Friday, June 27, 2008
A DELUGE IN JUNE PROTEST RALLY
In yesterday's protest action dubbed "Delubyo sa Hunyo," the militant group Bayan and its allied organizations staged a parade of wooden push carts, each depicting the pressing economic problems facing the country. They marched from Welcome Rotunda in Quezon City to Quiapo's Plaza Miranda where they held a short program.
The themes of their push carts ranged from the global crisis and its impact on the Philippines, high prices, low wages and unemployment, demolition, landlessness and food crisis, lack of social services, foreign plunder of natural resources, onerous taxes, and others.
The protest groups stressed that since the start of the year, the pump price of diesel has already jumped by P12.54 per liter; unleaded, P13.51; and kerosene, P13.53. Food prices rose by 14% in May, with rice soaring by 32 percent. Overall inflation, or the rate with which prices of basic goods and services is increasing, has reached a nine year in May. Meanwhile, the cost of living has already reached P858 per day while the daily minimum wage (including the cost of living allowance) of workers has remained low at P382 in spite of a recent wage hike order.
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Labels: Political Rally
posted by Señor Enrique at 7:59 AM
8 Comments:
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said... an interesting cause! very nice coverage of the protest!
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said...
I wish somebody would go to those rallies and offer free condoms/vasectomy/tubal ligation to those poor folks. No amount of subsidies/aids would be sufficient to offer a lasting solution if they keep on incrasing in numbers in such a fast phase.
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Señor Enrique said... Thank you very much, Luke.
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Señor Enrique said...
Sadly, Leo, even if condoms, vasectomy, or tubal ligation were effective measure towards eradicating widespread poverty in our country, the local religious groups, with their astonishing political influence, may hinder their use.
Some of our local politicians also thrive in the exponential growth of the indigent segment of our population because our poor people make a powerful voting block.-
said...
I prefer population management, of which population control is just a component, to addressing the worsening poverty in our country. But it's not the magic bullet, we other things like our politicians needing to stop betraying public trust and we the people stop bending over and allowing them to screw us over and over.
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Señor Enrique said...
How true, Jhay!
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said...
Funny, protesting uncontrollable global price increase and food shortage and directing all their rage to the government because it's the in thing, or the easiest or the politically correct way. Why not badger instead everyone to conserve and moderate each other's greed?
And funnier that they are stuck with outdated thoughts like
1. removing the VAT on oil will stop the oil price hike.
2. loss of land is the root of poverty
3. foreigners are out to invade and plunder-
Señor Enrique said...
Their issues may be outdated all right, Dave, but their parade of wooden push carts to dramatize them was certainly interesting :)
Be that as it may, I was surprised to have run into this protest rally when I went to Quiapo on this particular day. And whether they were successful or not on airing out their grievances and generating the desired results, they were at least keeping democracy alive in the country.
