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Aquinomics Rears Its Ugly Head In Denying P125 Wage Increase Demand Of Workers – GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus
PRESS RELEASE Posted on May 2nd, 2012.
For Reference:
Rep. Emmi De Jesus, 0917-3221203

Rowena Festin, 0915-6349308

“President Aquino’s claim that the economy cannot afford the workers’ decades-old demand for P125 wage increase is bogus. Aquinomics has reared its ugly head once again,” said GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus in reaction to a Aquino’s labor day pronouncements.

“Aquinomics is a one-sided view of the economy that favors only the interests of the rich big business capitalists at the expense of the workers. Nationalist economists have proclaimed that workers with increased wages will be a boon to the economy as they will have more money to spend which in turn will further spur the economy,” the Gabriela solon added.

“President Aquino has consistently shown that he is not particularly concerned with the conditions of our workers and how they are the most affected given their very low wage vis-a-vis the incessant increases in the price of oil and basic commodities that they consume daily. In the face of Aquino’s subservience to big capitalists at the expense of our poor Filipino workers, our workers must work harder to expand and consolidate their ranks so that when judgment day comes, they can march strong and declare Aquino as a persona non grata in Malacanang if he fails to deliver their decades-old demand for a P125 wage increase,” ended Rep. De Jesus.###

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President Aquino’s Sovereignty Pronouncements Are One-Sided And Deceptive
PRESS RELEASE Posted on April 26th, 2012.
For Reference:
Rep. Emmi De Jesus, 0917-3221203

Rowena Festin, 0915-6349308

“President Aquino’s concept of sovereignty is muddled and one-sided. While he points his finger to China for encroaching on Philippine territory, his other fingers are signaling enticements to the US Armed Forces and foreign companies like Royal Dutch Shell and Chevron to impinge on our sovereignty and steal our nation’s patrimony,” said GWP Rep. Emmi de Jesus on the President’s statements on the issue.

“It is only proper that the Philippines asserts its territorial and economic claims over these disputed islands in opposition to BOTH China and US. Parang nanay na pinoprotektahan ang kanyang mga anak sa loob ng tahanan bilang pinakamahalaga niyang kayamanan, laban sa mga kapitbahay niyang Tsino at Amerikano na lalapastanganin ang kanyang mga anak. Bilang nanay, dapat niyang pigilan ang kanyang mga kapitbahay dahil alam niyang labag sa interes at kaligtasan ng kanyang mga anak ang gagawin ng kanyang mga kapitbahay. Pero dapat ay alam din niya kung ano ang tamang paraan sa pagsalag sa Tsino niyang kapitbahay na tirador ang dala, at sa kapitbahay niyang Kano na isang batalyon at de-kalibreng kagamitang pang-gera ang bitbit,” Rep. De Jesus added.

The Gabriela solon contrasted President Aquino’s stance in opposing China’s incursion while welcoming US military intervention disguised as a 'neighbourly gesture of help'. She noted that the two areas in the South China Sea are among the 15 oil and gas exploration blocks which will be opened for bids this week.

De Jesus further explained that by allowing the US troops within the Philippine territory, Aquino is putting the lives and livelihood of the Filipino people in greater danger. The claim over the Spratlys should be pursued through peaceful and diplomatic means and never at the expense of our people’s safety and interest.

“With the pace that the government is selling the country’s resources, we are concerned that time will come when the next generations will be left with nothing to support the country’s national industries. As women and mothers, we demand the Aquino government to immediately stop the total sell-out of our sovereignty. Huwag na tayong magpalinlang. Langis ang tunay na pinag-aawayan sa mga lugar na ito. Yaman na dapat nating pinangangalagaan para sa mga susunod pa nating salinlahi,” ended De Jesus.

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Aquinomics Rears Its Ugly Head In Denying P125 Wage Increase Demand Of Workers – GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus
PRESS RELEASE Posted on May 2nd, 2012.
For Reference:
Rep. Emmi De Jesus, 0917-3221203

Rowena Festin, 0915-6349308

“President Aquino’s claim that the economy cannot afford the workers’ decades-old demand for P125 wage increase is bogus. Aquinomics has reared its ugly head once again,” said GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus in reaction to a Aquino’s labor day pronouncements.

