The City Government of Davao has set the re-opening of the Roxas Night Market this September 12 with “new normal” operations and guidelines for stall owners and customers.
New Philhealth chief may put people’s lives in peril – community doc
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Critics are far from impressed by President Rodrigo Duterte’s marching order to his newly-appointed PhilHealth chief to eradicate corruption in the long-beleaguered public health insurance system. But more than this, community doctors and health advocates fear this may put people’s lives in peril – with the new chief’s admission that he does not know public health.
The appointment of the new PhilHealth chief – Dante Gierran, former director of the National Bureau of Investigation – came after the Aug. 26 resignation of Ricardo Morales amid investigations on the reported anomalies on COVID-19 response.
However, with 226,000 COVID-19 cases and 3,600 deaths at hand, Gierran’s mere appointment, according to the Citizens Urgent Response to End Covid-19 (CURE Covid), shows the “president’s lack of understanding of the workings of the state health insurance firm and the chronic problems plaguing it.”
“The law says the PhilHealth CEO should have seven years experience in public health, management, finance and health economics. Gierran might be an accountant, but his experience is in criminal investigation and law enforcement. He simply is not qualified to lead PhilHealth,” said community doctor and CURE Covid Spokesperson Julie Caguiat.
Gierran himself admitted to media interviews of being “very scared” with the new tasks ahead as he does not know public health. Putting another retired military or NBI officials with little or no experience, said Caguiat, may put people’s lives in peril.
Gierran was appointed as NBI director under President Duterte. Like many of his appointees, Gierran has long known the president way back when he was still Davao mayor. He denied his involvement in the death squads in Davao, where one case allegedly involved feeding a man to crocodiles.
“I’m sure there are many more persons more qualified than Guierran out there. It’s just that President Duterte is still treating COVID-19 and other health issues as a peace and order problem, appointing law enforcers in positions that are better suited for health professionals and experts,” she said.
But can Gierran truly put an end to the seeming endless cases of reported anomalies in PhilHealth? This is unlikely, it seems, as health secretary Francisco Duque III and former chief Morales are still getting the president’s proverbial seal of approval.
In a statement, Migrante International Chairperson Joanna Concepcion noted that “Malacañang has even allowed Morales to gracefully tender his resignation instead of getting sacked from office. Making him fully entitled to back pay benefits. Meanwhile, Duque continues to cling to his position despite public clamour for his resignation.”
Cases should push through
Migrante International said they are fully supporting the proposed filing of charges against reported erring Philhealth officials “to clear the way for the public in finding out the extent of their consent or participation over widespread corruption and irregularities in the government firm.”
The Filipino migrant rights group brought attention to the P500-million diverted funds of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, which was allegedly used to produce Philhealth cards that bore former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s photo in the months leading to the 2004 elections under Duque’s watch as the latter’s chief. This resulted in major financial loses for Philhealth but charges against those involved were dismissed by the Ombudsman.
In a separate statement, the Alliance of Health Workers also expressed its support to the senate findings, which include recommending charges against Philhealth executives.
The group said that ensuring that Philhealth is free from corruption is of public concern as it would play a big role in the implementation of the Philippine law on universal health care.
“How can we entrust our hard earned money to an agency with 5,000 plus ‘ghost’ members over the age of 130? There is no basis for supporting a government agency that reimburses funds to hospitals based on profitability and not on concrete needs,” Concepcion said.
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Did US soldier really serve jail time in US facility? No one knows, say progressives
By JONAS ALPASAN
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Progressives assailed the impending release of US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton who was convicted by a Philippine court over the killing of a Filipino transwoman, saying that no ordinary mortal truly knows if he really served jail time for almost six years let alone deserve an early release due to good conduct credits.
Pemberton, who was convicted over the 2014 killing of Jennifer Laude, was granted an early release from jail after an Olongapo court approved his full credits of the controversial Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA).
However, women’s group Gabriela said that from day one, Pemberton has enjoyed special treatment as a result of the lopsided Visiting Forces Agreement. While detained inside the exclusive US facility inside Camp Aguinaldo, where, the group said, only US personnel or Philippine government officiasl with clearance can see him. The facility is an airconditioned converted container van, which had served as office for the Mutual Defense Board-Security Engagement Board (MDB-SEB).
Read: Edca: a tale of secrecy, murder and betrayal
“No ordinary Filipino knows if Pemberton has truly been serving jail time in the last six years,” quipped Gabriela Secretary General Joms Salvador.
In a statement, Bahaghari said freedom for Pemberton “represents the unfettered violence and injustice the LGBTQ+ community continues to face” and “symbolizes the Philippine government’s continued submission to US imperialism.”
“Under the VFA, if a US soldier brutally murders a transgender woman in Philippine soil, they would ultimately roam free after as little as 6 years of incarceration,” Bahaghari said.
