Bayan Muna News Feed

Failure of Election Now a Distinct Possibility with the Failure of Congress to Pass Laws on Succession

Mar 11

Bayan Muna Party List Representative Neri Javier Colmenares lamented the failure of Congress to pass bills aimed at providing for orderly succession should there be failure of election. �With the appointment of the Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit, a fierce Arroyo loyalist as AFP Chief of Staff, the widespread brownouts, and Comelec�s admission that it may not finish printing the ballots in time for the 2010 elections, the threat of failure of election is now a very distinct possibility� Rep. Colmenares declared. �The scenario painted by Sen. Enrile about a military takeover once the election fails is a serious cause for concern that should have been addressed by Congress� he added. Bayan Muna has filed a bill designating the Chief Justice as acting president in case no president, vice president, senators and congressmen are elected due to the breakdown of the automated election.

�The failure of Speaker Nograles to lead the House of Representatives into passing a succession law and preempt a national catastrophe only favors Pres. Gloria Arroyo who may hold over as president if the 2010 election fails� said the Bayan Muna representative. �His justification that members of the majority cannot muster quorum should a special session be called because they are campaigning is certainly shocking. Speaker Nograles has practically admitted that majority congressmen from Lakas-Kampi, NPC and the Liberal Party are conducting the illegal act of campaigning even before the start of the campaign period on March 26� he added.

Bayan Muna to Bangit -- Stop illegal AFP campaigns against us

Mar 10

Bayan Muna Partylist Representative Teddy Casi�o challenged new Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit to stop all illegal campaigns done by the AFP against Bayan Muna, progressive candidates and activist organizations.

"We are calling on Gen. Bangit to immediately stop all illegal campaigns committed by the AFP against partylists Bayan Muna,
Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan, Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Akap-Bata, and Katribu, and progressive senatorial candidates Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza. We have received reports of what appears to be a nationwide smear campaign against us, including physical threats on our volunteers," Casi�o said.

Military Feeding Program at 10 PM, harassment to Bayan Muna Leaders and Supporters

Mar 10

The people of Sityo Kabute, Brgy. Real in Calamba City were surprised when military arrived in their community one evening to allegedly conduct a �feeding program� among the children in their barangay. On March 7, at around 10 PM, military arrived in a 6x6 truck in the said barangay led by a certain Lt. Ansino of the 202nd IB and said they were going to conduct a feeding program that evening. The same military unit which is based in Tanay, Rizal, is responsible for the illegal arrest of 43 health workers on February 6, also known as the Morong 43.

The community people refused the military plan so they vigilantly barricaded all entrance and exit points to their community throughout the night to block the military from conducting the �feeding program�. The military only left in the morning. According to community folks, the military is looking for their barangay leaaders and Bayan Muna leaders. Aside from using the feeding program as an alibi, the military also used the issue of their land so leaders might talk to them that evening.

Supreme Court should avoid Arroyo�s kiss of death

Mar 08

The President and her minions in the JBC is threatening to violate the Constitution and the Supreme Court itself in the case of In re Villarta by insisting that an outgoing president can appoint members of the judiciary two months before an election. Again, President Arroyo is engaging in constitutional brinkmanship in order to protect herself and keep open plans to return to power at a later time.

Any justice who accepts an appointment from Pres. Arroyo will suffer the kiss of death of a hated president. He or she will suffer the same fate as presidential candidate Gilbert Teodoro, whose galing at talino has been tainted by the presidential kiss of death.

Bayan Muna asks Supreme Court to Prohibit JBC from submitting CJ List to Arroyo: The Court should Avoid Arroyo�s Kiss of Death

Mar 07

Bayan Muna Party List called on the Supreme Court today to prohibit the Judicial Bar Council (JBC) from submitting its nominees for the post of Chief Justice to Pres. Gloria Arroyo.

�The Constitution and the Supreme Court itself in the case of In re Villarta has declared that the outgoing president cannot appoint members of the judiciary two months before an election�, said Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Javier Colmenares. �Otherwise she will now have the luxury of appointing not only the Chief Justice but also a new justice to replace CJ Reynato Puno,� he added.

Military Elements Strike Again

Mar 07

CEBU CITY � Military elements take another form of harassment here against supporters of Satur Ocampo, Lisa Masa, Bayan Muna and other progressive partylist.