“Aquinomics is a one-sided view of the economy that favors only the interests of the rich big business capitalists at the expense of the workers. Nationalist economists have proclaimed that workers with increased wages will be a boon to the economy as they will have more money to spend which in turn will further spur the economy,” the Gabriela solon added.

“President Aquino has consistently shown that he is not particularly concerned with the conditions of our workers and how they are the most affected given their very low wage vis-a-vis the incessant increases in the price of oil and basic commodities that they consume daily. In the face of Aquino’s subservience to big capitalists at the expense of our poor Filipino workers, our workers must work harder to expand and consolidate their ranks so that when judgment day comes, they can march strong and declare Aquino as a persona non grata in Malacanang if he fails to deliver their decades-old demand for a P125 wage increase,” ended Rep. De Jesus.###

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EPIRA Will Not Solve The Mindanao Power Crisis – GWP REP.EMMI DE JESUS
PRESS RELEASE Posted on April 17th, 2012.
For Reference:
Rep. Emmi De Jesus, 0917-3221203 Rowena Festin, 0915-6349308
“Wala pa man, tumatayo nang spokesperson ang Pangulo para sa mga pribadong sektor na interesadong bumili sa power industry ng Mindanao. Para siyang tinderong naglalatag ng paninda sa baratillo,” thus said GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus on the President’s statement that he is considering the entry of private investors in ensuring a sustainable power supply in Mindanao.

The Gabriela solon noted that Mindanao has lower power rates than Luzon and Visayas because the region has been temporarily exempted from EPIRA. She further pointed out that Mindanao has an average official poverty incidence of 33.5% of families (the national average is 20.9%), with the country’s three poorest regions coming from Mindanao – CARAGA (39.8%), ARMM (38.1%), and the Zamboanga Peninsula (36.6%).

“Yet, in the face of extreme poverty, Aquino wants the people of Mindanao to shell out more money to supposedly solve its power crisis! Aren’t taxes collected precisely for expenditures such as government infrastructures on energy projects?,” the Gabriela solon remarked.

“Government neglect is accountable for the Mindanao power crisis, because while government still controls some 82% of Mindanao power capacity, it did not invest in additional power capacity to meet the growing demands of the region. It totally abandoned its responsibility to develop and implement power development projects for Mindanao, but instead focused on the privatization of the power sector,” Rep. De Jesus pointed out.

“If the President is keen on solving the power crisis in Mindanao and of the entire country, there is no other way but to repeal EPIRA, and to abandon all privatization and deregulation schemes as these will only mean higher power costs for the individual consumers, especially the poor who can barely put enough food on the table three times a day,” ended De Jesus.

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Gabriela Solons Seek Justice For Pantabangan Rape Victoms; Joins "Jasmin" In Filing Rape Case Against Vice Mayor Borja
PRESS RELEASE Posted on May 7th, 2012.
For Reference:
Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan, 0920-9213221

Rep. Emmi De Jesus, 0917-3221203

Jang Monte, 09174049119

Wena Festin, 09156349308

Gabriela Women’s Party Representatives Luz Ilagan and Emmi de Jesus today joined "Jasmin" as she files rape case against Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija Vice Mayor Romeo R. Borja, Jr. at the Department of Justice. Jasmin accused Vice Mayor Borja of repeatedly raping her since June 2011 amid Borja’s threat to harm and even kill her and her family if she did not agree to meet him at his will. Jasmin is now eight months pregnant with Borja’s child.

Rep. Ilagan stated that “The rape and abuse of women in Pantabangan will continue with impunity and women will always live in fear as long as justice isn’t served. Their assailant, powerful and wealthy as he and his family may be, must be made accountable for this heinous crime. We must continue to rage against rape especially if the accused is a public official who use and abuse their power to inflict violence.

