Editor's Note |
20 years of service to the community
|
Time flies.
Exactly 20 years ago this month, The SUN shone for the Filipinos in Hong Kong. It was
the fulfillment of a dream that took shape years earlier, or shortly after I arrived here in 1987 and
realized there was no reliable information channel serving the community.
But turning that dream into reality proved to be difficult. Several people offered to fund
the publication of a news-paper, but everyone wanted a business model different from what we had
in mind.
Details...
|
Anak Araw |
Pagpapabaya
|
Nitong nakaraang buwan ay naging saksi tayo sa nangyari kay Manang Gloria Ortinez,
ang OFW na biktima ng tanim-bala sa Manila airport. Halos buong araw kasi ay naglagi siya sa
opisina ng The SUN, kasama ang mga naghatid sa kanya na sina Susan "Toots" Ople na tagataguyod ng
mga OFW, at ang abogado niyang si Atty Spocky Farolan, kaya nasaksihan namin siya nang malapitan.
Details...
|
Migrant's Forum |
Nanay Gloria's journey to HK
|
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III recently told the media that cases of tanim-bala
were sensationalized, citing figures to prove his point. As an OFW advocate, I respectfully
disagree. Looking at this from a purely numbers perspective could lead one to overlook the deep trauma
that such incidents have caused its innocent victims.
Had he met and spoken to 56-year old OFW Gloria Ortinez, our President would have
learned the following:
Details...
|
Know Your Rights |
The Mission
|
This was the speech delivered by the Mission for Migrant Workers' general manager,
Cynthia Tellez, at the launch of the 10-year Impact Evaluation Report of the Mission's work held on
December 5, 2015 at the Li Hall of St. John's Cathedral.
Details...
|
|
With at least one -- and possibly two disqualification cases in the presidential race --
the Supreme Court has assured the nation politics will not dictate its decisions.
See this month's stories...
|
|
|
|
|
Staff and volunteers at the Mission for Migrant Workers had reason to celebrate when
they launched the non-government organization's 10-year Impact Evaluation Report at Li Hall of St
John's Cathedral on Dec. 4. Nearly all, or 97% of migrants who sought assistance said that they were
helped by the Mission, and more than half of them (57%) said they would recommend the NGO to others.
See this month's stories...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The pork barrel remains as one of the biggest sources of corruption in the Philippines,
said Bayan Muna Partylist representative Neri Colmenares during a recent visit to Hong Kong.
"Do you think it disappeared after the Supreme Court decreed it illegal? It's still
there,"
said Rep. Colmenares at the sidelines of the
30th anniversary celebration of United Filipinos in
Hong Kong at Chater Road on Jun 21.
Pork barrel is the money handed out of government funds for projects designated by
legislators, often to win votes. In the Philippines, it has been exposed as a means used by
some legislators
to apparently funnel the funds into their own pockets through the use of fictitious
foundations, as in
the Php10 billion case against notorious middleman Janet Lim-Napoles. Three sitting senators
have
been arrested in connection with the case, and two remain in jail.
Colmenares said the pork barrel now amounts to Php26-billion, and continues to be used by
the administration to curry favors from legislators, especially in the run-up to the
presidential
elections in May next year.
He called on Filipinos in Hong Kong to keep up the fight against the pork barrel.
"Make
pork barrel an election issue!" he told a gathering of Unifil supporters at the Kowloon
Union Church
on June 22.
Colmenares added that the pork barrel is one of the biggest sources of corruption in
government. "There is no pork barrel that is good".
He revealed that all nine members of the lower house of Congress who are affiliated with
the Makabayan bloc in of Representatives have declined to accept pork barrel funds since the
Napoles case erupted. Based on the widely reported figure of Php70 million being allotted to
each
congressman from the national budget each year, there should be an extra Php630 million at the
disposal
of the administration ahead of next year's election.
But pork barrel is just one of the key issues in the election platform being hammered out by
the opposition lawmakers. Another major concern said Colmenares, is the need for
industrialization
in the Philippines.
He said there is a need to revive many industries, such as steel and manufacturing, to
spur employment and generate income. He rued that the government has neglected this aspect,
concentrating largely on foreign investments to pump up the economy.
During his speech at the Unifil dinner, the legislator also debunked allegations that
the Makabayan bloc has taken a pro-China stance in the West Philippine Sea territorial
squabble.
He said his group supports the Philippines in dismissing China's claim to the disputed
territorial waters through its nine-dash line argument.
"Tama ang gobyerno nang mag-file ng kaso for arbitration sa international
tribunal,"
said Colmenares. "Ang hindi lang kami agree ay pumunta tayo sa U.S. (for help)".
He said there was absolutely no need to seek Washington's help, as the Philippines
could already count on the international community for support. Besides, he argued the United
States
could not be expected to go all the way out in support of the Philippines, and would only use
the
perceived support to win bigger concessions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Listen to:
View print version
Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a0005'
Invalid procedure call or argument
/RightbarAd.asp, line 18 |