A barangay captain in Mandaue City received a letter dated January 21 implying that he is a supporter of the CPP-NPA-NDF because he supports Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela, Kabataan, Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza who, according to the letter �milunsad sa armado ug legal nga pakigbisog aron lumpagon ang demokrtikong gubyerno� (launching armed and legal struggle to destablize the democratic government).

Water District Employees Protest Policies to Prevent Water Price Hike

Mar 05

CEBU CITY -- Employees of the Cagayan de Oro Water District have put up a demonstration not for their own wages and benefits but for the benefit of the consumers in the City. The First Labor Organization of the Cagayan de Oro Water District (FLOW) are protesting against irregularities committed by their Board of Directors that would result in the price increase of water services in the City. Since February 15, they have been spending their lunch breaks holding a peaceful demonstration in front of the water district.

FLOW officers explained in a roundtable discussion on February 25 in Cagayan de Oro City with Bayan Muna and sectoral organizations and partylists, that a certain Rio Verde Water Consortium, Inc. was able to get the contract on the Bulk Water Supply Project because it is being favored by the Board of Directors of COWD. It was only after the contract was signed that they discovered revisions to the Model Agreement that spell added burden to the consumers more particularly the "Parametric Formula " being used. FLOW has called the Board�s attention regarding the discrepancy but the latter did not show interest to address the matter but insisted to push for contract amendments which are still very onerous. The Board also awarded the contract to RVWCI despite the recommendations of the BAC Committee to be "non-responsive" and later the Commission on Audit�s findings that the BWSP contract to RVWCI is invalid because the latter is not yet qualified to engage in bidding. RVWCI is owned by Jose Pepito Alvarez who is running for governor in Palawan.

Steel Factory Workers in Iligan City Go On Strike against Abusive and Delinquent Company Management

Mar 05

Delayed 13th month pay. Delayed and staggered payment of salaries. Delayed remittance of monthly salary deduction. Non-remittance of withholding taxes. These are only a few of the problems experienced by workers as early as 2004 in the former National Steel Corporation in Iligan City, Misamis Oriental. After five years and one day before the expiration of their CBA, more than 500 rank-and-file workers of the now Global Steel Philippines, Inc. went on strike on February 15 and is on its 2nd week of their picket in front of the Global Steel Factory.

According to workers met by Bayan Muna on February 27 in the picket site, after its turnover in October 2004 to Indian national Pramoud Mittal, GPSI has been evading the implementation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement which in effect dismisses the existence of the labor union. In the whole five years of GPSI, workers have been experiencing delays in their salaries and in their 13th month pays, and the non-remittance or delayed remittance of taxes and monthly salary deductions for SSS, Pag-ibig and Philhealth contributions that resulted in its forfeiture. GPSI also utterly disregards the Occupational Safety and Health Hazard Law due to the insufficient provision of proper safety apparels and its mismanagement of company machines and equipment. The Labor Union has already filed complaints to the National Labor Relations Commission in Iligan City, for years since 2006 but still fails to get due attention from the commission.

Angelo Reyes passing the buck in recommending emergency powers for PGMA - Satur

Mar 01

Makabayan senatorial bet and Nacionalista Party guest candidate Satur Ocampo today retiterated his call for the sacking of Energy Sec. Angelo Reyes for the latter's recommendation for emergency powers for Pres. Arroyo to supposedly solve the power crisis.

"There is no need for emergency powers for the president. Angelo Reyes is being 'sipsip' for making the recommendation. If Reyes was an efficient and intelligent energy secretary, he would have been able to nip this burgeoning energy crisis in the bud without having to call for help from higher authorities. As energy czar, Reyes already as the authority to call for and implement measures that will address the electricity problems. Nagpapaka-OA si Reyes."

Satur condoles with family of slain whistleblower Mayor

Mar 01

Makabayan senatorial bet and Nacionalista Party guest candidate Satur Ocampo today expressed alarm over the brutal killing of Wilfredo Cimanis Mayor, a confessed �jueteng� operator from Albay who once tagged President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo�s son, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel �Mikey� Arroyo, two other congressmen and a former lawmaker of benefitting from jueteng in Pampanga.

Ocampo said that despite the lack of leads into the killing, it was difficult to discount the possibility was it politically motivated. He said that the fact that Mayor's own family feared to give statements regarding who might be behind the killing was telling. He also said that the manner by which Mayor was executed � motorcycle-riding attackers, armed with an M16 assault rifle and a .45-caliber pistol shot Mayor before fleeing � was no different from the way political activists have been killed in the country since 2001.