk, decided to step forward and inform the U.S. public about what is being done in their name and what is being done to them. Sadly, a great deal of the media and other institutions that should play the role of watchdog have largely abdicated their responsibility.
 
We have seen this drama play out several times before under the Obama administration. The administration has charged more than twice as many whistle-blowers under the Espionage Act than all previous presidents combined. These have included Thomas Drake who also exposed wrongdoing at the NSA, and most notably Private Bradley Manning, who stands accused of providing Wikileaks with information that revealed U.S. war crimes, U.S. meddling in other countries’ affairs, and other grave and troubling misdeeds. Manning was held for three years before his trial under conditions that a formal U.N. investigation found to be “cruel, inhuman and degrading.”
 
Many of us petitioned last year for you to grant political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. Assange, who as you know well, has been targeted by the U.S. government for publishing evidence of U.S. war crimes – most notably the “Collateral Murder” video of a U.S. helicopter attack on civilians in Iraq – and other information embarrassing to the U.S. government. The Obama administration’s consideration of Espionage Act charges against Assange and Wikileaks, via a grand jury, and bellicose rhetoric by top administration officials and members of Congress, amount to a chilling assault on freedom of the press. We were glad to see you act to support this vital freedom by recognizing Assange’s political persecution and granting him asylum and refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London.
 
As could have been the case with Assange, Manning’s treatment since his arrest shows that Snowden could be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment if he were taken into U.S. custody. There is also a grave danger that Snowden would have difficulty in receiving a fair trial in the U.S. – a point he reportedly has made in his petition for asylum. Manning’s case also shows that Snowden’s constitutional right to a “speedy” trial might also not be secure. These are all serious examples of political persecution against Manning that may await Snowden if he becomes a U.S. prisoner.
 
It is no doubt your courageous decision to grant Assange asylum that has encouraged Edward Snowden to also seek asylum in Ecuador. Your choice in Assange’s case was not without consequences; the U.S. and U.K. governments reacted angrily, with British police keeping Assange confined to the embassy. Since Assange is being targeted by the U.S. government, there has and no doubt will be more political repercussions. You knew this and yet you acted in the name of justice, saying “Latin America is free and sovereign and… we'll not put up with meddling, colonialism of any kind, at least in this country, small, but with a big heart."
 
Charging someone with espionage, who clearly did not commit espionage, is strong prima facie evidence of political persecution. The unprecedented quantity of whistle-blowers that have been charged under the Espionage Act by the Obama administration suggests that it is applying this law in a completely arbitrary fashion. In Snowden’s case what he has revealed are actions by the NSA that violate the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment protections against “unreasonable searches and seizures.” There is no evidence whatsoever that his revelations have in any way threatened U.S. national security or were ever intended to do so. Yet rather than pursue reforms that would protect the rights of people in the U.S. and around the world, the Obama administration again seeks to silence those who have brought these abuses to light. These are actions of political repression, and you would be right to grant Snowden political asylum.
 
Thank you for your consideration of our request.
 
Sincerely,
 
Oliver Stone, Film Director
Noam Chomsky, Author
Tom Hayden, Author, Peace Activist
Daniel Ellsberg, Vietnam War whistleblower
Danny Glover, Film Director
Amber Heard, Actress
Shia LaBeouf, Actor
John Cusack, Actor
Roseanne Barr, Comedian
Naomi Klein, Author and Activist
Boots Riley, Musician and Community Activist
Juan Cole, Professor of Middle East History, University of Michigan
Cenk Uygur, co-founder, The Young Turks
Thomas Drake, former NSA Senior Executive, whistleblower
Coleen Rowley, retired FBI agent & former Minneapolis Division Legal Counsel, one of three “whistleblowers” named Time Magazine’s “Persons of the Year” in 2002
Ambassador Joe Wilson, Iraq War whistleblower
Jacob Appelbaum, Developer, The Tor Project
Medea Benjamin, Cofounder, CODEPINK
Jodie Evans, Cofounder, CODEPINK
Ann Wright, US Army Colonel (Ret) and former US diplomat
Ray McGovern, Former U.S. Army officer and longtime senior CIA analyst (ret.)
Walter Riley, Attorney; Civil Rights Activist; Chair Haiti Emergency Relief Fund; Chair, Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute
Mark Weisbrot, Co-director, Center for Economic and Policy Research
Bill Fletcher, Jr., writer/activist
Kevin Gosztola, Journalist, Firedoglake.com
John Pilger, Journalist
Ignacio Ramonet, Journalist and author
Fernando Morais, writer
Kent Spriggs, Guantanamo habeas counsel
Kevin Martin, Executive Director, Peace Action
Kathy Kelly, Co-coordinator, Voices for Creative Nonviolence
Mark C. Johnson, Executive Director, Fellowship of Reconciliation
Rabbi Michael Lerner, Editor, Tikkun and Chair, The Network of Spiritual Progressives
Norman Solomon, Cofounder, RootsAction.org
Jeff Cohen, Founder of FAIR
Michael Beer, Executive Director, Nonviolence International
Maya Schenwar, Executive Director, Truthout
Michael Albert, co-editor, ZNet, Z Magazine
Robert Naiman, Policy Director, Just Foreign Policy
Sam Husseini, Director, Washington office of the Institute for Public Accuracy
Miguel Tinker Salas, Professor of History, Pomona College
David Blacker, Prof. of Philosophy of Education & Legal Studies, U. Delaware; Editor, Education Review
Marc Becker, Professor of History, Truman State University
Adrienne Pine, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, American University
C. G. Estabrook, Visiting Professor (retired), University of Illinois
Carolyn Eisenberg, Professor of US Foreign Policy, Hofstra University
Peter Kuznick, Professor of History, American University; co-author with Oliver Stone of The Untold History of the United States
Greg Grandin , Professor of History, New York University
Betsy Hartmann, Professor, Development Studies, Hampshire College
Van Gosse, Associate Chair, Department of History, Franklin & Marshall College
Falguni A. Sheth, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Political Theory, Hampshire College
Bob Buzzanco, Professor of History, University of Houston
Vijay Prashad, Professor of History and International Studies, Trinity College
Staughton Lynd, Historian and peace activist
Marilyn Young, Historian, New York University
William Robinson, Professor of Sociology, University of California, Santa Barbara
Sinclair Thomson, Associate Professor of History, New York University
T.M. Scruggs, Professor Emeritus, Univ. of Iowa; Executive Producer, TheRealNews.com
 
