News
EX-PC TROOPER PUNISHED BY NPA IN SORSOGON
The NPA meted the death penalty on a former element of the Philippine Constabulary in the town of Irosin, Sorsogon on the morning of January 27. The NPA punished Igme dio Panti Sr., 60, because of his long record of brutality against residents of Barangay Gulang-gulang, Irosin, which goes back to the time he was with the PC.
ABRA MAYOR�S KILLING NOT THE NPA�S DOING
The Chadli Molintas Command (CMC) of the NPA in the Cordillera denied responsibility for the death of Tubo, Abra mayor Jose Segundo on December 27, 2001. The CMC said that it strictly adhered to the NDF�s policy on the temporary cessation of hostilities. Nonetheless, the CMC said that Segundo had many transgressions against the people of Tubo and had made many enemies. Segundo was guilty of, among others, raping several women. The NPA said that the abusive mayor was due for punishment.
LAND OCCUPATION IN STANFILCO LAUNCHED
Farm workers employed by the Stanfilco Company occupied seven hectares of banana lands on January 14 in Panabo City, Davao del Norte. Stanfilco, which owns a 1,004-hectare banana plantation is a multinational company and subsidiary of Dole Philippines. The land occupied by the farmers is part of a 134-hectare lot that was set aside to be planted with rice under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in 1991. Stanfilco recently reclaimed the land illegally to have it planted to bananas once more. The farmers threatened to occupy more land if Stanfilco refuses to grant them their right to have a piece of land where they could plant rice.
CASSAVA PLANTS UPROOTED FROM SMC NURSERY IN ISABELA
Farmers uprooted cassava plants in a one hectare nursery owned by San Miguel Corporation (SMC) in Barangay Santiago, Quirino, Isabela in the last week of January. The farmers oppose SMC owner Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco�s scheme to convert 150,000 hectares in 12 towns in Isabela into a cassava plantation. Up to 500 hectares are set to be used as a nursery for cassava plants.
15TH ANNIVERSARY OF MENDIOLA MASSACRE COMMEMORATED
Thousands of farmers and other sectors commemorated the 15th anniversary of the Mendiola Massacre on January 22 to demand justice for all farmer victims of human rights violations. The farmers led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas and Kilusang Enero 22 rallied along Mendiola and in front of the US embassy. They strongly condemned the escalation of fascism especially under the rabidly puppet Macapagal-Arroyo regime. Meanwhile, more than 300 members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, Bayan Muna and other militant groups rallied in Nueva Ecija to demand justice for the 17 farmer victims of the Lupao Massacre in 1987 and seven other farmer victims of AFP executions these past months in Pantabangan and General Natividad.
RALLY OF DOMESTICS IN HONG KONG LED BY FILIPINOS
Led by the United Filipinos in Hong Kong, an organization of Filipino domestics, the biggest rally attended by Filipinos in Hong Kong was launched on January 13 against the reduction of salaries received by maids in the city. Thousands of domestics from the Philippines, Indonesia, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand marched in the streets of Hong Kong to demand the maintenance of the wage freeze approved in 1999 after Hong Kong went through a severe recession. The minimum wage for domestics of HK$3,670 is set to be reduced to HK$3,120 to as low as HK$2,876 by February 1. More than 152,000 Filipinos and 66,000 Indonesians are affected by the wage reduction.
MORE THAN 3,000 WORKERS IN 186 FIRMS TO BE LAID OFF
As early as the first month of the year, firms announced the planned layoff of 3,075 workers from 186 companies. Up to 2,232 workers will be laid off from 161 companies while 843 are set to be dismissed due to the closure of 25 businesses as a result of the intense economic crisis. The biggest number of workers set to lose their jobs comes from the National Capital Region (2,268). Among the firms that plan to lay off workers are Coca-Cola Bottlers Phil. (325), Royal Match (229) and ABS-CBN (150). In related news, 800 workers from Nestlé Philippines in Cabuyao, Laguna struck on January 14 to oppose the company�s plan to lay off 30% of the work force and to demand their right to receive cash pensions and other benefits.
