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Year: 2018

New Metro Manila minimum wage set at P500 to P537

(UPDATED) Wage Order No. 22 will take effect 15 days after publication in a newspaper, but labor groups say the increase won’t help workers struggling with rising inflation

Aika Rey @reyaika
Published 12:50 PM, November 05, 2018
Updated 9:46 PM, November 05, 2018

SEEKING WORK. Hundreds troop to the Quezon City Hall for a job fair on May 1, 2018. File photo by Darren Langit/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Monday, November 5, confirmed the P25 across-the-board wage hike for minimum wage earners in Metro Manila.

New minimum wage rates for agricultural workers, firms in the manufacturing sector with at most 10 workers, and firms in the retail as well as service sectors with at most 15 workers will earn at least P500 daily, from the previous P475.

Non-agricultural workers, meanwhile, will soon have a daily minimum wage of P537 from P512.

Under Wage Order No. 22, the P10 cost of living allowance (COLA) will also become part of the basic pay.

Previously, the minimum basic pay ranged from P465 to P502, with an additional P10 COLA.

National Wages and Productivity Commission Executive Director Criselda Sy explained that the integration of COLA in the basic pay means bigger computations for overtime pay and 13th month pay.

The new wage order will be effective 15 days from publication in a newspaper. Sy said a copy of the order will be sent to their office on Monday afternoon.

The order was signed by DOLE, the Department of Trade and Industry, National Economic and Development Authority, and an employers’ group representative. Labor group representatives signed the order, but with reservations.

The wage order can still be appealed within 10 days upon publication. But Sy said there were no appeals that had been successfully granted in the past.

Higher inflation?

Asked whether the regional board could have approved a higher increase, Sy explained that doing so might lead to “secondary inflationary effects.”

Main Arguments Against Federalism and Charter Change

The Philippine Movement for Transformational Leadership (PMTL) a coalition of faith-based organizations, together with Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas and People’s Choice Movement have put together the main arguments why charter change and federalism should be rejected.  Below are the infographics from a presentation that can be used in a public forum. A link to a leaflet that can be reproduced for distribution is included here:  Arguments Against ChaCha and Federalism in English and Arguments Against ChaCha and Federalism in Filipino, 

Manila bishop urges voters to snub political dynasties

‘How thick-skinned our politicians can be! Even those with very strong criminal cases against them, they run,’ says Bishop Broderick Pabillo

Ernesto M. Hilario, Manila Philippines
November 5, 2018

Members of the Marcos family, including Imelda Marcos (second from right), file their certificates of candidacy for next year’s Philippine mid-term elections. Imelda is running for governor of Ilocos Norte province. (Photo by Jire Carreon/ucanews.com)

Has the Philippines run so low on competent and qualified public officials that the same families who have governed for many years now want to continue to dominate the country’s political system in the years to come?

Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo doesn’t think so, and he believes others deserve the chance to serve in public office.

The prelate, who also serves as chairman of the Episcopal Commission on the Laity of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, has urged voters to shun candidates from political dynasties next May, when the midterm elections for senatorial and various local positions will take place.

The 1987 charter states that, “the state shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service, and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined by law.”

The problem is that in leaving the matter of prohibiting political dynasties to members of the legislature, many of whom themselves come from established political families, the authors of the constitution have doomed the enterprise to fail on an epic scale.

Bishop Pabillo issued the appeal after President Rodrigo Duterte claimed political dynasties are flourishing because the public is clamoring for them.
He said voters have six months to discern which candidates deserve to be elected as servants of the people.

“Political dynasties [only] thrive because we vote for them,” he said.
“Starting from today, let us take some time to get to know the candidates. Certain criteria can be used to sift the wheat from the chaff,” he added.

“As voters, let’s show the politicians that we are better than them, that we have more sense than them, that we are more discerning. Let’s show them we know how to choose.”

Bishop Pabillo said voters should check the background of lesser-known candidates because “they may well serve as a breath of fresh air for politics in our country.”

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Prayer for the Closing of the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons

Office of the Episcopal Commission on Clergy

November 5, 2018

Your Eminencies & Excellencies:

Greetings of Peace!

The Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons is over. We are grateful to Your Excellency (Eminence) for your cooperation in celebrating this year’s activities. May this year continue to set us on fire despite the many weaknesses we encounter along the way. Let us continuously renew ourselves as renewed servant leaders of communion.