To add your signature, click here
 

DOLE and DFA: the stigma of a bad and dishonored service

DOLE and DFA: the stigma of a bad and dishonored service




The past week, the world of Filipino migrant workers trembled with the exposè of sex scandals in the Philippine foreign posts particularly in the Middle East. Embassy and consular staffs and officials abusing female OFWs staying as wards in the so called Resource Centers or shelter houses stablished to house distressed OFWs. Some sort of safe houses where migrant workers could stay under the protection of the Philippine government in the compound within the Philippine consular jurisdiction where the wards could be safe.


All this semblance of a safe place where a distressed Filipino migrant worker could go at times of need has, in a matter of few hours has crumbled. And the truth now glares in the eyes of OFWs. They cannot trust the embassies of the Philippine as a safe haven from exploitation and maltreatments. The Resource Centers in the embassies are not safe for them! And worst, instead of finding a haven, it is the personnel of the embassies who are supposed to protect them are the ones who maltreat and exploit them in the worst possible way: instead of protection, the OFWs are prostituted by for money.




Whatmore, the OFWs who request to be reptatriated find that they have to wait long endless time waiting for the ‘go ahead’ due to snail paced procedures being followed by our consular services. This situation make the  wards of the safe houses ripe for exploitation  .


The DFA and DOLE will be remembered by  the Filipino  migrant workers for years  as the Philippine government’s service for sex trafficking and the embassy officials as pimps.


 Time alone can remove this stigma. No amount of perpunctuary  motions by these departments could heal the wounds they have hacked in the flesh of the migrant workers. These government departments must make drastic changes in their policies and a widespreading revamps in their personnel for foreign posts.
In the meantime, the Filipino migrant worker communities worldwide will be watching closely the developments of this issue. The wounds they have inflicted on the OFWs will be hurting for a long time. We must not rest until this hyenous practices in the Philippine foreign posts are eradicated completely. And the DPLE and DFA must hear the criticisms of JNGOs and associations advocating the rights and welfare of the Filipino migrant workers with care and open ears.


END SEXPLOITATION OF THE FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKERS BY FOREIGN EMPLOYERS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS!!!


CREATE JOBS AT HOME, NOT LABOR EXPORTATION!!!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Antonio Villafuerte: the POLO supervillain of Riyadh

Antonio Villafuerte: the POLO supervillain of Riyadh


Antonio Villafuerte, Asst. Labor Attachè in Phil Embassy, Riyadh, KSA

Asst. Labor Attachè Antonio Villafuerte exemplifies the arrogance and villainy of the POLO officials in the Middle East. He was linked to “sec for flight” scandal by embassy officials and staff by the accusations made by Rochelle (pseudonym) in an affidavit pinpointing him as the official who abused her sexually.

Reports arriving at Migrante International office in Manila reveals that in retaliation, he went inside the Bahay Kalinga in the premises of the Philippine embassy in Riyadh and made the female OFW wards of the shelter to sign an affidavit refuting his involvements to the scandal. The hapless women were forced to sign for fear that their repatriation will be stopped if they don’t.

The women signed but reported the incident to Migrante International who informed DOLE office of the incident.

This official must be recalled immediately to stop the harassing of the OFWs in attempt to whitewash his irresponsible activities.

People like Asst Labatt Villafuerte is a shame to his position and put a dirty stain on the DOLE as a whole. People like him must be removed from office without delay and banned from government service.