Politics

Rising Joblessness, Underemployment Refute ?Improving Economy? Claim

MANILA — Employment statistics from the recently released January 2006 Labor Force Survey (LFS) belies government?s claim of an improving economy, according to independent think-tank Ibon Foundation. The January 2006 LFS actually paints a picture of a weak, worsening economy unable to generate long-term, sustainable jobs, the foundation said.

According to the LFS, some 2.8 million Filipinos failed to find work in January 2006, up by 15% from 2.5 million in the same period last year. The decrease in jobs came from the industry sector, which shed some 95,000 jobs mostly from the manufacturing and construction sub-sectors. In a strong, vibrant economy, manufacturing should be the backbone of the country?s industrial sector and a major source of job creation.

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Special Report: A Life in Pain

(davaotoday.com photo by Carlos H. Conde)

A 26-year-old mother endured six long years of abuse, neglect and fear. Like other survivors of domestic violence, she went through the cycle of pain and confusion. It took the wisdom of a boy to finally set her free.

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Exploitative Ambivalence: How Davao City Profits from Prostitution

By Germelina A. Lacorte
davaotoday.com

DAVAO CITY — The first thing she noticed when he became her boyfriend was he did not like the way she dressed. Tall and slender, she was fond of wearing tight-fitting clothes, which he said was calling the men’s attention to her. This was often the cause of their early quarrels.

At that time, when he used to slap her, she thought it was her fault. She started wearing loose T-shirts. “It made me look like a hanger because I was very thin,” Sarah (not her real name) recalled.

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Ibon to GMA: Damaging Economic Policies Also Cause ?Political Noise?

MANILA — Palace spokesman Ignacio Bunye on Wednesday called for the people to move on so that the government could push economic reforms, reiterating Malaca?ang?s claims that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had decisively won 2004 national elections. But it is precisely her economic ?reforms,? such as the reformed value-added tax (RVAT) law, that continue to contribute to political unrest, and not only allegations of corruption and election fraud, according to independent think-tank Ibon Foundation.

?Life has inarguably become more difficult for the people under Arroyo,? says Ibon research head Sonny Africa. Ibon?s estimated cost of living (national average) has grown almost 30% during the more than five years of the Arroyo administration. The real value of the peso has fallen by 23% during the same period.

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Leaders of Davao Left Included in Rebellion Charge Vs Virador

By Cheryll Fiel
davaotoday.com

DAVAO CITY ? Practically all of this city?s known leaders of progressive groups have been included in the rebellion charges filed against Bayan Muna party-list representative Joel Virador.

Ariel Casilao, Bayan secretary-general for Southern Mindanao, told reporters Tuesday that he and eight other leaders of progressive groups are listed in the case filed against Virador at the Department of Justice on Monday.

According to Casilao, they were cited in the charge sheet for “conspiring to commit rebellion” based, accordingly, on a complaint filed by two police operatives.
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With Great Power…

Commentary
By Carlos H. Conde
davaotoday.com

MANILA — I was sitting as a panelist at a forum called “Who’s Afraid of Media Freedom?” yesterday at the Ateneo law school in Rockwell when my cellphone went berserk with text messages warning of an impending police raid of the offices of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. I was stunned. Literally, I felt a chill crawling down my spine. Having no experience with media repression on the scale that my elder colleagues went through during the martial law years, I was actually afraid. Is this it? I asked myself silently. Are they really going to arrest Sheila Coronel et. al.? After them, who was going to be next? (Read Sheila’s account of what happened yesterday.)

I was going to speak after ABS-CBN’s Luchi Cruz-Valdez. While listening to her recount her experience covering the first Edsa, a thought crossed mind: Should I deliver my speech? What if the Arroyo regime would think it is subversive or that it might incite people to rebel?

Former vice president Tito Guingona was seated right next to me. A few minutes earlier, he exhorted the audience to “fight on!” Suddenly, I felt deeply ashamed. Here was this old civil libertarian, still at it, raising hell and battling water cannons — and there I was, actually anxious about the possible consequences of what I was going to say.

In end, I decided I was not going to give this regime the pleasure of intimidating me. So I raised a little hell myself.

Following is my short presentation. (You can listen to it here. Incidentally, Conrado de Quiros discussed the subject of my speech in his column today. You can also listen to the brilliant presentation by veteran journalist Vergel Santos of BusinessWorld and the Center for Media Freedom and Resonsibility.)

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