News
Armed goons of APEX Mining punished by NPA in Campostela
Without firing a single shot, Red fighters confiscated one M60 and one .30 caliber machine guns, two M14, five M16, and one Garand rifles and four nightvision goggles in a raid February 26 in Compostela Valley.
The victorious tactical offensive was launched by the 3rd Pulang Bagani Company of the New People�s Army�s Merardo Arce Command against the goons of the APEX Mining Corp. in Brgy. Masara, Maco.
According to Rigoberto F. Sanchez, spokesman of the MAC BHB, the tactical offensive was conducted to punish the security goons of APEX in the light of the harassments, threats, and abuses they have long been committing against the masses. This group is no different from the reactionary armed forces in the way they conduct anti people and counter-revolutionary activities. They were also punished for violating the policies and rules of the people�s democratic goverment against maintaining high powered arms.
The populace and the revolutionary movement were greatly elated by this latest victory of the 3rd Pulang Bagani Company.
NPA raids Albay police station
THE New People's Army Confiscated two M16 rifles and four .38 caliber pistols in a surprise raid of a PNP station in Pier Site, Pio Duran, Albay last February 16. Three policemen, namely SPO4 Macario Olina, SPO4 Sancho Suizo and SPO4 Alfredo Lopez Sr. were killed, and another one was wounded in the raid. The raid occurred at 9:45 in the evening.
Notorious elements punished by NPA
THE NPA meted the death penalty on three criminal elements in separate punitive actions.
The NPA punished Moises Salazar last February 14 in Sitio Bagtok, Barangay San Vicente, Montevista, Compostela Valley. Salazar was found guilty of raping women and robbery. Red fighters had repeatedly given him warnings.
Last February 13, PO3 Rey Alasaas of Barangay Poblacion, Baco, Oriental Mindoro was killed. Alasaas had long been a target for punishment for persistently leading counter-revolutionary activities in the province.
The NPA also punished Rene Mahinay of Barangay Labigan, Pio V. Corpuz, Masbate last February 16 for being an active asset of the military.
GRP obtructs the release of POWs
THE Macapagal-Arroyo regime continues to reject demands to stop military and police operations in the region of Far South Mindanao. Worse, it continues to intensify military operations that obstruct the smooth release of POWs Sgt. Jeremias Roseta and other AFP agents being held by the Valentin Palamine Command (VPC).
Many lumads and other residents in the area are presently experiencing hardship and have resorted to evacuation due to the intense military operations of the AFP. The regime refuses to implement a SOMO and a SOPO so it can use the twisted logic that the suspension of the peace talks is due "to the failure of the NPA to release its prisoners of war". Since September 2001, the VPC had been offering to release the POWs.
Victory in Hong Kong.
The government of Hong Kong last January 31, 2002 withdrew its plan to reduce the minimum wage of domestic helpers. This is a victory of the struggle spearheaded by Filipino workers against the wage-reduction plan.
Opposition to hiked contributions to SSS.
Organized labor are opposing the plan to increase the monthly contributions of SSS members from 8.4% to 21%. The Kilusang Mayo Uno is demanding that an investigation on the squandering of SSS funds should be made first instead of imposing heavier burdens on the workers.
New rules on labor-only contracting.
The Department of Labor and Employment will issue new rules on labor-only contracting at the end of February 2002. These will lay down the legal modes of contractualization. It will supplant the detested DOLE Order #10 (1997) that was abolished last year.
Discrimination in the US.
Thousands of Filipino workers in the US are slated to be retrenched from work as soon as the US Aviation Security Law is implemented. The law prohibits migrant workers from serving as baggage inspectors in airports. Migrante International and the Philip Vera Cruz Project group in the US condemned this move.
Widespread unemployment since January
From January 1 to February 15, 2002, recorded dismissals of Filipino workers have reached 8,599 , while companies continue to close down. Among these companies are Pepsi Cola, Philippine Home Cable Holdings, Cyberspace Inc. and Rosario Bros. Co.
Resistance against field testing of GE rice in Camarines Sur
Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) criticized on February 4 the plan of Monsanto to experiment field testing of Genetically-engineered rice in Tigaon, Camarines Sur. They censured Mayor Elmo Bombase for approving it.
"Bantay Buko" organized
Small coconut farmers organizations and other sectors organized last January 17 a broad alliance named "Bantay Buko". This will intensify the campaign to reclaim the billions of coco-levy funds and thwart any connivance between the Macapagal-Arroyo regime and Danding Cojuangco regarding San Miguel Corporation.
"Direct Payment Scheme" criticized
KMP criticized the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) for its planned direct payment scheme for farmers. KMP asserted that the farmers will "all the more be deprived of land" because of this. DAR formulated this plan after it received only P2.8 billion in land acquisition subsidy for land reform.
Rice safety net bill, opposed.
The KMP roundly criticized last January 28 House Bill 3339 that proposes to totally eliminate restrictions on rice importation. The proposal will only bring more hardship to small farmers because cheap imported rice will flood the market. Employees of the National Food Authority are also opposing the bill because it will pave the way for the full privatization of the agency and the retrenchment of its employees.
Opposition to Estrada�s medical check-up to the US.
Bayan Muna representatives in Congress filed a resolution last February 18 against the request of Estrada to have his knee operation in the US. Bayan Muna declared that Estrada should not be allowed to leave "in the interest of justice and the speedy resolution of his plunder case". Secretary Raul Roco, Lito Osme�a of Promdi party and Renato de Villa of Reporma party also expressed their disapproval. They opposed an earlier Congress and Senate resolution supporting the request of Estrada, which was also secretly endorsed by Macapagal-Arroyo. This had been signed by 130 congressmen and 18 senators.
Foreigners� basement bargain purchase.
The Macapagal-Arroyo regime is unqualifiedly endorsing the sale of local banks� non-productive loans (NPLs) to imperialist finance companies. Most of the NPLs have real estate collateral, which would be acquired by the foreigners purchasing the loans, despite the government�s constitutional ban on foreign ownership of real estate in the country. The total value of bad loans of the country�s banks that are available for sale has amounted to P291 billion. The biggest are held by Metro Bank, Philippine National Bank, Land Bank and Equitable-PCI Bank. One of the biggest imperialist companies that have started with wholesale purchasing is the US firm Lehman Brothers which had already bought one-half of the P33 billion NPLs of Metrobank. The others are Cerberus Ltd., Colony Capital Asia Pacifi c Ltd., Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lone Star and Deutsche Bank.
More than 120 soldiers and police, killed in Nepal.
Red fighters of the Communist Party of Nepal(Maoist) victoriously raided the military and police headquarters of Accgan District, Nepal last February 16 and 17. More than 120 police and military troops were killed while 27 were severely wounded during the raids, the biggest military offensive of the PKN since the reactionary government declared a state of emergency last November 23, 2001.
Protest against the World Economic Forum.
Thousands of people rallied in New York to condemn the meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) last February 3-8. In front of the meeting of government officials and big business, they chanted slogans like "End the War!", "Enron, how many workers did you cheat today?" and "Food, not bombs!". They condemned "globalization", dirt-cheap wages in the Third World, mass unemployment and appalling policies that ravage the people and the environment.
Strike in South Korea.
Last February 26, about 20,000 workers in South Korea walked out of the Hyundai Motor Co. and Kia Motors. The workers are protesting the Kim Dae-Jung regime�s economic reform program. Among these is the privatization of railway and other state owned properties, which will result in massive retrenchment.
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