Human rights lawyers from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers said the impending release of Pemberton is “a cheap price to pay for the country’s sovereignty and national dignity.”
Read: Quest for justice for Jennifer entails standing up to a superpower – Laude fiancee
NUPL President Edre Olalia said that while they are fine with reformative measures in the country’s prison system, “what takes the cake is that many other helpless and hapless yet deserving persons deprived of liberty are made to wait.”
“But we could not in conscience accept a foreign serviceman given special treatment and extraordinary privileges from the get go for a monstrous crime and then – when everybody is distracted and distressed – springing a surprise on us all by walking by virtue of contrived ‘good conduct’ while isolated and sheltered from the native hoi polloi,” said Olalia.
Read: Four Years of Treaty Violations | Erring U.S. troops are scot-free while critics get the axe
Pemberton’s possibility of soon walking free from a US military facility here in the Philippines came in the heels of a still pending petition before the Supreme Court, which asked for the release of prisoners, including scores of political detainees, who are vulnerable amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Olalia lamented that while Pemberton is ordered freed, “persecuted political prisoners are still in limbo, denied for months of their pleas for a reprieve if only to avoid the curse of the pandemic for them.”
He was referring to the petition for release of sick and elderly political prisoners, which was filed with the Supreme Court on April 8.
Political barter
He said, “what makes it even more atrocious is that his entitlements and liberty were apparently politically bartered through an onerous and servile military agreement.”
Bahaghari maintained that Duterte suspended the VFA’s termination in exchange for military aid from the US, and for its support of the Anti-Terrorism Law.
“The VFA and ATL are, in fact, quid pro quo for continuing US military aid for Duterte. Hence, we assert that the Visiting Forces Agreement, which has enabled and exacerbated injustice for Jennifer Laude to the greatest extent and which continue to serve as Duterte’s offerings in his ploy for continued US subservience, must be finally abolished to bring justice for our slain sister,” the group said.
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Martial law survivors slam bill declaring Sept. 11 as Marcos day
By EMILY VITAL
Bulatlat.com
MANILA – Survivors of the Marcos dictatorship condemned the legislative measure declaring Sept. 11 as a non-working holiday in Ilocos Norte in honor of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
Voting 197-9 with one abstention, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 7137 declaring September 11 as President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos Day in Ilocos Norte.
In a statement, Danilo dela Fuente, vice chairperson of the Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), an organization of political prisoners during Martial Law, said, “This move by the House of Representative is extremely infuriating and offensive, especially for us victims of Marcos’ human rights violations.”
“This is an affront to the Filipino people, who suffered because of the oppressive policies under Marcos and the plunder of the nation’s coffers,” dela Fuente said.
47 years after Martial Law declaration, Marcoses ‘still have no shame’
Dela Fuente was one of the 30,000 activists detained and tortured during Martial Law. He was one of those who won the class suit in the US Federal court in Hawaii against the Marcoses.
SELDA maintained that the bill is “part of the current administration’s orchestrated attempt to rehabilitate the Marcoses’ name, as the president’s form of payback after they supported him in his bid for presidency.”
Imee Marcos publicly admitted donating funds for President Duterte’s bid for the presidency in 2016 elections.
In 2016, Duterte ordered the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.
“Although this measure is enraging, it is not surprising. Rodrigo Duterte openly professed his affinity for the Marcoses. He allowed the late dictator be given a hero’s burial. He has close ties with the late dictator’s family,” Dela Fuente said.
Dela Fuente added, “He [Duterte] fashioned his administration after Marcos’ tyrannical rule, and had sown terror and blood throughout his reign through gross human rights violations and attacks against the poor, opposition leaders and activists.”
Historical revisionism
Dela Fuente also said that the bill “is a glaring act of historical revisionism, and contradictory to Republic Act 10368, also known as the Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013.”
He said that RA 10368 “clearly recognizes the atrocities done by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, his family, and his cronies against the Filipino people, not to mention the massive plunder they have committed during the Martial Law period.”
“We in SELDA strongly condemn this brazen act of covering up the crimes of this blood-thirsty plunderer and tyrant,” Dela Fuente said.
Related stories:
#NoMoreMarcos | ‘Martial law victims have long memories’
#NoMoreMarcos | ‘Moros were killed like chickens during Martial Law’
Martial law survivors: Marcos not a hero
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Mula Laboratoryo Hanggang Cotabato: Ang Pagtatampok sa Natatanging Karanasan ng mga Teacher Volunteers ng Madaris Volunteer Program
Bahagi ng pagiging guro ng Philippine Science High School- Main Campus o PISAY, ang mailublob ang mga sarili sa isang gawaing nagpapakita ng malasakit sa pamamagitan ng pagbabahagi ng kaalaman sa kapwa guro. Bilang isang kinikilalang premier high school ng bansa, malinaw na kami ay may tangan na obligasyong magsilbi para sa ikauunlad ng bayan […]
The post Mula Laboratoryo Hanggang Cotabato: Ang Pagtatampok sa Natatanging Karanasan ng mga Teacher Volunteers ng Madaris Volunteer Program appeared first on Manila Today.
