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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.”
In 2005, the local government of Marinduque filed a case against Placer Dome in the United States. Last year, its new owner Barrick Gold offered a US$ 20-million settlement with a condition that the petitioners, including Philippine government agencies, waive their accountabilities and responsibilities with regard to the disaster.
In its updated paper entitled 16 years of Fisheries Code, Filipino Fisherfolk Still Fish in Troubled Waters, Pamalakaya asserted that Republic Act No. 8550 or the Philippine Fisheries Law of 1998 failed to raise the standard of living of small fisherfolk and was very dismal in protecting marine and inland environment from destruction by corporate interests.
Even as the Supreme Court has yet to decide on petitions against its November-December rate hike, Meralco is asking for the approval of a “provisional” hike, reasoning that the second tranche of the stalled rate hike is not covered by the high court’s TRO.
“The decision of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments to amend the 1987 Constitution will entice fishing investors abroad to embark on monopoly fishing expeditions inside the country’s territorial waters to fish for high value sea-based products such as tuna and other high priced aquamarine products.” – Pamalakaya
Despite feasibility, more and bigger renewable energy production in Mindanao are being discouraged by several factors.
“The Aquino government should have asked what the survivors feel, what is their way of life, what they really need.”
Protesters dislike the increase-now, explain-later attitude implied by actions of government regulators.
'For agriculture to become the base of economic development, the state's economic program including its foreign trade policy should include protecting and supporting small farmers to develop local agricultural production, increase rural employment, and achieve food self-sufficiency.'
“This is supposed to be a basic social service to the people. But the government failed to provide it to us. Now, it is the capitalists who are benefiting.”
The unprecedented hike was revealed as mostly due to Meralco’s contract with Thermo Mobile, which had bid 25 times higher than the usual rate, or the average recorded by WESM (P62 from P6 to 8 per kilowatt-hour). It was also disclosed that Meralco actually dictates and has full control over the pricing decisions of Thermo Mobile.
“Contaminated water [from the damaged nuclear power plant] goes back and forth into the Pacific Ocean – goes across to the Philippines, to the west side of America.”
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