MANILA — The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today welcomed the pronouncements of Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno on the role of the high court in protecting civil liberties and stopping the trend of killings and abductions of government critics. The group said it lauded Puno’s resolve in checking the abuses committed mainly by the executive branch and its military.
Rostock, Germany — On the second day of the G8 summit, leading
international debt cancellation advocacy groups issued a strong call that
the debt deal G8 leaders negotiated two years ago has not solved the debt
crisis of Liberia. The advocacy groups called on the G8 to take immediate
action to cancel Liberia?s debt.
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The 9.09 percent minimum wage hike announced yesterday by Premier Chang Chun-hsiung is unjust and a charade for migrant workers. As the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) virtually offsets the increase by raising the monthly board and lodging fees of migrants to 25% or from NT$4,000 ?V NT$5,000 and by not including the 45% household service workers in the wage hike. So how could these measures protect the livelihood or income of foreign workers and increase their purchasing power, which was the basis of the Premier for the wage hike.
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Related stories: Pilot says drift of aerial-sprayed pesticides can?t be controlled | Witness tearfully testifies at aerial spraying hearings
Below is a press release sent by IDIS, a environmental group in Davao that is monitoring the marathon hearings on the injunction being sought by the banana companies against aerial spraying:
DAVAO CITY — A retired commercial airline pilot whose background includes waste management and pollution control testified Wednesday that even Deferential Global Positioning System-equipped airplanes used in aerial spraying doesn?t stop drift from reaching non-target areas.
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