Martial law victims, survivors denounce House measure on Marcos day
The Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban sa Detensyon at Aresto (SELDA), a human rights groups composed of mostly Martial Law victims, denounces in the strongest terms the House of Representatives’ approval of House Bill 7137, declaring September 11 a non-working holiday in Ilocos Norte in honor of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.
Masahol na ‘tatay’
Hindi ba’t ang isang ama, bilang magulang, inaasahang nagbibigay ng proteksiyon sa kanyang pamilya?
Pero sa loob ng isang taon, unti-unti niyang tinalikuran ang mga ipinangako sa mga mamamayan. Una na niyang isinagawa ang giyera kontra droga, na kalauna’y lumabas na huwad na pagsugpo sa droga kundi pagtarget sa mga maralitang sangkot dito at hindi sa malalaking drug lord. Sa pagtindi ng kritisismo sa kanya, sa giyera kontra droga at insurhensiya, tumindi ang pagwawasiwas ni Duterte ng armadong puwersa ng Estado laban sa mga kritiko at naniningil sa kanya.
Pagpasok ng mga kuwarantina sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa dahil sa pandemya, tila naging madali ang pagsupil sa kritisismo sa hindi-wasto o sapat na pagsugpo sa coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). At imbes na solusyong medikal, inuna pa ang pagsasabatas ng Anti-Terrorism Law. Target ng batas na ito hindi lang ang tinaguriang mga terorista, kundi pati ang mga rebolusyonaryo at kahit ang mga kritiko ng gobyerno.
Dahil sa opisyal na polisiya ng rehimeng Duterte laban sa mga kritiko nito na inayudahan ng Anti-Terrorism Law, naging mas madali na para sa mga militar at grupong paramilitar na tuntunin ang mga kritiko o kaaway ng estado, at pumaslang. Sa loob ng isang buwan, magkasunod ang ekstrahudisyal na pagpaslang kina Randall Echanis at Zara Alvarez.
Sa mga kanayunan, halimbawa sa Mindanao, umiigting lang ang mga atake sa mga komunidad ng mga Lumad na organisado at nagtatatag ng sariling mga eskuwelahan para sa kanilang kabataan. Matapos ang State of the Nation Address niya noong 2017, pinagbantaan na ni Duterte na “bombahin ang mga paaralang Lumad.” Magmula noon, nagpatuloy at umigting ang mga atake. Si Duterte na dating nangakong poprotektahan ang mga Lumad at karapatan nila, nanguna na sa pag-atake sa kanila.
Nitong Agosto 26 lang, sinabi ng Save Our Schools Network ang natanggap nilang ulat mula sa dalawang guro ng Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation, Inc. (Misfi) Academy ang pagsira sa isang paaralang Lumad sa Barangay Matupe sa San Fernando, Bukidnon. Saksi ang mga guro sa ginawa ng 50 miyembro ng paramilitar na Bagani sa paaralan.
Sa ulat ng SOS Network, may 178 na paaralan ang puwersahang ipinasara o sinira ng National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict. Apektado nito ang 5,000 kabataang Lumad sa kanilang pag-aaral.
Bago ang atake sa Misfi, ang katutubong lider ng mga Lumad- Manobo sa Brgy Mahongkog, Magpet, North Cotabato na siay pinaslang ng di-nakilalang mga katao. Ginilitan ang kanyang leeg at tinuklap ang kanyang mga mata gamit ang machete. Matagal nang tagapagtanggol ng kultura ng mga Lumad at ng kanilang lupaing ninuno sa harap ng ilegal na pagtotroso si Bae Milda.
Grabeng kalupitan ang naranasan nina Bae Milda, at iba pang biktima ng militarismo at panunupil ni Duterte. Kung “ama” pa ang turing sa kanya ng mga tagasuporta ng Pangulo, si Duterte na siguro ang pinakamasahol at malupit na tatay. Hindi siya karapatdapat na maging magulang ng mga mamamayang Pilipino.
Swab test sa GCQ: Maaari bang ipasa sa mga manggagawa?
Simula noong Agosto 19 hanggang Agosto 31, 2020, ang Metro Manila at ang mga probinsya ng Laguna, Bulacan, Rizal at Cavite ay ibinalik sa general community quarantine (GCQ).
Ayon ito sa deklarasyon ni Pangulong Duterte noong Agosto 17, 2020.
Paglabas ng kolum na ito, tapos na ang Agosto at maaaring may bago na namang deklarasyon ang Malakanyang sa bagay na ito.
