President Rodrigo Duterte declared Jan.21 as a special non-working holiday in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Isabela City in Basilan, and Cotabato City to give way for the coming first plebiscite to ratify the proposed Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).
Karapatan human rights worker abducted in Mindanao; Kabataan Partylist organizer arrested in Central Luzon
“Yesterday, a human rights worker of Karapatan in Mindanao was abducted, while an organizer of Kabataan Partylist in Central Luzon was also illegally arrested. Both are women human rights defenders who have extensively worked alongside marginalized sectors. This series of rights violations is the latest in a string of atrocities that have been reported since the start of the year. If the first few weeks of this year is any indication of the months to come, then the dire human rights situation in the country will no doubt progressively worsen,” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay.
Hush, the star is passing by
Tita Lacambra Ayala is the Star — a veritable Star. Tala, her signature artist name rhymes perfectly with her singular fame. Her radiance is a rare circumstance in the literary horizon of our nation, seeps into the collective consciousness of all lovers of literature and art.
3 farmers killed, 6 illegally arrested as 2019 rolls out – Karapatan
“There is no respite from the killings and illegal arrests. It seems that this government and its salaried mercenaries remain in a killing frenzy, targeting the poor in its twisted and militarist campaigns. As the year rolls out, the Duterte regime continues its grim legacy of outright disregard and scorn for human rights. We are set to face more challenging times ahead, as the country is plunged further down Duterte’s psychotic, cruel, and spiteful leadership,” said Karapatan secretary general Cristina Palabay, citing the cases of 3 extrajudicial killings and 6 victims of illegal arrests in January’s first two weeks.
Under Duterte, econ slowing and job creation the lowest since after Marcos–IBON
Research group IBON said that the economy is slowing under the Duterte administration and that its first two full years registered the lowest level of job creation among post-Marcos administrations. The group said that these obvious signs of the country’s troubled economy should be enough to make the government reconsider its overly market-driven policies.
Budget secretary Benjamin Diokno recently announced that the Duterte administration had the highest level of economic growth among the post-Marcos administrations.
IBON however pointed out that the economy is actually faltering and the jobs crisis worsening under this administration. Economic growth has been slowing since the start of the Duterte administration, and is heading to its lowest in three years. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth was 6.7% in 2016, slowed to 6.6% in 2017, and is down to 6.3% in the first three quarters of 2018, said the group.
Meanwhile, average annual job creation for 2017 and 2018 is only 81,000. The number of employed only increased by 162,000 from 41 million in 2016 to 41.2 million in 2018, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).
The group said that this is glaringly below the annual average job creation under Corazon Aquino in 1987-1992 (810,000), Ramos in 1993-1998 (489,000), Estrada in 1999-2001 (842,000), Arroyo in 2002-2010 (764,000), and Benigno Aquino III in 2011-2016 (827,000) also as reported by the PSA.
IBON said that the Duterte administration should stop its fixation with growth figures because the growth it is hyping is not creating enough employment in the country. It would be better to accept the failure of neoliberal economic policies and instead protect and support domestic agriculture and Filipino industry to stimulate job creation and domestic development. ###
Bill exempting journalists from being witnesses in anti-drug operations filed
As the government intensifies its campaign against illegal drugs, Makabayan representatives in Congress filed a bill to support the call to spare journalists from becoming witnesses during anti-drug operations.
Court clears NDFP peace consultant Rafael Baylosis and companion
By Joseph Cuevas The Regional Trial Court Branch 100 in Quezon City dismissed the cases of illegal possession of firearms and explosives against National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) peace consultant Rafael Baylosis and companion Guillermo Roque. In a 27-page decision last January 15, Judge Editha Miña-Aguba pointed out the illegality of the police […]