National News

In an inquiry into the AFP’s programs that are to be funded by people’s taxes for the 2013 National Budget at the House of Representatives on September 27, Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Emmi De Jesus raised concerns over continuing human rights violations committed by various members of the AFP against women and children.  read more »

Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan underscored the need for women and children’s access to healthcare in a forum at the Western Mindanao State University in Zamboanga City. “The Aquino Health Agenda and its direction towards the privatization and corporatization of government hospitals will deprive women and children of much needed healthcare services. This puts the delivery of healthcare in a state of calamity.”  read more »

“Universal health care should not and cannot be equated with a person’s possession of a Philhealth card . This card becomes meaningless, as in the case of BuCor Inmates, if their nutritional requirements are not adequately met and if prison health facilities and the health facilities they are referred to are poorly provisioned public hospitals. It is common knowledge that inmates are provided with grossly inadequate food budgets, causing unnecessary health problems among them,” said GWP Rep.  read more »

“Three years after Ondoy, informal settlers in so-called danger zones face and even greater tragedy—that of losing their homes to violent demolitions and forcibly being relocated to death zones. The tragedies of Ondoy and Habagat spawned an even bigger tragedy for informal settlers and the urban poor.”  read more »

"It is appalling how President Aquino endorsed DOLE’s double whammy attack versus workers’ rights by institutionalizing a deceptive two-tiered wage system which further undercuts the minimum wage of workers and legalizes wage freeze amid the incessant increases in the prices of all basic commodities,” said GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus on the announcement of Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz that the 2-tiered wage system will reduce wages discrimination.  read more »

“Aquino’s so-called Daang Matuwid is a complete u-turn back to the dark years of Martial Law. President Aquino is going towards the direction of the dictatorship that his parents fought.”

Thus said Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan dubbing President Aquino’s Oplan Bayanihan as a re-invention of Marcos’ Martial law which has resulted to 103 cases of extra judicial killings; 9 enforced disappearances; the arrest of 94 political prisoners and; the forced evacuation of tens of thousands of families in rural and indigenous communities.   read more »

Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan today criticized the 2013 national budget’s measly and misappropriated allocation for healthcare that fails to respond to the people’s needs. According to Ilagan, the Aquino Health Agenda as reflected in the proposed 2013 budget refuses to acknowledge the need to build and upgrade healthcare facilities and instead supports private and multinational intrusion into the delivery of healthcare service.  read more »

Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan today criticized the 2013 national budget’s measly and misappropriated allocation for healthcare that fails to respond to the people’s needs. According to Ilagan, the Aquino Health Agenda as reflected in the proposed 2013 budget refuses to acknowledge the need to build and upgrade healthcare facilities and instead supports private and multinational intrusion into the delivery of healthcare services.  read more »

"Buhay at dignidad ng informal settlers ang dapat na pangunahing sukatan ng kaangkupan ng mga polisiya at programa ng pamahalaan,” GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus noted during the pre-plenary hearing on the budget for the key shelter agencies National Housing Authority and HUDCC.  read more »

Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Emmi De Jesus is wary over the possible dismissal of Miguel Belen’s case if Prosecutor Antonio Ramos, who had been absent several times, fails to show up on September 15 scheduled hearing. Miguel Belen, a Bicol-based radio commentator died on July 31, 2010, 22 days after he was shot seven times on July 9. He is the first media person killed under Pres. Benigno Aquino III’s watch.  read more »