GMA7‘s Sandra Aguinaldo interviewed me yesterday over proposals to reimpose a cap on superprofits of telcos.
The network’s 24 Oras newscast aired this report last night:
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV
Later in the evening,
The advent of the internet, especially blogs, microblogs and social networking, has pumped fresh blood to the mass movement of people seeking social change. The internet has obviously become a new platform for individuals and groups to voice out their views and to launch all sorts of initiatives. This is good anyway you look at it, except, of course, if you’re part of the rotten Establishment.
We are in a better position than, say, our Burmese neighbors thanks to the democratic space we continue to enjoy. That some continue to make full use of this space for civic-minded, pro-change purposes is admirable. We can only hope they stay the course and inspire even more Filipino netizens to make the internet their virtual bullhorns.
For the past few months, the House committee on oversight quietly studied how revenue agencies could jack up the proceeds from gazillions of pesos in a new tax to be siphoned off from Filipino cellphone users.
In its narrow view, the House panel avers that government is not able to check whether the taxes remitted by telcos were above board and commensurate to their total income and sales. Lest we forget, the government already imposes a 12 percent VAT on calls and text as well as an overseas communications tax on international services. These taxes apply to all subscribers, whether postpaid or prepaid.
For these Members of Congress, the solution to the purported loopholes in VAT and OCT collections is to ask the public to pay between five to 50 centavos in a new tax. Proceeds will go to buying metering machines each worth between $20M to $30M. The metering machines would connect the BIR, NTC and the telcos and would purportedly plug the loopholes.
Various groups today challenged the Commission on Elections to release the source code of the for the Precinct Count Optical Scan-Optical Mark Reader (PCOS-OMR) technology to be used for the 2010 elections.
In a joint statement, the groups said that the source code should be opened to IT professionals and other parties interested in scrutinizing and testing it.
It is taken for granted or regarded lightly, but the relative freedom we enjoy in expressing ourselves through is heaven compared to the hell experienced by bloggers in other countries.
In naming the “worst online oppressors”, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) notes that “booming online cultures in many Asian and Middle Eastern nations have led to aggressive government repression”.
The country’s chief magistrate continues to push the envelope on the immoral regime. In this speech he gave […]
Today is World Press Freedom Day.
It should be a happy day for the Philippines, considering that we always boast of having the freest press in Asia, but
Trina Etong, wife of popular broadcaster and former congressman Ted Failon, died last night from the gunshot wound on her head. Her body has been brought to Arlington funeral homes.
Here is a piece of news that the US embassy and the presidential palace would surely welcome: Rape victim “Nicole” has recanted her testimony, fired her lawyer and has gone to the US as early as last week.
Also today, groups, public officials and public figures relaunched the Junk VFA Movement. It appears they are surprised but unperturbed by the recent acts of “Nicole”and whether these would affect the crusade to have the VFA nullified.
We can only speculate what has happened between now and the day the Supreme Court issued its recent ruling — perhaps
From the email loop, Joey de Venecia III announced that he will move to appeal a Court of Appeals ruling that junked his petition for habeas data:
All legal remedies have not yet been exhausted. They will be.
Businessman Joey de Venecia III said he learned of the Court of Appeals decision dismissing his case seeking protection from the Arroyo administration, which had placed him under watch, “with sadness and regret.”
“I will definitely appeal the decision,” de Venecia said in a statement to media yesterday, “This fight is far from over.”
I’ve joined more than a hundred journalists in signing a “unified statement” against bills seeking to impose a “right to reply” to the detriment of our press freedom and our free expression.
The proponents are hiding behind notions of “balance” and “fairness” to bamboozle the press into accepting a legislated form of terrorism. What is so detestable in the proposals is that Congress is imposing on publishers and journalists, and this would have a immediate and long-term impact to journalism practice, the media business and the politicians’ ceaseless drive for publicity. This would also have terrible effects on investigative reports and exposes, as journalists and the media might find a “right of reply” law a clear disincentive.
Bloggers, who arguably lead new media publishers, must also read House Bill 3306 and Senate Bill 2150. We must be able to examine all the possible repercussions of the law and whether we must agree with legislated codes of behavior that will government old, traditional media. As publishers, we ourselves cannot allow ourselves to be dictated by Congress on what to publish in our blogs and websites.
The two statements below would show anyone the many terrible effects of the right to reply bills, once they are enacted into law. It is the first statement, initiated by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines and is being circulated as a petition, which I signed both as a journalist and blogger:
As the world searches for solutions to the global economic crisis, Prof. Jose Ma. Sison publishes his views on politics and the economy, on democracy and socialism and on the problem that is imperialist globalization. This is another step forward for Prof. Sison and the national democratic movement as they offer help to the country and the world towards understanding and addressing our situation.
 |
| Invitation to the launch of Prof. Jose Ma. Sison’s new books |
Two journalism organizations issued this joint statementa after a senator announced that she is inviting a journalist to answer questions on an issue he has tackled in his reports:
The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) have learned that the Senate Committee on Economic Affairs headed by Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago has summoned Newsbreak senior writer Aries Rufo to testify in the hearings on the World Bank ban on construction firms it accuses of corruption.
