A legal expert and migrant workers advocacy group Migrante-Middle East are calling for the Philippine government to review and update their Pre-Departure Orientation Seminar (PDOS) given to Filipinos who seek employment abroad.
BAYAN-USA-DMV said the event was only meant to justify the Balikatan military exercises that see a 140% increase in US military presence in the Philippines involving 12,000 US forces, 5,000 Filipinos and 111 forces from Australia.
“For me, there should be penalties for every delay in the promulgation of judgments, instead of the courts offering mere apologies and early notices. There is a need to reform how the judiciary system is being managed,” Kapatid spokesperson Fides Lim said.
“These explosions cause intense mental and emotional distress and anxiety in the affected communities. Further, these LFXs (live fire exercises) and military operations are major wildlife stressors and leave toxic waste behind. Alarmingly, the impoverished condition of our farmers is aggravated by these exercises,” GABRIELA said.
While saying many are doing their job well, Migrante International accused the immigration bureau of having some of the most disrespectful, if not outright rude, immigration officers in the world.
“Being offloaded from a flight is not only frustrating but also financially draining. Imagine how much time, money and effort these passengers have put into planning their journey, only to be stopped from boarding a plane?,” a travel expert said.
“The advantages of giving immigration officers unbridled power on the premise of protecting passengers are outweighed by its disadvantages. The Philippine Congress must correct these lapses soon, lest we see more Filipino travelers being abused.”
More than a hundred families were forcibly evacuated by the Philippine Army from two barangays in Rodriguez, Rizal on Maundy Thursday, April 7, due to ongoing military operations in the area, groups reported.
“Their questionable and irregular arrest, their age and their health conditions are more than enough bases for their release,” the Health Action for Human Rights said.
While balance of forces overwhelmingly remain in favor of the Manila government, the CPP said the NPA has fought indefatigably over the over the decades and “it has grown by leaps and bounds.”
