Alvin M. Dizon

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:35:00 +0000

Akbayan has made an audio visual presentation (avp) of the typhoon that struck Manila and its ongoing relief operation efforts.
They have uploaded this video to youtube for easy access and here is the link to the avp: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Owt-lzAe7c

The video is a tribute to those who generously shared in Akbayan's relief operations for the victims of Tropical Strom Ondoy. We are overwhelmed by the generosity and the volunteerism that we have witnessed.

How you can help the flood victims of Metro Manila

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 12:35:00 +0000

How to help

Ways to donate to the Philippine National Red Cross via the PNRC web site

Manuel L. Quezon's blog: How to help (original on Quezon.ph | Tumblr.com mirror link)

Google Docs: Rescue InfoHub Central | List of Places where to donate (check out one nearest your area, or add a donation center that is not on the list)

Another list of where to donate goods via Bury Me In This Dress blog

Hot lines for help:

National Disaster Coordinating Council - 912-2112 / 911-1873 / 912-2665

Citizens Disaster Response Center - 0906-4361185

Red Cross - 527-0000 / 524-5787

Coast Guard - 5278481

Bureau of Fire Protection - 729-5166

Pagasa - 433-8526

Senator Manny Villar - 0917-4226800 / 0927-6751981

Senator Richard Gordon - 0917-8997898 / 0938-444BOYS

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration - 0917-8986992

Department of Trade and Industry - 751-0330/ 0917-8540009

Department of Health - 7438301

Department of Interior and Local Government - 925-0343

Philippine National Police - 117

Metro Manila Development Authority - 136

National Capital Region Police Office - 838-3203 / 833-3354

Marikina - 646-2436 /161

Pasig - 643-0000

Cainta - 387-2992

Meralco - 631-2222

Napocor - 921-3541

Maynilad - 1625

Manila Water - 1627

Metro Manila flooded by typhoon

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Relief donations drop in centers in Manila:

1) Balay Expo across Farmers Market contact: Jana Vicente: +63 9285205499

2) Caritas Manila Office at Jesus St., Pandacan Manila near Nagtahan Bridge (tel.no. 5639298/5639308)

3) Radio Veritas at Verit...as To...wer West Ave. Corner EDSA (tel no. 9257931-40)

How you can help, pls click here: http://helpondoyvictims.wordpress.com/2009/09/26/how-you-can-help-from-twitter-as-of-sept-26-1005pm/

More photos on the Manila flood: http://www.calvinshub.com/2009/09/photos-of-metro-manila-flooding-due-to-typhoon-ondoy/

Noynoy Aquino to run for President in 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 01:27:00 +0000

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III has officially announced that he will seek the presidency in 2010, exactly 40 days after the death of his late mother, former President Corazon Aquino. Calls for the senator to seek the presidency has grown stronger after the death of his mother, last August 1 and the 26th death anniversary of his father, Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr., on August 23.

A Noynoy presidency oould usher in a fresh start for the country. But whoever wins in the 2010 elections, the important thing is to ensure that the vote is credible. The country can no longer afford to have a president with a questionable mandate.

4TH AKBAYAN NATIONAL CONGRESS

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:57:00 +0000

4TH AKBAYAN NATIONAL CONGRESS - August 14-16, 2009, Manila, Philippines

Theme; MAGLINGKOD, LUMABABAN AT MAGTAGUMPAY

Precinct by precinct, door by door, vote by vote........ AKBAYAN is gearing up for the 2010 polls

Remembering Cory Aquino

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:44:00 +0000

My most memorable experience with former President Corazon Aquino was when I had the opportunity working with her administration from 1991-1992 right after I graduated from College. It was Cory's final year in office as President when I worked for the Presidential Council for Youth Affairs (now National Youth Commission). I organized information campaign and training programs for the youth to prepare them for the first Sangguniang Kabataan elections. Another significant experience was when I sat beside an already private citizen Cory during a civil society forum in Cebu sometime in 1995. I was one of the reactors in the forum representing the NGO sector and I was very ciritical of the inadequacies of government. After I delivered my speech, she stood up and congratulated me, and remarked, "very well said young man." The Philippines and the world will always remember and admire Cory for her extraordinary courage and moral leadership.

Walden Bello, now a member of Philippine Congress

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 00:49:00 +0000

Professor Walden Bello, AKBAYAN Chair Emeritus, was proclaimed on Friday by the Commission on Elections as AKBAYAN party's second representative in Philippine Congress. He will have his oath-taking on Monday and will hit the legislative ground running, with the endorsement of the impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and participation in committee hearings. A recipient of the Alternative Nobel Award (Right to Livelihood Award 2003), Rep. Walden Bello is a welcome change in the House of Representatives.

To know more about Walden, please read his profile here: http://www.waldenbello.org/

Gaza conflict: War is stupid!

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Humanitarian crisis has worsened in Gaza after Israel intensified its operation against the Palestinian people. Israeli tanks has penetrated deeper inside the densely populated-city on Sunday. The ground operation into Gaza strip had been preceded by air and artillery attacks on the territory in more than seven days of bombardment which killed more than 500 people so far, mostly civilians.