” According to Jasmin, she draws strength from her resolve to seek justice and from the support given to her. “Dapat pong pagbayarin ang nagkasala sa batas. Lumabas ako at nagsampa ng kaso laban kay Vice Mayor Borja para ipabatid ang nangyari sa akin at humanap ng hustisya”.

Meanwhile, a prior victim of Vice Mayor Borja also joined Jasmin's quest for justice. "Mina", a former helper in the Borja household has already filed a rape case in Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija and is awaiting decision. She is now a mother to Borja’s X-month old baby. “Susuportahan ko po si Jasmin sa laban niya para sa katarungan at hustisya. Katulad ni Jasmin, biktima rin ako ng sekswal na pang-aabuso ni Vice Mayor Borja. Dapat na talaga syang magbayad sa kanyang mga krimen."

Initial reports from the Gabriela Women’s Party chapters in Nueva Ecija reveal that Jasmin and Mina were not the only victims in the small Nueva Ecija town. Jasmin and Mina both called on other victims to join them, “Nananawagan po kami sa iba pang mga biktima na manindigan at lumaban. Nananawagan po kami na samahan ninyo kami sa laban na ito para sa hustisya.”

“Gabriela’s experience show that rapists in government offices can and will offer bribes, threaten families, destroy reputations and buy out judges. It will be an uphill struggle for Jasmin and Mina but we are ready to support them as well as other victims of rape who are ready to come out and seek justice. We believe Jasmin and Mina’s fight will also serve to empower other women who have fallen victim to the Borjas to come out and seek justice,” Rep. de Jesus said.

The solons agreed that surviving rape and the struggle for justice will never be easy and that Jasmin and her family will need all the support they can get in the face of a powerful opponent.

Gabriela Women’s Party particularly enjoins all concerned citizens of Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija to rally behind the call JUSTICE FOR JASMIN AND MINA! JUSTICE FOR ALL THE VICTIMS OF VICE MAYOR BORJA.

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US Armed Forces Will Protect US Interests, Not Philippine Sovereignty – GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus
PRESS RELEASE Posted on April 15th, 2012.
Related Legislation:
HB 1127 February 4 “Araw ng Pagdakila sa mga Pilipinong nagbuwis ng Buhay noong Digmaang Pilipino-Amerikano”
“Nakakahiya ang Pangulo na inaasa sa ibang bansa ang kapayapaan ng kanyang sariling bansa,” thus said GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus on the President Aquino’s statement that the Philippines is looking to the US for help in building up its defense capabilities, amid a maritime territorial dispute with China and a host of other security issues.

“Defense of Philippine sovereignty is the exact opposite of what the US wants. By increasing our reliance on US military support in exchange for allowing the US to build up its military presence, the more the Philippines is unable to develop its ability to defend its sovereignty,” added De Jesus.

The Gabriela solon issued this statement noting that today, April 16 is the official start of 2012 Balikatan, and the Philippines will once again host some 6,000 troops which, according to the local military officials, aims to enhance the AFP and US Armed Forces interoperability in the conduct of non-traditional military aspects that reach out communities in need of urgent assistance.

“Ensuring peace and stability of a country does not rely on stronger nations but on the ability of its leaders to ensure that the citizens’ rights and welfare are well taken cared of. This is not happening in this country because President Aquino has not shown political will in asserting Philippine sovereignty and is serving as a neocolonial adjunct of the US. He shows a distorted sense of nationalism by giving in to the demands of the US in the guise of protecting the national sovereignty," De Jesus further quipped.

“Our women do not need more US soldiers in our land who, as described by a US marine publication, are attracted to the Philippines because of its ‘raunchy party atmosphere where alcohol and scantily clad women have attracted Marines and sailors over the years’. Our women are not for sale and neither are they raised up by their families to be treated as GROs by US soldiers. It is fun in the Philippines only when our women are treated with respect and their dignity are upheld. And it is definitely more fun in the Philippines if we have a President who can assert national sovereignty instead of assuming a mendicant attitude, begging for US military ‘support’,” the Gabriela solon ended.###

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President Aquino Crucified Women by signing Anti-Vagrancy Law Amendment (RA 10158) – GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus

By gwp
Created 04/05/2012 - 06:32
For Reference:
Rep. Emmi De Jesus 0917-3221203 Rowena Festin 0915-6349308
“President Aquino affirmed that prostituted women are criminals when he signed RA 10158, thereby perpetuating the archaic view contained in Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code. Samantala, hinahayaan niyang malaya at walang pananagutan ang mga taong kumikita sa kahirapan ng kababaihan,” exclaimed GWP Rep.Emmi De Jesus on the President’s signing of RA 10158.

