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“With more than a million passengers riding all three lines a day, the MRT and LRT generate more than enough income for their operations and maintenance. That’s the reason why big businesses are drooling over and trying to buy them.”
Under the Aquino government, the running MRT trains went down from almost 73 to just about 43. MRT3 workers said that even if some of the remaining trains have problems in its machine or manifesting technical troubles (like in its doors or controls or motor), it is still being used or inserted among others that are still functioning. Worse, workers have to make do with discarded parts because of the lack of spare parts, which was supposed to be provided by maintenance contractors.
See also: ‘MRT3 not milking cow but public service,’ groups tell Transportation Sec. Abaya
“The train accidents are a textbook illustration of what happens when profit rules over what is supposedly for social service.” – Sammy Malunes, RILES Network
“It seems that President Aquino and his cabinet will blame anyone and everyone except itself on the problems being encountered by the country, which they themselves were remiss in addressing. From all indications they are mind conditioning the public for a big power rate hike.” – Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares
Piston is calling on drivers and all the riding public to continue to press for a rollback in oil prices, to press the government to nationalize and regulate the oil industry, and to condemn the Aquino government for its inaction that, Piston said, is tantamount to collusion with the oil cartel.
The failure of government’s agrarian reform manifests in various haciendas across the country, such as in Hacienda Dolores in Pampanga
Government is clearly exaggerating the supposed economic gains from EDCA while concealing the fact that negotiators gave too many unjustifiable perks to the US.
'Stopping the flight of workers, or the lack of jobs, goes back to the basics -- but the government lacks a blueprint for developing the agriculture sector and other industries to absorb the labor force.'
"The government's refusal to criminalize and prosecute safety violations consigns our defenseless women workers to modern day slavery. The Philippines will always be the worst place in the world for workers as DoLE stands idly by and merely counts dead women in killer workplaces." – Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Emmi de Jesus
Amid the slow recovery in many developed countries, foreign corporations are looking at potential markets where they could direct their excess capital in speculative areas and take advantage of opportunities to profit.
The so-called tiger economy of the Philippines has never trickled down to the poorest Filipino communities, most of which can be found in climate-sensitive and disaster prone areas still vastly vulnerable and unprepared for their impact.” – Kalikasan PNE
Nanganganib mapalayas at mawalan ng kabuhayan ang mga Agta tulad ng dinaranas ng mga magsasaka na itinaboy ng APECO o Aurora Pacific Economic Zone and Freeport Authority.
“Even if I have already passed the board exam, it's not an assurance that I could land a job immediately.” -- A graduate of engineering
United States President Barack Obama's two-day state visit to the Philippines was met with protest actions by progressive groups. On April 29, protesters expressed outrage at the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and marched toward the US Embassy in Manila. Police dispersed the protesters using truncheons and water cannon.
Simultaneous rallies gathered indigenous peoples and environment advocates opposing the entry of large-scale mining companies in Mindanao.
“Meralco's core net income yielded rates of return on equity of 22 percent and 26 percent in 2011 and 2012, respectively— way in excess of the 12 percent reasonable rate of return determined by the Supreme Court.” – Marcelo Tecson, former financial and management service chief of the Department of Energy
Under the “Interruptible Load Program” or ILP, shopping malls and factories are set to use their diesel generators this summer so that they would not have to draw power from the grid. The problems is, power consumers would be billed for it.
The families sought help from human rights group Karapatan after saying authorities failed to act on them.
“Subsistence fisherfolk need new boats, at least 10-12 horse power motor engines and new nets because all their fishing gears were swept away during super typhoon Yolanda.”
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