Philippines: Where does the FOI campaign go from here? (tags)
Today, we close our people’s campaign for the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill in the 15th Congress. We have, to the extent that our capacities and limited resources permitted, exhausted all avenues that we thought were open to us to get positive, decisive action from the leaders of the House of Representatives and from President Aquino no less.
PHILIPPINES: Kontra Daya( AGAINST CHEATING) post election report (tags)
Kontra Daya ( Against Cheating) congratulates the Filipino people for their continuing vigilance against poll fraud, election violence and other anomalies. This report would not have been possible were it not for the vigilance of ordinary people who acted as Kontra Daya volunteers, sent us their texts and emails or called the Kontra Daya hotline. We also congratulate the various people’s organizations, the vigilant media, the election watchdogs and international observers and other allied groups for their efforts in monitoring the conduct of the Philippine elections. The elections this year saw the rise of a more vigilant and conscious people who would not allow a repeat of the fraud-tainted 2004 polls. Kontra Daya’s preliminary post election report is based on the groups’ own documentation, field date from the Task Force Poll Watch, reports from the People’s International Observers Mission, correspondence with other watchdog groups such as Namfrel, Alliance of Concerned Teachers as well as media reports. The fight against election fraud and violence is by no means over. Kontra Daya expects more incidents of wholesale vote rigging to emerge in the following days. The dark forces trying to subvert the people’s will are working overtime. The people’s vigilance and collective action are needed now more than ever.
FIVE PHILIPPINE PROGESSIVE PARTY-LITS ORGANIZATIONS ENDORSES SENATORIAL BETS (tags)
Five Philippine progressive party-list organizations headed by Bayan Muna and ANAKPAWIS on Wednesday endorsed eight senatorial candidates including Team Unity’s Joker Arroyo and Ralph Recto. The groups also endorsed Genuine Opposition’s Loren Legarda, Aquilino Pimentel 3rd, Francis Escudero, Alan Peter Cayetano and Manuel Villar and independent candidate Francis Pangilinan. Besides Bayan Muna, the other party-list groups that announced their support for the eight candidates were Suara Bangsamoro, Anakpawis, Gabriela and Kabataan Party.
THE GMA CHARTER CHANGE EXPRESS : ON THE ROLL! (tags)
The GMA Charter Change Express is on the Roll! The House of Representatives amended Tuesday evening its own rules governing constitutional amendments to implement the administration’s plan to revise the Constitution. According to news sources; voting 161-25, the House adopted in a plenary session a motion filed by Deputy Majority Floor Leader Arthur Defensor that would pave the way for a speedy approval of Charter change resolutions. The majority bloc plans to file two resolutions -- one seeking to convene Congress to propose constitutional amendments or revisions and the other containing proposed specific changes to the Charter.