Nuke deal, permanent basing could be part of chacha’s hidden agenda – Partido Manggagawa

Photo from Hindustan Times

Instead of staying neutral in the heightening tension between military superpowers and calling for demilitarization of the West Philippine Sea and the whole of the Indo-Pacific region, the Philippines, under the leadership of Marcos, Jr., is arming itself with the purchase of nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles from India, the labor group Partido Manggagawa (PM) said in a statement to media Monday.

 

PM demands that the plan be aborted, or if it’s too late to undo, prevent its commissioning, or better swapped with other goods that will directly benefit our services-deprived people.

 

The Philippine Constitution, particularly Section 8 of Article II, bans nuclear weapons in the country, though it is hardly imposed against the presence of US soldiers and arms in the country.

 

“We tend to believe, therefore, that proponents of charter change will also amend this article in favor of the P21-B nuke deal with India as well as the re-establishment of permanent US military bases in the country,” warned Magtubo.

 

The group was reacting to local news that Brahmos, an Indian-made nuclear-capable cruise missile, is arriving in the country in a few days, with the missile batteries to follow in March.

 

Said reports confirm what the Hindustan Times carried in its January 25 report that the ground systems will reach the Philippines in the next 10 days followed by the missiles that will be delivered by March. It was made possible, it said, two years after the two countries signed a deal worth almost $375 million to equip the Philippine Marines with three batteries of the missiles.

 

PM Chair Renato Magtubo, said the country’s desperation against the Chinese position in the West Philippine Sea, “doesn’t warrant a decision to engage in arms race the way imperialist powers spend their people’s money for senseless wars amidst the intensifying cost-of-living and climate crises.”

 

Furthermore, Magtubo questioned the strategic rationale behind the procurement, noting that a handful of supersonic nuclear-capable missiles won’t match China's vast arsenal of advanced missile systems.

 

The labor leader said acquiring a P21-B missile system, the first in the country, “is a very expensive experiment, adding that the money could have acquired 21,000 tractors for our farmers or thousands modern jeepneys for our drivers displaced by the PUV modernization.”

 

“But the biggest question to ask why BBM shopped for Brahmos is whether the country is already preparing for war with China, in concert with the plans by Western powers, particularly the US, UK, and France,” said Magtubo.

 

If that is the case, he said, then the Marcos government is removing all pretensions for international diplomacy and lays bare its hidden agenda in the ongoing drive for charter change.

 

In conclusion, PM reiterates its stance against militarization and urges the government to prioritize peaceful resolutions and regional cooperation rather than preparing the road for the country’s nuclear armament. 

05 February 2024

A national bank, strategic employment program needed in place of Bumbay system

They make a killing in doing their trade, but motorcycle-riding ‘Bumbays’ give life to enterprising Pinoys who are in dire need for cash.  Their existence, therefore, has become socially-compatible over time compared to the hooded riding in tandems who roam communities to kill their targets.

 

Yet we agree to the plan that their usurious loan practice is put to an end.  But an alternative to 5/6 system must be formed or less the Duterte administration is just creating new problems to replace the old ones.

We believe an alternative program can easily replace the 5/6 system.  A national bank or a national lending program that cater to the needs of the poor can surely take its place. Without this needed replacement, the government will only push the system further into the black market where more notorious financial sharks operate.

 

Furthermore, an elaborate national employment program must be organized to bring down the number of workers in the vulnerable sector of the economy.

 

The Bumbays operate without permits and we have the anti-usury law that prohibits the system. But this is the kind of arrangement that flourishes in the mainly underground market that dominates the Philippine economy. They make small loans to small people. This is the practical economic reason why the system gained mutual agreement in poor communities where a big number of unemployed and underemployed members of the labor force are in desperate struggle for sources of livelihood. 

 

For where should you go if you need a small, quick, and hassle-free loan to jump-start or sustain a small, unregistered enterprise like a sari-sari store, carinderia, a repair shop, among others?  Definitely you are not welcome to any commercial bank that imposes stringent requirements for a loan, including collateral.  And here comes a friendly Bumbay in the neighborhood who has the solution.

 

Of close to a million registered businesses in the country, more than 90 per cent are considered micro-enterprises or those with capitalization of less than PhP 3 million and employing not more than 10 people.  The government has no data on how many are actually involved in the underground economy--the vulnerable families who fall victim to financial sharks that are not exclusive only to the Bumbays.

 

As of October 2016, 60.8% of the labor force is considered wage and salaried workers. The rest are either unemployed or working on own account or sariling sikap. Underemployment is at 18 per cent.

11 January 2017