Herewith, please find a copy of the Closing Prayer for the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons. We propose the following dates for your consideration:

  • November 25, 2018 Solemnity of Christ the King, closing ceremony or liturgy where the prayer for the Clergy and Consecrated Persons.
  • December 02, 2018 Opening of the Year of the Youth.

Let us accompany our young people through our life’s witnessing as renewed Servant-Leaders of communion for the New Evangelization. Let us guide and give them inspiration so that they could live and respond to the call of Jesus through their mission in loving service.

Together with our Blessed Mother, Mary Star of the New Evangelization, let us be agents of transformation in our country and in the world.

Episcopal Commission on Clergy (ECCler)
Episcopal Commission on Mutual Relations between Bishops and Religious (ECMR)
Episcopal Commission on Seminaries (ECS)
Episcopal Commission on Vocations (ECV)

Prayer for the Closing of the Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons

O God Most Loving Father, you called us to be fully and ever united to You and with one another as members of the One Body of Christ. In Jesus, your Son, we confidently move forward in tPrayerhe spirit of collaboration and co-responsibility journeying as one family in faith, hope and love.
As we close this Year of the Clergy and Consecrated Persons, we thank You for the gift of their vocation from and for Your People. Pardon them in their weaknesses. Guide, strengthen, protect and embrace them to persevere in their continuous personal conversion. May they always become humble bearers of the Gospel of Your love through their joyful service, suffering and sacrifice.

As we welcome the Year of the Youth, May all of us be renewed Servant-Leaders of communion for the New Evangelization. Make us gracious in affirming the beauty and giftedness of the Filipino youth.
Encourage us to accompany the young to fulfill their mission in loving service. With Mary, Star of the New Evangelization, may we continue to be agents of transformation in our country and in the world.
Amen.

Study reveals police abuse of Filipino women

Of 33 recorded cases in last two years half involved rape, women’s group says 

Filipino women hold a protest to voice their concerns during this year’s observance of Women’s Day. (Photo by Jire Carreon)

ucanews.com reporter, Manila, Philippines
November 1, 2018

A study by a research center for women has revealed that 56 Filipino policemen were involved in 33 cases of violence against women in the past two years.

The result of the study was released on Oct. 31 in the wake of reports that a police officer in Manila allegedly raped the 15-year-old daughter of a suspected drug dealer.

Data collated by the Center for Women’s Resources showed that of the 33 cases since July 2016 when President Rodrigo Duterte came to power, 13 cases involved minors.

“It is appalling how the authorities become bolder in committing abuses against women and minors,” said Jojo Guan, executive director of the center.

Half the cases recorded, or 16, involved rape, while seven were described as “acts of lasciviousness.”

“It is enraging that these abuses continue,” said Guan.

“Disturbingly, the culture of impunity is more rampant,” noted Guan, adding that the fact that the perpetrators remain scot-free “shows how the government protects and covers up their messes.”

Guan called on the government to release the names of the policemen involved in the abuses.

Benedictine nun Mary John Mananzan, a leading women’s rights activist, said what is happening is “totally inhumane.”

“The ones who are supposed to defend us violate the law and commit these crimes,” said the nun as she appealed to abuse victims “to expose these crimes” and file charges.

“Do not be afraid. Victims or their families can come directly to us. We can provide legal assistance and protection,” the nun said.

Guillermo Eleazar, police director in the National Capital Region, said the Philippine National Police “would show no mercy” to members of the force involved in abuses.

“[We] will not tolerate such abuses and we will bring all perpetrators to justice,” said Eleazar, adding that the “56 rotten minds” constitute only 0.03 percent of the 185,000 strong police force.

“We will not allow them to deface this institution,” said the police general.

Philippines’ ‘desaparecidos’ remembered on All Souls’ Day

At least 1,889 cases of involuntary disappearances have been recorded since martial law was declared in the early 1970s

Families of victims of involuntary disappearances light candles and offer flowers in honor of their missing loved ones in Manila on All Souls’ Day. (Photo by Jire Carreon)

ucanews.com reporter, Manila, Philippines
November 2, 2018

Families of victims of enforced disappearances in the Philippines, or “desaparecidos,” offered flowers and candles for their missing loved ones on All Souls’ Day as they protested what they described as “government inaction” on the issue.

