Monthly Archives: February 2007

The government is intensifying its campaign to promote the Philippines as an ideal retirement destination.

Malacañang hit yesterday what it called leftist propaganda to undermine the government’s efforts to end the unexplained killings in the country.

United Nations special rapporteur Philip Alston said the Philippine military was in “almost total denial” of its need to respond to allegations of its involvement in political killings.

MANILA, Philippines — Whatever the figure, the number of killings of journalists and leftist activists in the Philippines is “distressing,” and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should persuade the Armed Forces to “acknowledge” the fact and conduct a “genuine” investigation, United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston said Wednesday.

MANILA, Philippines — The defense and military establishments on Wednesday chose silence vis-à-vis the initial findings of United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston, but Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez came out with guns blazing.

MANILA, Philippines — Former Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo Wednesday said he was standing by the finding of the fact-finding commission on extrajudicial killings that certain military officials should be held accountable by virtue of “command responsibility.”

THE Armed Forces on Wednesday insisted that the hundreds of murders of activists are products of an ongoing purge within the ranks of the communist underground movement.

Extrajudicial killings in the country will not stop unless Malacañang and the Armed Forces acknowledge the reality of rights violations and reevaluate their counterinsurgency strategy, the UN special rapporteur warned on Wednesday.

A SWEDISH court has ruled in favor of the Philippine-based United Filipino Seafarers union in its dispute with a Swedish labor group after five years of litigation, records showed.

The government offered yesterday protection to victims of atrocities and harassment from the New People’s Army (NPA) and their front party-list organizations to encourage them to come out and testify against these leftist groups. The same protection was offered to families of these victims.

LONDON – A British woman who claims she contracted cancer from hugging her father, who worked with asbestos, is suing the Ministry of Defence for 75,000 pounds ($146,000).

The chief of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration would rather quit than chicken out of imposing a higher pay for Filipino maids employed abroad.

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court will be creating special courts to handle cases involving extrajudicial killings, Chief Justice Reynato Puno said.

Remittances from Filipino migrant workers coursed through banks rose 19 percent to $12.76 billion in 2006 from $10.69 billion in 2005, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported yesterday.

After being illegally dismissed on June 2002, union member Sherwin Robosa received the National Labor Relations Commission’s decision on his illegal dismissal case, which ordered management to reinstate him and to pay his backwages worth Php 135, 242.63, on January 21, 2004.

Employers have perfected a new practice in attempting to bust unions. If warnings, threats, intimidation, harassment, transfers of union officers and activists, “carrots”, delaying tactics in hearings, etc. do not work, there is still that ‘legal means’ to thwart union formation . That’s the temporary restraining order (TRO).

What country is being referred to? Flagrant violations of core labour standards in xxx Brussels, 16 January 2008 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC released a new report today showing that all core labour standards, even if ratified, are violated massively and flagrantly in xxx.

Twelve of the 17 members of the Philippine team won medals in the recently concluded 3rd International Mathematics and Science Olympiad held in Jakarta.

There are many laws, rules and regulations upholding the rights of women workers in the country. Despite, many women workers (especially unionists) are victims of discrimination, harassment and abuse in their work places. Oftentimes, women tolerate dire conditions and shun complaining or more forceful action for fear of losing their jobs. Consider what women put…

Roh Fung, the Korean manager of Royal House, Inc. [not their real names] pointed a 45-caliber pistol at sewer Sebastian Andres [not his real name] after he balked at signing a resignation letter and a blank sheet of paper – which later contained a statement that Andres was apologizing for causing damage to the company…

(Forced overtime, a new form of forced labor, also hazardous to health) To meet export orders, many Philippine companies, including those inside economic zones, are resorting to a new form of forced labor — long, long hours of forced (many times under-compensated) overtime.

(Yet underpays them for all the effort.) Workers of Assembly Apparel (not its real name) say the company gave out Duromine Phentermine-not ordinarily prescribed by doctors-to workers to keep them awake during once a week overnight work dating back to September 2002. Aside from the drug, the company also provides workers with Extra Joss, an…