THE PHILIPPINES’ FORUM FOR INTERNATIONAL READERS SINCE 1981
March 26-April 8, 2017 Vol. XXXV No. 9
Newspaper
www.expatphilippines.ph
A boatman stares blankly into the horizon in Palaui Island. The island, off the coast of Sta. Ana, Cagayan, has long been considered a northern gem, where a plethora of breathtaking vistas and adventures await. Photo by Martin San Diego courtesy of the Northern Philippines Visitors Bureau
Public service denouncement
Labor groups decry DOLE order on contractualization
By TIMOTHY JAY IBAY
ilitant labor groups Partido Manggagawa (PM) and Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR) asserted that contractualization is still allowed and will continue to proliferate under the new Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) order named DO 174 issued on Mar. 16. “News that DO 174 prohibits contractualization is fake!” said PM spokesperson Wilson Fortaleza “What prohibition? What total ban? DO 174 merely reiterates the bans already provided for in the old DO 18-A. Everything old is presented as new again.” Fortaleza was referring to the order Labor Secretary Silvestre Belo III signed, which supposedly imposes a total ban on labor only contracting, strictly regulates lawful contractual arrangements and outlaws the end-of-contract scheme—a practice where workers are forced to renew their contracts every five months so employers page 5 can avoid hiring them as regu-
When governance takes a backseat because the power struggle is real
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y the looks of it, the unrelenting power struggle between the administration and the opposition will the see the Philippines’ two highest public officials facing impeachment complaints – an incredible accomplishment for an administration less than 10 months into its term. In the highly unlikely case that you missed it, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano filed an impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte for alleged betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, engaging in bribery, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. In response, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said he is looking into filing an impeachment complaint of his own against Vice President Leni Robredo for betrayal of public trust, stemming from a video message she re-
leased to the United Nations where she said that Filipinos are feeling “hopeless and helpless” with the spate of killings brought about by the administration’s drug war. Now, while having both the President and Vice President facing impeachment complaints may be a first for the country, politicking with complete disregard for the nation’s welfare, unfortunately, is not. And while vested interests and political ambitions have long been at the forefront of supposed “public officials,” this administration appears to have brought with it an unabashed thirst to quell any sort of opposition. The new year has seen a string of events that’s been brazenly designed to gag all checks and balances. Which begs the question, how far is the administration willing to go in their apparent desire for complete control?
Destabilizing factor The circus began to crescendo with Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s successful motion to strip Liberal Party Senators of their committee chairmanships. Then came what was called the House purge – the House majority coalition’s removal of committee chairpersons that voted against the measure to revive the death penalty from their posts. As noted by a Philippine Star op-ed piece, Senate minority members then tried and failed to retaliate by holding a series of hearings and inquiries on the murder of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo; the Bureau of Immigration bribery issue; and the testimony of self-confessed Davao Death Squad member and retired Senior Police Officer 3 Arthur Lascañas. As pointed out by the op-ed page 5 piece titled “Unbelievable,” the
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