War is stupid!
Hatred has to stop now!
Aggression is not the solution to the ongoing conflict!
Both parties should enter into a peace effort at once!

photo credits: ABC news

2008's Worst Soundbytes

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 01:09:00 +0000

The 2008 TOGY Awards

As a three-month-old column dedicated to communicating better in life, Ms.Com meets the yearend by launching the 2008 TOGY Awards (The Outstanding Gaffes of the Year Awards). This is the communications version of the late Richard Blackwell's notorious "10 Worst Dressed List."
Choosing the nastiest, most insensitive, patently untruthful, idiotic public declarations and sound bytes turned out to be a very tough job.
You see, determining the year's 10 worst statements was the ironic counterpart of Diogenes's search for one honest man. He didn't find any, while Ms.Com found too many.
So, instead of the T in TOGY standing for "ten," it now stands for definite article "the."

Read on: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=423923&publicationSubCategoryId=82

The universal declaration of human rights

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:25:00 +0000

On 10 December, we are commemorating the 60th birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) on Human Rights Day 2008. The United Nations will launch a year-long campaign around the globe to focus on helping people everywhere to learn about their human rights. The UDHR was the first international recognition that all human beings have fundamental rights and freedoms and it continues to be a living and relevant document today. The theme of the campaign, “Dignity and justice for all of us,” reinforces the vision of the Declaration as a commitment to universal dignity and justice and not something that should be viewed as a luxury or a wish-list.

Click here to learn more about the UDHR: http://www.un.org/events/humanrights/udhr60/declaration.shtml

Burma Bulletin-November 2008 issue

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:51:00 +0000

The Burma Bulletin is a short month in review of events in Burma, particularly those of interest to the democracy movement and human rights activists.

In the November 2008 issue you will find:
* SPDC jails 186 dissidents
* Landmines casualties rising
* Forced labor increases
* CEDAW conclusions
* UNGA condemn s SPDC
* SPDC-Bangladesh face-off
* Other Burma news
* List of Reports
* Much more...

Click to here to read the November 2008 Burma Bulletin: http://www.altsean.org/Reports/Burma%20Bulletin/BBNovember08.php

AKBAYAN VOTES NO TO THE 2009 NATIONAL BUDGET

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:39:00 +0000

Below is the vote of Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros on HB 5116, the National Budget for 2009. A total of 160 legislators voted in favor of the bill, 16 voted against it, and one abstained. Rep. Hontiveros voted No to the bill.

Mr. Speaker, AKBAYAN engaged in the process. We submitted several amendments to the 2009 General Appropriations Bill, among them:

A special provision in the DPWH budget to require the conduct of feasibility studies for all locally funded projects to prevent corruption
A special provision in the DPWH budget so that NO appropriation would be allocated to projects with less than 15% economic internal rate of return (EIRR) to prevent wastage in the use of public works funds.
A cut in DPWH's budget by P64.7 billion due to its failure to account for billions of missing funds
A total of P1.1 billion additional appropriation for the Department of Health, for the following programs: subsidies to indigent patients (P133 million); epidemiology and disease surveillance (P553 million); Family Health, including family planning (P470 million)
The appropriation of funds for the implementation of the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers (P1.3 billion)
A special provision in the budget of the Department of Agrarian Reform to ensure that the budget for Land Acquisition and Distribution (LAD) would not be subject to reallocation
Additional budget for the Department of Science and Technology (DOST): an additional appropriation for the Magna Carta for Scientists, Engineers, Researchers, and other S & T government personnel (P441 million); Payment of P5.7 million for the Night Time Differential of PAG-ASA employees and P3 million for PHILVOLCS employees.
Additional budget for the Commission on Audit to the amount of P152 million
Additional budget for the Commission on Human Rights to the amount of P284 million
Inclusion of several special provisions on debt appropriation, specifically to restrict the use of government funds on the following: the onerous Austrian Medical Waste Incinerator Project; on the interest payments to loan agreements challenged as fraudulent, anomalous, and wasteful, and; on payment for accounts payable accruing in the previous fiscal years unless fully liquidated according to existing COA guidelines.
Tighter guidelines in the release of lump sum funds, including the Kilos Asenso fund, to ensure compliance to the NEDA-ICC policy on NG-LGU Cost Sharing Policy

Mr. Speaker, we did not receive the courtesy of reply on these proposed amendments. There was no transparency. We don't know what happened to the amendments we painstakingly worked on with the help of civil society partners.

This is exactly the environment that breeds corruption, and this being the de facto election budget, we won't be surprised if this budget only goes to the pockets of corrupt officials.
By not allowing members of the House to scrutinize the budget, voting for this budget is a vote to erode the integrity of Congress as an institution.

AKBAYAN is deeply frustrated with the outcome and the shortcutting of an already abbreviated process. The House has denied itself an opportunity to achieve greater bi-partisan consensus on the budget based on amendments submitted in the spirit of recovering Congress' power of the purse and the spirit of fiscal democracy.

