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Creeping Martial Law: State of national emergency still on; crackdown on dissenters increasing |
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Manila, February 25, 2006 | Before Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo announced Proclamation 1017, which put the country under a state of national emergency, a spate of unsolved killings and other human rights violations of legal political activists have been on the rise. Human rights organizations and other groups claim that these human rights violations by perpetrators believed to be from the military or Armed Forces of the Philippines-sponsored vigilantes are being done on a national scale and is a direct assault not only to human, civil and democratic rights not only of the victims but on legitimate peoples’ movements as a whole.
Then, there was the declaration yesterday. The proclamation is a response to alleged “conspiracy” between “the elements in the political opposition”, “extreme left” and “extreme right”, which is fuelled by certain segments of the national media to bring down the government of Arroyo. To “save democracy”, Arroyo ordered the violent dispersals of rallies and warrantless arrests of activists by the police. The good news, though, is that all the groups of activists, who were arrested yesterday, were released last night after hours of detention at Camp Karingal.
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A NEW WTO TRADE DEAL BAD FOR THE PHILIPPINESA NEW WTO TRADE DEAL BAD FOR THE PHILIPPINES |
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 SNR Coalition leads huge protest against proposed new trade agreements
A broad coalition of social movements and civil society organizations assailed the current negotiations for new multilateral trade deals under the World Trade Organization and demanded that the Philippine government led by our chief negotiator Trade Secretary Peter Favila oppose any such deal from moving forward in Hong Kong.
Around 5, 000 farmers, fishers, laborers, students, urban poor, small producers and NGO workers from the Stop the New Round! Coalition are expected to gather at Plaza Miranda to dramatize their opposition to new trade agreements.
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Coalition launches nationwide campaign to derail WTO Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong |
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 MANILA -- A year-long, nationwide campaign against a new round of trade liberalization was launched today in Manila by the Stop the New Round! Coalition.
The busy street of Morayta leading to Malacañan Palace in Manila turned into an ocean of colorful streamers, flags, banners and effigies as over 1,000 members of the SNR! coalition marched to Malacañan demanding that the Philippine government desist from making new commitments in the WTO that would further open the economy to the exigencies of global trade.
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FOP Number 5 : Debt and Denial |
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Debt and denial : Or how to make sure that the Philippines will end
by Walden Bello
FINANCE Secretary Cesar Purisima recently characterized the Philippines’ debt burden as a “lingering issue.” This reflects not so much the nature of our debt problem but that the government is in denial. The truth is, the Philippine national debt that has now reached 3.8 trillion pesos, or 69 billion dollars, is out of control. Total public sector debt is now estimated at 130 percent of GDP as of the end-2003.
Of the 3.8-trillion-peso debt, 1.8 trillion pesos, or nearly half, is foreign debt, according to the official story. However, according to some sources, about 80 percent of the total debt is owed to foreign creditors, including resident foreigners.
These are indicators not of a “lingering problem” but of the biggest economic problem we face. We are staring default in the face. Yet our policymakers are paralyzed.
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FOP Number 4: Desperate Martians Now Wooing Venusians |
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In this issue
In FOP 4 we feature Walden Bello's Desperate Martians Now Wooing Venusians, an article adapted from speeches during a week-long speaking tour of Italy from Feb. 22-27, 2005 coinciding with the Bush visit to Europe.
Bello is Executive Director of the Bangkok-based Focus on the Global South and professor of sociology and public administration at the University of the Philippines. |
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