“Let us bury the remains and build tombstones with their names. Allow us to grieve with dignity,” said Erlinda Cadapan, mother of a missing student activist, during a protest outside Manila’s Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene.

“We have nowhere to offer candles and flowers. Give us the chance to provide decent burial for them,” said Cadapan, who also serves as spokeswoman of the group Families of Desaparecidos for Justice.

The activity was also a chance for families of victims to “celebrate” the conviction of a former army general who was accused of the abduction and disappearance of Capadan’s daughter, Sherlyn, and another student activist, Karen Empeño.

“He is now in jail, but I am not happy because my daughter and Karen are still missing,” said Cadapan. “I will only be at peace once I see the body.”

At least 1,889 cases of involuntary disappearances have been recorded in the country since martial law was declared in the early 1970s, according to human rights group Karapatan.

Karapatan spokeswoman Maria Christina Guevarra said most of the victims were farmers, community leaders and human rights activists.

The greatest number of cases happened during the administration of former president Corazon Aquino, with at least 821 cases.

At least six people were reported abducted and are still missing since President Rodrigo Duterte came to power in 2016.

The ecumenical group Promotion of Church People’s Response called on church leaders to start a “ministry for the missing bodies and souls.”

“We encourage religious institutions to take a hand in bringing justice to victims of involuntary disappearances. Let us pray for the souls and help find the bodies,” said Nardy Sabino, the group’s secretary-general.

Bishops sign document calling for action against climate change

Oct 26, 2018
by Junno Arocho Esteves, Catholic News Service Environment World

Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, signs a joint statement Oct. 26 at the Vatican’s Sala Marconi calling on the international community to take immediate action against climate change. Also pictured in the signing are Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar, left, Cardinal Jose Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan of David, Panama, president of Latin American bishops’ council’s economic committee, Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union, right.
(CNS/Junno Arocho Esteves)

VATICAN CITY — Six bishops representing episcopal conferences on five continents issued a joint statement calling on the international community to take immediate action against climate change.

Addressing world leaders who will be attending the COP24 Summit in Katowice, Poland, in December, the bishops urged them to take concrete steps “in order to tackle and overcome the devastating effects of the climate crisis.”

“We must be prepared to make rapid and radical changes and resist the temptation to look for solutions to our current situation in short-term technological fixes without addressing the root causes and the long-term consequences,” the bishops said in the statement.

The statement was signed at the Vatican Oct. 26 by: Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, India, president of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences; Archbishop Jean-Claude Hollerich of Luxembourg, president of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union; Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi of Lubango, Angola, president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar; and Cardinal José Luis Lacunza Maestrojuan of David, Panama, president of the Latin American bishops’ council’s economic committee.

The document was also signed by Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco of Genova, Italy, president of the Council of Bishops’ Conferences of Europe; and Colombian Cardinal Rubén Salazar Gómez of Bogota, president of the Latin American bishops’ council, also known as CELAM.

Gracias told journalists that on the issue of climate change, the church cannot rest until “the Paris agreement is fulfilled, adhered to and followed up.”

“People who are affected most are the weakest,” he said. “There is no doubt that this is something that is urgent, important, and it is our responsibility to throw our full weight on it.”

Hollerich said that a contributing factor to the crisis was the flow of money into industries that contribute to climate change, especially fossil fuels.

“If you do not look to the sources of money and where the money flows we have a very nice way of speaking, but things will not really happen,” the archbishop said. “And things have to happen because everything is interconnected as Pope Francis says in Laudato Si’ and we are responsible for the people in Europe but also the people of other continents.”

2018 joint statement on climate justice by Bishops’ Conferences

The following appeal is issued by the Church leaders of the continental groupings of episcopal conferences. It is addressed to government leaders and representatives and it calls on them to work towards an ambitious implementation of the Paris Agreement for the people and the planet. In particular, we ask for a COP24 Summit (Katowice, Poland, December 2018) able to prove a milestone on the path set out in 2015 in Paris.

Faced with the growing urgency of the current ecological and social crisis, building on and inspired by the work done on the ground over the past three years by so many courageous actors around the world – within the Catholic Church and beyond – to promote and “live” the messages carried by the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ , we call for ambitious and immediate action to be taken in order to tackle and overcome the devastating effects of the climate crisis. These actions need to be taken by the international community at all levels: by persons, communities, cities, regions, nations.