Mr. Speaker, I therefore vote No to HB 5116.

Statement of the Peoples Global Action (PGA)

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:57:00 +0000

Statement of the Peoples Global Action (PGA) on the Unjustified Revocation of the Issued-Permit to Hold Parallel Events during the 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development
October 17, 2008

We, the organizers of the People’s Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights, are outraged by the revocation of our permit to hold activities from October 22 – 30, 2008 at the Rajah Sulayman park, a public space, as parallel events organized by migrants, advocates, and other civil society organizations, to the forthcoming 2nd Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD). The Manila City government had issued a permit for the use of the park last June 25, 2008 only to revoke it on October 2 on the recommendation of Manila Police District. It was conveyed to the PGA by fax on October 6, 2008 and was affirmed with finality on October 16, 2008 during our meeting with PNP PNP-NCRPO Regional Director Jefferson Soriano and Manila Police Department Director Roberto Rosales . We do not accept the so-called alternative venue that has been offered to us, the Mehan Garden / Bonifacio shrine, for doing so would mean accepting the further exclusion of migrant workers and their advocates from the global discussions at the 2nd GFMD which will take place at the PICC that would ultimately affect their plight.We recognize the GFMD in the Philippines as an event that can open opportunities for migrant workers and their advocates to meaningfully contribute to the current global discourse on migration and development. The People’s Global Action is planned to be organized in and around Rajah Sulayman Park, events open and visible to the public at-large and to the GFMD delegates themselves. Foreign and local dignitaries, such as Sharan Burrow of the Chairperson of the Civil Society Day of the 2nd GFMD and the First President of the UN Human Rights Council, Ambassador Luis de Alba of Mexico. Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim among others are scheduled to address our activities The PGA is a demonstration of global cross-border solidarity among migrant workers and their advocates that is peaceful and legitimate. We had welcomed the issuance of our permit last June 25, a result of a transparent and aboveboard process of dialogue with city officials. To say that we are disappointed by its revocation at this late hour, is to say the least. The stated official reason for the last-minute revocation of the permit – and that is, that our ranks will be ‘infiltrated by the leftists’—is a flimsy reason without basis, and no more than the usual standard excuse whipped out by authorities when no other reasonable justification could be produced. The revocation of our permit is most unreasonable, and we cannot but view it as an extension of the national government’s policy of continued denial of migrant workers’ rights and the citizens’ rights to freedom of expression. Moreover, we believe it also reveals the increased anxiety of the national government and the forces of neo-liberal globalization in the light of the unfolding global financial crisis and its impending impact on the situation of migrants worldwide. The revocation of our permit signifies another act of ‘management’, also known as ‘control’, as in ‘the management of migration’ which now dominates official global discourse on development, but without substantive consideration for migrants’ rights and of the fundamental issues that underlie the so-called pursuit of development. We believe that migration should not be viewed merely as a problem or crisis to be ‘managed’; migrant workers and other citizens are not commodities to be traded, nor objects and statistics to be ‘managed’. In this moment of heightened insecurities among migrant workers and their families, especially in the face of the global financial crisis, the best policy on the part of governments would have been to extend a hand of assurance and demonstrate genuine openness to listen to the voices of those who would most likely suffer its adverse impact. Instead, we are witness to the further suppression of the voices of the migrant workers and the curtailment of our rights and freedoms. We cannot respond to this latest development with silence. We will continue to demonstrate the solidarity among migrants, migrant workers, their advocates, and all those concerned about development and democratic rights – a solidarity forged across borders and tempered by our common struggles and shared vision for a world that is more equitable and a future that is more sustainable and inclusive to all.

Sgd. Members of the Peoples Global Action

Contact Person:

Ellene A. SanaExecutive Director, Center for Migrant Advocacy Member, PWGTelephones: 920-5003; 433-0684Cellphone: 0917 448 1464

2nd Sweden-Asia Forum

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:48:00 +0000

The 2nd Sweden-Asia Forum gathered representatives of progressive parties and solidarity movements that have been working on representing marginalized constituencies and are active in programmatic party-building efforts.
This year's conference took place in Manila, Philippines from 9 to 11 October 2008 and brought together 31 participants from 12 political parties and movements representing 11 countries. The following countries were represented: Burma, Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Aceh, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sweden.
The conference is organized every year by the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP), the Olof Palme International Center and AKBAYAN Citizens' Action Party, for representatives of progressive organizations in Asia to build networks and contribute to the sharing of knowledge about the development in the respective countries and in the region as a whole. The first Sweden-Asia Forum was held in Bangkok, Thailand last August10-13, 2007.
Ann Linde, International Secretary of the Swedish Social Democratic Party (SAP) in her brief presentation on "Social Democracy: a Global perspective", elucidated the social democracy's core values of Freedom, Equality and Solidarity, which are mutually dependent and mutually supporting.
After the country presentations, which covered the current political and institutional context and what the concerned parties were doing to address this situation, the delegates were actively engaged in the following panel discussions: Social Democracy: Is it Viable in Asia?, Religion and Democratization, Social Movements and Populism and Nuts and Bolts of Party-Building.
Tian Chua of the People's Justice Party-Malaysia; Ann Linde and Olle Thorell of the Social Democratic Party-Sweden; Anna Ardin and Abdulkader Habib of the Christian Social Democrats-Sweden; and Ronald Llamas, Joel Rocamora and Arlene Santos of Akbayan Citizens' Action Party-Philippines acted as lead speakers and discussants of the two-day conference.
The 2nd Sweden-Asia Forum culminated with delegates from participating political parties and movements expressing their desire to continue to learn from one another's struggles (especially in building a strong political party) and to deepen democracy in the respective countries.