P10 BILLION PEACE BONDS ANOMALY UNEARTHED
A senate hearing on January 29 has unearthed details of an anomaly involving P10 billion in treasury bonds called Poverty Eradication and Alleviation Certificates or PEACe bonds. CODE-NGO raked in P1.4 billion from RCBC�s sale of PEACe bonds. RCBC earned P300 million and Capex Incorporated and other CODE-NGO financial advisers, P100 million. Implicated in the scam are National Treasurer Sergio Edeza, Finance Secretary Jose Isidro Camacho and his sister, CODE-NGO chair Marissa Camacho-Reyes. CODE-NGO is one of the leading non-governmental organizations used by the social democrats to deceive the people and siphon funds from international agencies that support socio-economic projects proposed by NGOs in various countries.
PEOPLE�S MONEY SQUANDERED BY LEGISLATORS
Up to P1.34 billion of the people�s money was spent by 22 senators and 222 congressmen in the year 2000. The Senate spent P249 million while Congress spent P1.099 billion. The biggest spenders in Congress were Mamintal Adiong of Lanao del Sur (P6.8 million) and Abdullah Mangotara of Lanao del Sur (P6.3 million). The congressmen spent an average of P5 million each. In the Senate, the biggest spenders were pro-Estrada senators Vicente Sotto (P12.92 million), Robert Jaworski (P12.30 million), Anna Dominique Coseteng (P12.28 million), Juan Ponce Enrile (P12.20 million), Francisco Tatad (P12.05 million) and Blas Ople (P12.04 million). The legislators also spent P1.8 million on salaries for employees and "consultants" who were often their own relatives.
STATE ASSETS SOLD AT A LOSS TO FOREIGN BANK
The Macapagal-Arroyo regime and Lehman Brothers Asia signed on January 12 the "Philippine Recovery Fund", an agreement that will fund government projects in exchange for non-performing loans (NPL) and state assets, among them public land. Under the agreement, the Macapagal-Arroyo regime sold at a loss P611 billion worth of public assets in exchange for a measly P50 billion ($1 billion). The P611 billion worth of assets comprises P461 billion NPL in the form of mortgages and bankrupt government businesses in housing projects and P150 billion in foreclosed properties. The Letter of Intent for the $1 billion agreement will be signed by the bank and Macapagal-Arroyo on February 3 when she visits the US.
BANKRUPTCIES AMONG U.S. COMPANIES SPREADING
More and more US companies are filing for bankruptcy amid the recession that is battering the US. In 2001, up to 251 businesses in the US went bankrupt. This is the highest number of companies in the red recorded in the US. In 2000, only up to 176 companies went bankrupt. Most of those who filed for bankruptcy were in the telecommunications and computer sector. One of the companies that has gone bankrupt is Enron, the biggest energy firm in the US, with $63 billion in assets. The overall assets of bankrupt companies run up to $254 billion, three times higher than the previous year. This indicates that more workers will be losing their jobs and related industries will be pulled down and sustain further losses. According to economists, no recovery is in sight for the US economy in the first two quarters of 2002.
MORE COMPANIES DEFAULT ON DEBT PAYMENTS IN 2001
More companies failed to pay their debts last year. Up to 211 companies with an overall debt of $115.4 billion have declared their inability to pay, said Standard and Poor�s, a US agency that makes economic analyses in various countries. The US leads the list of those who failed to pay, with 162 defaults. Next are Argentina with 15; Canada, nine; Britain, five; Australia, four; Poland, three; and Mexico, two. Bermuda, Germany, Greece, Indonesia, South Korea, The Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Russia, Thailand and Venezuela all have one default each. Most of those who failed to pay their debts were in the telecommunications industry. In Argentina, there were 10 banks among those that failed to settle their debts due to the economic crisis.
|