Ganumpaman, ang pagbalik sa GCQ ay nangangahugan na mas marami na ngayon ang mga manggagawa na makakabalik sa kanilang mga trabaho at mababawasan ang hirap na dinaranas ng kanilang pamilya sa panahong tayo’y nasa enhanced community quarantine.
Kaugnay ng bagay na ito, marami tayong natatanggap na katanungan sa mga manggagawang bumabalik na sa kanilang mga trabaho.
Kung sakali ba raw na ipilit ng kanilang kompanya na magkaroon sila ng mandatory testing upang malaman kung apektado sila ng coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) o hindi, sino ang gagastos sa bagay na ito – ang manggagawa ba o ang kompanya?
Mayroon daw kasing ibang kompanya na ginagawa itong deductible o maaring ibawas sa sahod ng mga empleyado.
Ang sagot sa tanong na ito’y makikita sa DTI-DOLE Joint Memorandum Circular No. 20-04, Series of 2020 na nilabas noong Agosto 16, 2020.
Binabanggit sa Joint Memorandum Circular na ito na ang mga employer ay may obligasyong ipatupad ang health and safety program sa pagawaaan, kasama na ang programa laban sa Covid-19, nang walang gastos na hihingin sa kanilang mga mangggagawa.
Kaya malinaw na ang kompanya ang sasagot sa gastusing ito.
Lahat ng empleyado na nakakaramdam ng sintomas ng Covid- 19 at ang sinumang empleyado na kanyang nakasalamuha ay dapat magpasailalim sa swab test.
Ang mga empleyado naman sa mga kompanya sa pagmamanupaktura sa loob ng economic zones ay obligadong magpa-swab test minsan sa tatlong buwan.
Lahat naman ng frontliners o economic priority workers na laging nakikisalamuha sa publiko dahil sa kanilang trabaho o nakatira o nagtatrabaho sa special concern areas ay dapat ding magpa-test minsan sa loob ng tatlong buwan.
Kabilang sa mga ito ang taxi drivers, mga drayber ng bus, konduktor, piloto, flight attendants at engineers, mekaniko, operator ng tren, delivery staff, manggagawa sa water transport, waiters at waitresses, bar attendants, barista, mga nagtatrabaho sa restaurant, mga guro o empleyado sa paaralan; mga nagtatrabaho sa banko at iba pang financial services; hairdressers; barbero; manikurista; masahista; mga nagtatrabaho sa punerarya; parking attendants; at security guards.
Kasama rin ang mga mensahero; pari, pastor, o ministro; mga magtitinda sa palengke; karpintero; mason; engineer; plumber; garbage collector; janitor; cleaner; nagtatrabaho sa mass media; camera crew; field reporters at photographers; pati na mga government employees na frontline workers.
Sa mga empleyado naman sa hospitality at tourism sectors tulad halimbawa ng El Nido, Boracay, Coron, Panglao, Siargao at iba pang tourist zones, inuutusan silang magpa-test minsan sa loob ng apat na linggo.
Tulad ng nasabi ko na ang gastos sa nasabing pagpa-test ay sasagutin ng kanilang mga kompanya at hindi maaaring sagot nila.
Pero hindi lang ito ang hinihingi sa kompanya.
Nakasaad rin sa nasabing Memorandum Circular na kapag ang kompanya’y maituturing na malaki o may pag-aari na mahigit P 15 Milyon, inuutusan itong magbigay ng shuttle service sa kanyang mga manggagawa.
Ibig sabihin, kailangang may sasakyan itong nakahanda para kaunin at ihatid ang kanyang mga empleyado para sa lugar na kanilang uuwian.
Tinitiyak din nito ang pagpatupad ng kompanya ang pagpasunod sa kanyang mga manggagawa sa mga health standards para maipawasan ang Covid-19 tulad halimbawa ng tamang pagsuot ng face masks, face shield, at tamang physical distancing.
Halimbawa, sinasabi ng nasabing regulasyon na hangga’t maaari, isusuot ang face mask at face shield kung nakikipagsalamuha sa mga katrabaho, kliyente, o mga bisita.
Maaari lang alisin ang face shield depende sa pangangailangan sa trabaho na naaayon sa occupational health and safety standards.
Pagdating naman sa physical distancing, kailangang may layo na isa o dalawang metro ang bawat tao sa lahat ng pagkakataon.
Kailangan ding ipatupad ang palaging paghuhugas ng kamay gamit ang tubig at sabon o alkohol.
Kailangang maglagay ang kompanya ng handwashing stations para magamit ng mga empleyado at mga bisita. Dapat ding may sapat na kagamitan tulad ng sabon, tubig o alkohol ang mga handwashing station na ito.
Kailangan ding turuan ng kompanya ang kanyang