Aung San Suu Kyi to reach 13 years in detention

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:38:00 +0000

Burma Campaign UK

On October 24th Aung San Suu Kyi will have spent a total of 13 years in detention.On the same day leaders of Asian and European countries are having a summit meeting in China. We want the leaders to back UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in securing the release of ALL political prisoners when he visits Burma in December.

JOIN OUR PROTEST!
Friday, October 24, 2008Time:
12:00pm - 1:00pmLocation:
Chinese EmbassyStreet:
49 Portland Place, near Oxford Circus tube

The number of political prisoners in Burma has almost doubled in the past year, despite calls from the United Nations Security Council for their release. These people have committed no crime. They have been locked up for calling for freedom.We have never had a UN Secretary General visit Burma to discuss political problems before, and we have never had European and Asian government joining forces to pressure the regime to release prisoners. They all say they want it. We must make them work to make it happen.For too long the UN has fallen for the lies of the regime. They must secure real change. The release of political prisoners should be the minimum benchmark for progress that Ban Ki-moon aims for in December.Join the protest! send a message to world leaders than they must turn words into action. Don't leave Burma's democracy activists suffering in Burma's jails.This protest is organized by a coalition of campaign groups and Burmese community organisations in the UK.
IF YOU ARE NOT IN LONDON –
YOU CAN STILL TAKE ACTIONWE ARE HAVING AN IMPACT

Two weeks ago we asked you to email the UN demanding they work for the release of political prisoners. The UN has received thousands of emails, and last week Ban Ki-moon stated that he wanted to see the release of political prisoners as a sign of progress for when he visits Burma in December. It is the first time he has linked his visit with the release of political prisoners. We are getting this issue onto the agenda of world leaders, but we need to keep it there.If you haven’t taken the action please do so now at: http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/un_action.html

Please also ask your friends to support this campaign.--Was this email forwarded to you by a friend? If you are not already a member of the Burma Campaign UK e-mail network, and would like to receive these updates directly, you can subscribe by sending a blank e-mail to: burmacampaign-subscribe@lists.burmacampaign.org.uk

The Burma Campaign UK Registered Company No. 3804730
Registered office address28 Charles SquareLondon N1 6HT

War and Democracy

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 00:11:00 +0000

War and Democracy -- Miriam Coronel Ferrer

“Use devastation in a sentence,” an old, silly joke goes. The answer: “I waited for you at the-bus-station.”The devastation in Lanao, Cotabato and Maguindanao is no joke, however. Go there and find devastation in the 500,000 men, women and children crammed in deplorable evacuation centers.Most of them belong to poor farming communities. Six weeks ago, they had their own homes, cooked their own meals, plowed their land, and sent their children to school. Despite the deprivation, they survived on their own. Government did not have to feed them.

Read on http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/views-and-analysis/09/25/08/war-and-democracy-miriam-coronel-ferrer

Saffron Revolution a year later: It’s not over

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:43:00 +0000

Altsean-Burma has released a briefer titled “Saffron Revolution a year later: It’s not over.” On 26 September, one year will have passed since Burma’s military regime began its bloody crackdown on the Saffron Revolution. The spirit of the monk-led Saffron Revolution that moved hundreds of thousands of people to hold protests throughout Burma and inspired hundreds of solidarity events around the globe lives on. This briefer details what has happened in Burma since: repression has intensified, the SPDC has exacerbated another humanitarian crisis, persisted with its gross economic mismanagement and refused to deliver the actual reforms it has been promising for years. Despite this, monks and ordinary people have persevered in their defiance of the SPDC.

The briefer is available at: http://www.altsean.org/Reports/Saffron%20RevolutionOneYear.php

Haarlemmermeer

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:35:00 +0000

From September 5 to 8, I visited Haarlemmermeer, a municipality in the Netherlands at the invitation of the Dutch group, Vereniging Haarlemmnermeer Cebu (VHC). VHC was established by the local government of Haarlemmermeer to promote the cooperation between the sister cities through regular exchanges and provision of voluntary services, donations, and assistance. This was my second visit in this beautiful municipality in the province of North Holland.

The Stockholm Archipelago

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:29:00 +0000

No visit to Sweden is complete without a boat trip to the archipelago. It consists of 24,000 islands, from big to small. It has become a divine retreat for people from all walks of life who fill the cottages and homes of the islands and the pleasure boats that cruise the waterways in between. My OPC colleagues Anita and Magdalena brought me to the island of Vaxholm, a harbor town with a 16th century fortress, historic buildings, small shops and restaurants, and a bustling harbor area. It was indeed a wonderful treat for me to see the archipelago after five straight days of meetings and engagements at the Olof Palme Center headquarters in Stockholm last week.