The Gabriela solon had earlier called on the President to veto the bill as it violates the Magna Carta of Women. She also stressed that treating prostituted women as criminals is a clear violation of their right to be protected from abuse and violence, a government responsibility which Aquino totally abandoned with the signing of the law.

The consolidated version of SB 2726 and HB 4936, entitled An Act Decriminalizing Vagrancy, Amending for this Purpose Article 202 of Act. No. 3815, otherwise known as the Revised Penal Code, decriminalizes all forms of vagrancy, but continues to consider prostitution as a crime. It was submitted to President Aquino last March 7, 2012.

“The law is very anti-women and anti-poor because it directs the claws of the law towards the victims instead of the pimps and customers and all those who profit from prostitution. Poverty is the crime that makes women vulnerable to prostitution, trafficking, slavery and abuse. The societal system that perpetuates poverty should be the one arrested, and not the women and children who are its victims,” she added.

“Here is a President who, instead of ensuring programs that will protect the victims and ensure their social reintegration, further aggravated their situation by calling them criminals. By doing so, he is the modern-day Pontius Pilate out to crucify prostituted women to the cross of oppression,” ende De Jesus.

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Ilagan to aquino: do not be quick to cast the first stone, veto vagrancy amendment

By gwp
Created 04/04/2012 - 06:25
For Reference:
Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan 0920-9213221 JANG MONTE 0917-4049119
Gabriela Women’s Party Representative Luz Ilagan today called on President Benigno Aquino III to veto legislation seeking to amend Article 202 of the Revised Penal Code.

“The amendment effectively decriminalizes vagrancy yet sustains penalties for prostitution. Pimps are no longer considered vagrants will no longer suffer penalties for their acts while prostituted women are still considered criminals,” explains Ilagan.

According to Ilagan, the proposed amendment also violates the Magna Carta of Women and directly runs counter to the Anti Trafficking in Persons Act which views prostituted women as victims and not as criminals. The amendment which has been approved in both Congress and the Senate is set to become a law on Saturday, April 7 unless the President vetoes the proposed legislation.

“The amendment turns a blind eye to the realities of poverty and unemployment that heightens women’s vulnerability to trafficking, prostitution and slavery. It is poverty that forces women to desperately engage in prostitution and subject themselves to conditions of abuse,” said Ilagan.

“Holy Week is a very appropriate time to reflect on how Filipinos regard fellow beings, especially women. We hope that the Aquino government will not be quick to cast the first stone and condemn prostituted women.

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Policy overhaul not special powers for artificial mindanao power crisis -Ilagan

By gwp
Created 03/28/2012 - 06:17
For Reference:
Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan 0920-9213221 Jang Monte 0917-4049119
Militant Mindanaoan solon Luz Ilagan of Gabriela Women’s Party today said legislators should look deeper into the real causes of Mindanao brownouts before even considering giving President Aquino special powers to address the power crisis in Mindanao.

“Special powers will not resolve the crisis. On the contrary, special powers, combined with a problematic energy policy powered by private, multinational interests will spawn an even bigger crisis that will result to higher power rates and leave the people of Mindanao in darker ages.”

Ilagan believes the Mindanao power crisis is an orchestrated, artificial crisis to push for the privatization of power plants and the fast paced creation of coal fired power plants in Mindanao. “Mindanaoans’ power needs are being held hostage in this bid to privatize and further implement the failed EPIRA.”

The Gabriela solon believes that an overhaul of the Aquino government’s energy policy is necessary and called for a probe into the so-called “power crisis in Mindanao” and a repeal of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act.