While various state governments, led by the ones that championed and proselytized about laissez faire capitalism just before the terrible economic events last year, are so busy crafting stimulus packages and bailouts, many people in their respective countries worry that their leaders are salvaging only the big businesses and doing nothing about poor and the middle class.
[UPDATE: Digital PADEPA has moved to a new address]
National democratic activists have brought their school to the worldwide web.
PADEPA, short for Pambansa Demokratikong Paaralan (National Democratic School) has gone online with Digital PADEPA, making its courses available to activists and activist organizations who have long wanted to have obtain reference and teaching materials for political and ideological study online.
 |
| From Stuff |
Updates (as of January 16, 2009):
An irate principal suspended four students of the Quezon City Science High School for 10 days over a blog that criticized her new policies in a move that is angering students, alumni and advocates of free speech.
If the students or parents don’t file an appeal, the ten-day suspension starts Monday.
The students were meted the 10-day suspension due to personal blogs critical of the QCSHS principal Dr. Zenaida Panti Sadsad. (N.B. This entry erroneously referred to this link but one of the four students has denied any role in it and said that this blog is not the subject of the suspension meted by Dr. Sadsad.)
Looking at the monthly averages of Dubai crude, foreign exchange (forex) and their combined impact on domestic pump prices, the multisectoral umbrella Bayan today said that petroleum prices should be lowered further than what the oil firms have done so far.
Bayan spokesman Arnold Padilla said that the group’s study justifies a rollback of P60.81 in the price of an 11-kg tank liquefied petroleum gas (LPG).
Padilla also said that diesel prices should be cut by P9.56 per liter; kerosene by P12.60; and unleaded gasoline by P3.57.
As TXTPower president, I am issuing the following statement regarding the suspension of “unlimited” promos during the holidays:
The National Telecommunications Commission has chosen to side with Smart and Globe in the pathetic attempt to justify the suspension of “unlimited” texting and calling during the holidays. In so doing, the NTC is ensuring that only the telcos are merry this Christmas and happy this New Year.
For consumers, this is a classic case of network abuse – abuse by the network themselves – and abetted by what should have been the government regulator.
What is clear is that the NTC and the telcos denied the public last Christmas and will again deny this New Year’s Day the opportunity to avail of the cheapest call and text rates especially during the most joyful holiday dates. Lest we forget, this is the first time that “unlimited” services were suspended during the holidays.
On the other hand, the telcos cash in on the exchange of holiday greetings that are paid for using the regular and more expensive rates.
Nasser Pangandaman Sr. and Nasser Pangandaman Jr. must apologize to the persons they and their minions beat up last Dec. 26 at a golf course in Antipolo City.
The elder Pangandaman is an alter-ego of President Arroyo as the secretary of agrarian reform, while his son and namesake is mayor of Masiu City, Lanao del Sur. Common decency demands that they respect others. Laws meanwhile demand that, as public officials, they should not use their position and personnel to exploit, harass and oppress the people they are sworn to serve.
Here’s a picture of Secretary Pangandaman, courtesy of USM:
Dec. 26 this year will be a red-letter day 40 times over as communists, socialists, national democrats and their sympathizers mark the 40th anniversary of the Communist Party of the Philippines.
One thing that cannot be denied about the CPP is that it offers a comprehensive program on how it wishes to bring changes to the country. Perhaps if we remove several blinders and biases about all things Red (or even pink), we may at least understand, if not accept, why the CPP’s national democratic revolution continued to inspire people from all walks of life — the common folk of laborers and farmers, youth, professionals and the entrepreneurs — and why they still look up to the CPP as their party.
Some tried to destroy it from within — and they almost succeeded. Now, these same persons who once called themselves the “avante garde” are almost always nowhere to be found and if we see them, they are in the warm embrace of the leaders of same Establishment all genuine progressives and revolutionaries hope to punish and banish.
It is highly doubt that CPP members for the past 40 years just allowed themselves to be hoodwinked or terrorized into submission and fealty to the party. Lest we forget, the best and the brightest of an whole generation knowingly and consciously joined it — some even continue to lead it, as far as we all know. I mean, diatribes and mindless anti-leftism aside, there must really be something more, something infinitely greater than the sum total of all the lives given up for the revolution. For in the final analysis, we cannot just say “the CPP and communism are passe”. Some folks have been saying so for the longest time but people continue to join this party and wittingly risk their careers and their lives on the line.
Which now brings us to the following message of CPP founding chair Jose Ma. Sison:
Greetings To The Communist Party of The Philippines on the Occasion of its Fortieth Founding Anniversary
As founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), I convey warmest greetings of comradeship to all CPP cadres and members on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the CPP. I share your joy in celebrating all the struggles waged and all the victories won by the CPP and the Filipino people in the last four decades of the new democratic revolution.
Here’s a reminder of the unpopularity of outgoing US President George W. Bush:
A report says that “in Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt”.
Everyone’s invited to tomorrow’s rally versus the Charter Change Redux of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo!
Here is the invitation from organizers:
Dear Friends and Concerned Citizens,
Greetings of peace in these turbulent and uncertain times!
Recent moves in the House of Representatives by no less than Speaker Prospero Nograles and other administration allies to railroad their discredited bid to change the Philippine Charter (Chacha) by convening Congress into a Constituent Assembly (Con‐Ass) has raised the alarm among many concerned sectors of our society.