23 million Filipinos living below Asia-Pacific poverty line

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:54:00 +0000

23 million Filipinos living below Asia-Pacific poverty line

MANILA, Philippines— The new poverty line for Asia-Pacific is $1.35 a day and about 23 million Filipinos, or 27 percent of the Philippine population, are living below it.
Using the regional poverty threshold of the Asian Development Bank, the Philippines is is next to Pakistan and worse than Vietnam when it comes to the percentage of its population living on less than $1.35 a day.
In a report released on Wednesday, the ADB offered a new way to gauge poverty incidence using price data specific to the Asia and Pacific region, and, critically, to the poor. The report was contained in a special chapter of Key Indicators 2008, its flagship annual statistical publication.
Using 2006 data, the ADB study estimated that about 27 percent of the Philippine population would have consumed less than the new Asian poverty line.
This new measure suggested a higher poverty incidence in the Philippines using the regional benchmark. Based on the $1-per day globally used threshold of extreme poverty, the ratio in the Philippines as of the previous estimate was lower at about 13.6 percent.
“This is a landmark study for two reasons,” ADB chief economist Ifzal Ali said in a statement. “For the first time, a thorough sensitivity analysis of internationally comparable poverty estimates has been carried out. Second, a poverty line that is relevant specifically to the Asia and Pacific region has been adopted.”
The ADB thus came up with the new poverty line of roughly $1.35 a day for the region.
The report showed that the ratio of the population consuming less than this amount each day was highest in India at 65.3 percent.
Other countries with high ratios living below the Asian poverty line were Nepal (59.2 percent), Bangladesh (58.2), Laos (48.8 percent), Mongolia (40 percent), Indonesia (39.2 percent) Cambodia (35.4 percent) and Pakistan (32 percent).
The Philippines' ratio was worse than Vietnam's 25.6 percent, Sri Lanka's 18.4 percent and Thailand's 0.1 percent.
The report estimated that in the 16 countries that participated in the study, 1.042 billion people would have been living below $1.35 a day in 2005.
“While the $1-a-day poverty line remains an appropriate benchmark for counting the extent of extreme poverty in Asia, and the developing world more generally, in a region that has witnessed rapid economic growth it might also be time to evaluate poverty incidence using a benchmark that reflects the region’s dynamism,” Ali said.
A major contribution of the report is to examine the sensitivity of poverty estimates to different methods for evaluating purchasing power parities (PPP) -- or conversion factors that ensure a common purchasing power across countries over a given set of goods and services.
“PPPs are one of the most vital ingredients in generating internationally comparable estimates of poverty,” Ali said.
The report noted that the World Bank’s $1-a-day poverty estimates are based on PPPs developed for comparing household consumption across countries, known as consumption PPPs. From the perspective of poverty comparisons, however, it was considered more appropriate to use a set of PPPs that are based on comparisons of prices of goods and services that the poor purchase.
The report, using original data collected specifically for its study, examined where the poor shop, what they buy, in what quantity, as well as the quality of the products they purchase. The report noted, for example, a considerable difference in quality and price between packaged rice bought in a supermarket and rice bought by the scoop in a wet market -- where the poor traditionally shop. The prices paid for the products purchased by the poor are used to generate a new set of PPPs, called poverty PPPs.
Poverty-specific PPPs were also computed using an International Comparison Program (ICP) price data with weights representing the expenditure patterns of the poor.
Even using this ICP measure, Filipinos living below the Asian poverty line were also estimated to be over 20 million.
“Our aim in this study was to shed light on how alternative approaches to compiling purchasing power parities can influence internationally comparable estimates of poverty,” Ali said.
“Clearly, the choice of PPP used matters a lot to the final estimates of poverty and it is therefore critical that we price the most appropriate set of goods and services. This report shows that the collection of poverty-specific prices -- the feasibility of which has been demonstrated by 16 developing Asian countries -- is possible,” he said.

http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20080827-157167/23-million-Filipinos-living-below-Asia-Pacific-poverty-line

888 Campaign: Burma Democracy

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 23:40:00 +0000

8 August, marks the 20th anniversary of Burma’s biggest ever democracy uprising when hundreds of thousands of people across Burma bravely marched through the streets demanding an end to military dictatorship. Soldiers fired on crowds of unarmed protesters, killing thousands.

Free Burma’s Political Prisoners!
Today there are more than 2000 political prisoners in Burma, many subjected to brutal torture and denied medical care.

Come and demonstrate outside the Burmese Embassy to call for the release of Burma’s political prisoners.

ALTSEAN-Burma has produced a campaign kit/resource page for the 8-8-88 20th anniversary.
The kit is available at: http://www.altsean. org/Research/ 8888/8888Home. php

SONA 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 06:11:00 +0000

Tomorrow, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will deliver her 8th State of the Nation Address (SONA).