“The EPIRA gave private corporations practical control over the power industry and in no way did it fulfill its promise of giving Filipinos, especially Mindanaoans, cheaper and more affordable electricity. The EPIRA paved the way for profit-driven energy production in the country. Unless the EPIRA is repealed and the power industry is nationalized, Filipinos will continue to be at the mercy of private power multinationals.”

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GWP Rep. De Jesus to Aquino: Prostituted women are victims, not criminals

By gwp
Created 03/27/2012 - 06:10
For Reference:
Rep. Emmi De Jesus 0917-3221203 Rowena Festin 0915-6349308
A consolidated bill amending the Anti-Vagrancy Act while continuing to criminalize women in prostitution violates the Magna Carta of Women or RA 9710 which clearly recognizes prostitution as a form of violence against women, and prostituted women as victims and as among the most vulnerable women in society," remarked Gabriela representative Emmi De Jesus on the impending passing of the consolidated SB2726 and HB4936.

The consolidated version of SB 2726 and HB 4936, entitled An Act Decriminalizing Vagrancy, Amending for this Purpose Article 202 of Act. No. 3815, otherwise known as the Revised Penal Code, decriminalizes all forms of vagrancy, but continues to consider prostitution as a crime. Submitted to President Aquino last March 7, 2012, it will lapse into law on April 7, 2012, if not vetoed by President Aquino.

“To continue treating prostituted women as criminals which this consolidated bill will guarantee if not vetoed by the President, is a clear violation of their right to be protected from abuse and violence. Prostituted women and girls are victims. It is the state’s responsibility to protect them through economic empowerment and social reintegration programs instead of criminalizing them. Most women became victims of prostitution because of poverty and trafficking. This is a fact that the bill deliberately ignored,” explained the Gabriela solon.

“Last July 2011, this representation filed House Bill 4934, ‘An Act Repealing Articles 202 and 341 of the Revised Penal Code, and Instituting a System of Protection for Victims of Prostitution’ precisely to address this issue. To date however, there has been no affirmative action on the bill by the House of Representatives,” she added.

“Prostitution must be approached in its entirety. The government must cancel policies that reinforce the system of prostitution. Legal efforts should be directed against establishments, pimps and customers and all those who profit from prostitution, not on women and children victims of prostitution. And policies and programs that will address the situation of the victims of prostitution and will protect them must be developed,” Rep. De Jesus further explained.

“It is only just that President Aquino veto the bill, and in its stead, push for the passage of a law that protects the victims of prostitution and punishes and penalizes the buyers and profiteers of prostitution,” ended De Jesus.

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GPH As De Facto US Military Base With Aquino’s Invitation for More US Troops, Ships – GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus

By gwp
Created 03/21/2012 - 23:29
For Reference:
Rep. Emmi De Jesus 0917-3221203 Rowena Festin 0915-6349308
“The outright invitation for increased US military training exercises in the Philippines and more frequent dockings by US navy ships in our ports makes President Aquino a co-conspirator to the rape of our national sovereignty. This is US neocolonization in a not-so-subtle form,” said GWP Rep. Emmi De Jesus on President Aquino’s announcement that more US troops would be welcome to rotate through the country.

“The Philippine Constitution does not allow permanent berthing in any form within the country, but with the President’s declaration that US ships can come, that they can increase their number of personnel, it will turn the whole country into one big US military base,” said De Jesus.

De Jesus further stressed that women have witnessed how the US military violated the rights of our women and children in the course of their stay. Despite the abuses, these US military men manage to escape punishment as in the case of L/Cpl Daniel Smith who was found guilty of raping Nicole; of Pvt. Reggie Lane who shot Buyong-buyong Isnijal in Sulu; as well as the case of US MSgt Ron Berg who ordered the arbitrary closure of the Panamao district hospital.

“In exchange for F-16 fighter jets, patrol vessels, transport aircraft and radar system, the President is opening doors for women and children to be more vulnerable to violence. Only a puppet mendicant President will allow all these. We call on the President to honor the Philippine Constitution by immediately abrogating the Visiting Forces Agreement and putting an end to the US military intervention,” ended De Jesus.