We have heard “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”. We have listened to the call of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and we stand in solidarity with our Brother Bishops who have already taken stances against the limitless and dangerous use and exploitation of our Mother Earth’s resources, as well as our current models of development, supported by financial institutions and systems that put life, community, solidarity, and well-being on earth after profit, wealth and unbridled growth. We must be prepared to make rapid and radical changes (LS171) and resist the temptation to look for solutions to our current situation in short-term technological fixes without addressing the root causes and the long-term consequences.
Our call is based on the following principles:

  • Urgency: “Time is a luxury we do not have” . There is a growing awareness in the public opinion, also thanks to scientific research and data, that there is no time to waste and we want to bring that urgency into concrete plans aiming to move towards a fair share of resources and responsibilities, where the big emitters take political accountability and meet their climate finance commitments. “We can see signs that things are now reaching a breaking point, due to the rapid pace of change and degradation” (LS 61).
  • Intergenerational justice: “Young people demand change” (LS, 13). Their future is in grave danger and our generation is not doing enough to leave them a healthy planet. Being so short-sighted is an unacceptable injustice. “Consequently, intergenerational solidarity is not optional, but rather a basic question of justice, since the world we have received also belongs to those who will follow us” (LS 159).
  • Human dignity and rights, in particular of the most vulnerable, must always be at the center of the climate agenda. In implementing the Paris Agreement, human rights must be effectively protected, respected and upheld both in national policies and on the ground. Governments should show their efforts in this sense in their Nationally Determined Contributions and in their funding choices for adaptation and resilience.

And therefore we demand policies that include and acknowledge the following calls and elements:

  • 1.5°C to stay alive: We have a moral duty to keep global warming to “well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels”, as agreed by governments in the Paris Agreement. Pope Francis: As we know, everyone is affected by the climate crisis. Yet the effects of climate change are not evenly distributed. It is the poor who suffer most from the ravages of global warming […] Many of those who can least afford it are already being forced to leave their homes and migrate to other places that may or may not prove welcoming . Many millions of migrants will follow. A fair and just ecological transition, as required by the Paris Agreement, is a matter of life or death for vulnerable countries and people living in coastal areas.
  • We need a deep and durable shift towards sustainable lifestyles and bold political choices that could back those efforts to address overconsumption and drastically cut ecological footprints at individual and community levels . “All these actions presuppose a transformation on a deeper level, namely a change of hearts and minds” .
  • Special traditions and knowledge of Indigenous communities must be listened to, effectively protected and preserved: they offer valuable solutions for the care and sustainable management of natural resources. “It grieves us to see the lands of indigenous peoples expropriated and their cultures trampled on by predatory schemes and by new forms of colonialism, fueled by the culture of waste and consumerism“ . False solutions which use natural resources as production commodities (such as large hydro, agrofuel or cash crops) at the expense of indigenous communities’ rights cannot be defended.
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Appeal to Stop Online Sexual Exploitation of Children

Photo credit: United Nations OHCHR

“Magkaisa: Sugpuin ang Online Sexual Exploitation of Children (OSEC)” is the rallying cry of the Third Freedom Forum of the Philippine Interfaith Movement Against Human Trafficking (PIMAHT).

The public know OSEC as abuse of children but it is also a form of human trafficking.

According to the United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the precise number of children who are victims of online child sexual exploitation is unknown.

The International Association of Internet Hotlines on the other hand reported  that the number of webpages containing child sexual abuse materials increased by 147 percent from 2012 to 2014, with girls and children 10 years old or younger portrayed in 80 percent of these materials.

This is why the PIMAHT, an interfaith movement composed of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), together with partners International Justice Mission (IJM), Philippine Children’s Ministries Network and Talitha Kum, is organizing the Third Freedom Forum around this theme in order to increase cooperation and intensify the call on the faithful to raise awareness and launch doable action against Human Trafficking and OSEC.

It will be held on November 8, 2018 at the Victory Christian Fellowship, 3rd Floor, The Forum Robinson’s Mall, Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City
The Third Freedom Forum primarily aims to provide a platform for the general orientation and updates on human trafficking.

Further, it targets increased collaboration among churches and other stakeholders to fight human trafficking, especially OSEC, and provide the best protection to children.

Head of the Program Committee is Ms. Mary Girlie Glen “Gigi” M. Tupasof International Justice Mission. For more information please contact her at (02) 633-3743 and 0915-431-3841 or email mtupas@ijm.org.