Once more, as in previous annual reports by this illegitimate president, we anticipate to be treated to a distortion of the actual political and economic realities experienced by our people.

If we are to go by official pronouncements on GMA’s upcoming SONA, the claim is that our country is “on track”. How are we to interpret this statement? So far, these are the felt realities for the majority of us:

We can no longer afford the basic commodities. Inflation is at 11.4% and rising. The situation is expected to remain bad with the rising prices due to the tight global supply of rice and oil. And, we note with alarm the Asian Development Bank study that claims that for every 10% increase in food prices, about 2.3million more Filipinos fall into poverty.

More and more Filipinos are hungry and getting hungrier. In the Social Weather Station’s latest report, 16.3% of total population or 14.5 million Filipinos experienced “severe hunger”.

We continue to be jobless. The unemployment rate rose at 8% last June despite an emergency employment program for out-of-work youth.

Are we then “on track”? Spin can only take one so far. Government spin does not lower food prices and put food on our tables. And, Filipinos understand this. If we are to take the latest Pulse Asia survey as measure, only 14.1% of Filipinos have faith in what Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will say in her SONA tomorrow.

A Gaping Hole in Noah’s Ark

GMA’s administration hopes to appease the growing hungry crowd with an unsustainable, dole-out National Social Welfare Program under a Noah’s Ark framework, an allusion to the biblical boat that saved humanity from the great flood. This program hopes to make subsidy, relief and dole-out the strategic response to the ongoing crisis.

The problem with such band-aid, “pantawid gutom”, pa-pogi strategy is that hunger is a symptom and not the disease. It is not a strategic response to the chronic problem of joblessness, resource-draining corruption and the disparity in asset and resource distribution. It does not address the systemic root of the crisis, a morally-bankrupt economic model -- the elite-driven global capitalist framework of greed with its boom-and-bust cycle.

Our Calls

While we underline the continued relevance of the call for a socialist revolution as a respond to the global capitalist crisis, we realize the need for medium-term solutions to our present situation.

We echo the calls of our brothers and sisters in the mass movement for:

Repeal the Oil Deregulation Law and scrap the regressive value-added tax.
Extend and reform the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program to ensure the distribution of assets and wealth.
Reorient development strategy towards job creation for full employment.
Living wages, not minimum wages.
Realign the national budget for debt payments to necessary social services. Scrap the automatic debt appropriations act.

------------
BISIG-CEBU, AKBAYAN-CEBU, ALLIANCE OF PROGRESSIVE LABOR-CEBU, MOVEMENT FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF STUDENT POWER-CEBU, MAKALAYA-CEBU, FORGE, CPAG.

Junket

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 04:23:00 +0000

WHAT CAN BE MORE CALLOUS THAN THIS?

While Typhoon Frank devastated the country and claimed more than 650 lives, including the poor victims of the MV Princess of the Stars sea tragedy, illegitimate President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her 74 junketeers mindlessly spend billions of taxpayers' money to visit Bush and watch Pacquiao fight in the US.MONEY SPENT MINDLESSLY

USD 1.5 M JUNKET!300-5000 – Willard Hotel rate 30 rooms booked 400-500 – Dinner per plate207++ - Airline rate per person800-1000 – Rental per car30 cars rented250 consulate officials mobilizedTHE PERKSP100,000 – each congressman gets monthly travel allowanceP1,620 – travel tax exemption when traveling with the President

WHO ARE THE 74 JUNKETEERS?

Representative ProvinceRep. Narciso Santiago III, Alliance for Rural Concerns Party List GroupRep. Monico Puentevella, BacolodRep. Albert Garcia, BataanRep. Mark Llandro L. Mendoza, BatangasRep. Hermilando Mandanas, BatangasRep. William Irwin Tieng, Buhay Party List GroupRep. Jose Zubiri III, BukidnonRep. Lorna Silverio, BulacanRep. Mitzi Cajayon, CaloocanRep. Diosdado "Dato" Macapagal Arroyo, Camarines SurRep. Joseph Santiago, CatanduanesRep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., CaviteRep. Antonio Cuenco, CebuRep. Eduardo Gullas, CebuDeputy Speaker Raul Del Mar, Cebu CityRep. Rommel Amatong, Compostela ValleySpeaker Prospero Nograles, Davao CityRep. Antonio Lagdameo, Davao Del NorteRep. Marc Cagas, Davao Del SurRep. Nelson Dayanghirang, Davao OrientalRep. Teodolo Coquilla, Eastern SamarRep. Andres Salvacion, LeyteRep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, LeyteRep. Trinidad Apostol, LeyteRep. Ma. Zenaida Angping, ManilaRep. Amado S. Bagatsing, ManilaRep. Bienvenido Abante Jr., ManilaRep. Rizalina Seachon-Lanete, MasbateRep. Herminia Ramiro, Misamis OccidentalRep. Yevgeny Emano, Misamis OrientalRep. Rozzano Rufino Biazon, MuntinlupaRep. Joseph Gilbert Violago, Nueva EcijaDeputy Speaker Ma. Amelita C. Villarosa, Occidental MindoroRep. Anna York Bondoc, PampangaRep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., PampangaRep. Juan Miguel Macapagal Arroyo, PampangaRep. Conrado Estrella III, PangasinanRep. Ma. Rachel Arenas, PangasinanRep. Eduardo C. Zialcita, ParañaqueRep. Roman Romulo, Pasig CityRep. Mary Ann Susano, Quezon CityRep. Nanette C. Castelo-Daza, Quezon CityRep. Danilo Suarez, Quezon ProvinceRep. Junie Cua, QuirinoRep. Arturo B. Robes, San Jose Del MonteRep. Roger Mercado, Southern LeyteRep. Munir Arbison, SuluRep. Rex Gatchalian, Valenzuela CityRep. Antonio Diaz, Zambales

Senate

Sen. Miriam Defensor SantiagoSen. Richard Gordon (Sen. Gordon did not go and did his job as Red Cross Chairman)

Cabinet

Sec. Arthur Yap, AgricultureSec. Rolando Andaya, BudgetSec. Gov. Amando Tetangco, Central BankSec. Gilbert Teodoro, DefenseSec. Ronaldo Puno, DILGSec. Jesli Lapus, EducationSec. Lito Atienza, EnvironmentSec. Margarito Teves, FinanceSec. Alberto Romulo, Foreign AffairsActing Sec. Marianito Roque, LaborSec. Ignacio Bunye, Presidential SpokesmanSec. Jesus Dureza, PressSec. Peter Favila, Trade

Shall we leave our country in the hands of such uncaring people?

It's time to take back our country!

Bigger Storms

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 23:15:00 +0000

Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was storming last Sunday. After learning that MV Princess of the Stars had sunk while sailing through storm-tossed waters, she called from San Francisco, demanding to know from the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) and the Philippine Coast Guard, “Why did you allow it to sail and why was there no ample warning?” She specifically berated Vice Adm. Wilfredo Tamayo, Coast Guard chief: “When did you issue the warning to all vessels (not to sail)?” She said “when” at least six times, as Tamayo tried to explain. The tongue-lashing was broadcast live on national radio.
There is no truth to the rumor that the NDCC replied when asked why it allowed the ship to sail, “We thought you were aboard, Ma’am.”
To be sure the NDCC and the Coast Guard deserved the public chastising. The only thing that left a bad taste in the mouth was the person doing it with the nation as captive audience. You may not demand responsibility when you yourself display staggering levels of irresponsibility. I don’t know if this country still remembers, but the last time I heard Arroyo repeating a word on the phone was when she called up a fellow named “Garci.” The word was not “when,” it was “hello.”
Juan de la Cruz may very well berate her in public in exactly the same terms. The ship of state is floundering, if it has not slammed into a rock and bellied up yet. It has been set a-sail despite the more ferocious storm of public opinion that says the captain steering the ship never got her diploma from the School of Elections and amid the howling winds of public fury expressed in rallies, marches and protests against a ruler who has broken records in lack of acceptance by the ruled. “Why did you sail the ship of state into a churning sea, and why did you refuse to turn back despite ample, angry and strident warnings from the Citizens’ Catastrophe Prevention Center?” “When will you stop plunging the ship of state to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean?” “When will you resign?
Epic as the tragedy of the sinking of Princess of the Stars is, there are in fact other, more alarming concerns that Typhoon “Frank” has brought to light. Concerns that have escaped public attention from the focus drawn on the sea mishap. The first of that concern is the storm itself.
Lest we forget, Frank didn’t just sink Princess of the Stars, it also sank the provinces of Iloilo and Aklan and Metro Manila, and left more than 200 people dead in its wake. I’ve been saying all this time that we are not just facing two crises today of mind-boggling severity and indefiniteness, which are the food and oil crises, we are facing a third, which is natural disasters of even more mind-boggling severity and indefiniteness. Which comes from the environmental crisis, also called global warming, environmental degradation, climate change. It’s happening everywhere as we speak: in the hurricanes that have struck the United States, in the earthquakes that have razed parts of Burma and China, in the superstorms that have devastated Infanta town and Albay province. I do not know which is more frightening, the death toll from those disasters or our factoring of it to a point where we now find a hundred people dead “normal.”
Cold comfort as it is, and at the risk of insulting the kin of the dead from Typhoon Frank, we can at least thank heaven its toll was not as bad as China’s or Burma’s from the earthquakes. I’ve been warning about this for some time: the terrifying prospect not just of the combined effects of the rice crisis and the fuel crisis unraveling over the next few months or years, but of these happening alongside the effects of environmental degradation. Almost overnight after Typhoon Frank struck, the prices of rice, meat and fish soared in all wet markets. As I write this, rice in some parts of the country was expected to reach P50 a kilo.
This is just the beginning. The weather is messed up and has gotten fickle, and life has become fragile in all parts of the world. You don’t know where the next major disaster will strike. Typhoon Frank has just hinted at the shape of things to come, a warning for those who imagine it is just part of normal cycle of storms to visit this country, like those who imagine the food and oil scarcities are just part of the normal boom-bust cycle of the economy. Things are going to get worse, unless we move strenuously to avert it. Unless we produce more food ourselves, change our lifestyle to save fuel or shift to alternatives, and do our share of saving the planet.
Which brings me to the other concern that Typhoon Frank has brought to light. That is the fourth, more immediate and worrisome, crisis we’re facing today, which is the crisis of government. We’re facing a worse situation today than the world did during the Great Depression of the 1930s. Then, the limits were economic; today, the limits are physical. The planet is dying from carbon emissions, and fossil fuel is near to depletion. Only food is a renewable resource. These are the very times when, as I wrote about earlier this week, we need a government that is honest and truthful. These are the very times when we need a leader we can trust and rally behind. These are the very times when we need a Winston Churchill who can inspire people to shed blood, sweat and tears to face a war, or a Franklin Delano Roosevelt who can convince people they can expect a good deal from government as they face want.
That is what we have not got. All we have is someone we distrust and want to distance ourselves from. That conclusion is as inescapable as the fate bearing down on the people trapped in the womb, or tomb, of a sinking ship. Except that I don’t know why we should resign ourselves to this fate.
Arroyo was storming last weekend. Some storms are worse than others.

Source: By Conrado de Quiros, PDI

The world’s 10 worst maritime disasters—in the last 20 years

noreply@blogger.com (Alvin M. Dizon) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:23:00 +0000

The world’s 10 worst maritime disasters—in the last 20 years

The Philippines tops the charts with the MV Doña Paz/MT Vector collision in terms of number of casualties in a single maritime disaster. But three of the top maritime disasters in the past two decades happened in Indonesia.

1. MV Doña Paz (Philippines, December 20, 1987)

Passenger vessel MV Doña Paz collided with MT Vector, an oil tanker, along the Tablas Strait, between Mindoro and Marinduque. The collision ignited some 8,800 barrels of petroleum products that Vector was carrying at the time, causing a fire that rapidly engulfed the tanker and the Doña Paz. Subsequent investigations into the incident found that Dona Paz exceeded its passenger and cargo limits and that the Vector’s boat license had expired. Casualties reached 4,375.

2. MV Joola (Senegal, September 26, 2002)

The disaster happened within five minutes after MV Joola sailed to a sea of storm in the coast of Gambia. Various reasons for the disaster were cited, among them overcrowding, and negligence by management as the ship was not originally designed for sea faring. Death toll totaled 1,863.

3. MV al-Salam Boccaccio 98 (Red Sea, February 3, 2006)

Faulty drainage pumps and unpredictable weather were some of the reasons cited for the sinking of MV al-Salam Boccacio 98, a Roll-on/Roll-off ferry, into the depths of the Red Sea. Survivors and eye witnesses said a fire started at the storage area and, as the ship turned, it capsized and eventually sank. 1,018 passengers died in the disaster.

4. MV Bukoba (Lake Victoria, Tanzania, May 21, 1996)

The passenger steamer MV Bukoba sank in Lake Victoria causing 894 casualties while en route to Mwanza, a city in Tanzania. The steamer was already in bad shape before the voyage. It was also found out that the steamer was overcrowded.

5. MS Estonia (Baltic Sea, September 28, 1994)

The locks on the bow visor and bad weather caused this cruise-ferry’s demise. A total of 852 were killed during the tragedy.

6. KM Cahaya Bahari (Indonesia, June 29, 2000)

A total of 550 deaths were recorded after a storm hit and eventually capsized Cahaya Bahari, an Indonesian wooden-hulled ship, off the island of Sulawesi. The ship was overcrowded with refugees fleeing from the Maluku islands.

7. MV Nazreen 1 (Bangladesh, July 8, 2003)

The overcrowded MV Nazreen I sank at the confluence of the Padma, Meghna, and Dakana rivers, considered one of the most dangerous parts of the river from July to October. Casualties were counted at 528 although there’s no recorded number of passengers aboard.

8. Salem Express (Egypt, December 15, 1991)

The Salem Express, a roll-on/roll-off ferry sank off Safaga in the Red Sea as it was crossing the treacherous Hyndman Reefs. Because of the storm, the ship hit a reef, causing the bow visor to open, creating a hole on the starboard side. Water penetrated the ship which eventually sank in 20 minutes. Deaths were counted at 464.

9. MV Senopati Nusantara (Indonesia, December 30, 2006)

The Indonesian ferry sank due to a violent storm off Mandalika Island in the Java Sea. One survivor said that the ship rolled over before it submerged to the depths. Deaths were counted at 461.

10. KM Bismas Raya 2 (Indonesia, October 1999)

KM BIsmas Raya 2 caught fire while off Merauke, Irian Jaya. It eventually capsized and caused the death of 361 people.

Research by: Leilani Chavez / abs-cbnNEWS.com

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_disasters_by_death_toll
http://www.touregypt.net/VDC/Salemexp.htm
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2003/jul2003/bang-j19.shtml
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2000/jul2000/ferr-j11.shtml http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ee1s-ari/lake.html