Manila: Labor Day 2012

MANILA, Philippines: 1st May 2012 - About 20,000 people joined various protests around Metro Manila calling for higher wages and better working conditions. Labor Day rallies began early, gathering at various parts of Metro Manila before marching to Mendiola near Malacañang, where President Aquino was scheduled to meet with representatives from various labor groups under the banner of Nagkaisa!, a newly-formed umbrella organization.

Workers join May Day protests in Manila and elsewhere

MANILA, Philippines - Thousands of workers marched under a brutal sun in the Philippine capital on Tuesday and called for pay hikes, as May Day protesters throughout Asia demanded increases in wages that they say have not kept up with rising consumer prices.

Philippines: New era of labor unity in 2012 May Day rallies

May 1, 2012 - Alliance of Progressive Labor

THOUSANDS of trade unionists and activists poured into the streets of Manila and other key cities to celebrate May Day amid renewed hopes that the two latest efforts at labor unity will provide strong impetus to their uphill battle for labor and trade union rights.

20,000 march in Brisbane on Labour Day

Labour Day, also known as Eight Hours Day in Tasmania and May Day in the Northern Territory, commemorates the granting of the eight-hour working day for Australians.

It also recognizes workers’ contributions towards the nation’s economy. It is an annual public holiday and its date varies across the states and territories. The Queensland Council of Unions estimate 20,000 joined the march and rally in Brisbane on 7th May this year.

UN Recommendations will make real difference to Philippine victims of torture

International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) in Geneva

30 May 2012: Torture in the Philippines was among the primary focuses of the United Nations Human Rights Council during the country’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) yesterday.

Philippine Leadership on Human Rights Needed

by Fredrich Naumann Foundation for Liberty, Philippine Office

May 18, 2012 — Calling on the Philippines to increase its leadership on human rights issues within the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and in other international organizations, representatives of 40 human rights organizations in the Philippines gathered last 18 May 2012 at the University of the Philippines Law Center. They discussed the current state of human rights in the country, together with the issues and the opportunities attached to it. The Commission on Human Rights, United Nations Development Fund and Amnesty International, to name a few, took part in this forum.

Critically Absent: Women’s Rights in Internet Governance

APC Women’s Networking Support Programme

The women’s movement has always had the ability to make the invisible visible and grant it a political character. This toolkit encourages women and their organisations to engage in political discussions regarding internet development with a vision of inclusion, fairness and respect for women’s rights. The authors’ visions are that the toolkit be used to raise awareness and encourage participation in a new environment where women cannot and should not be absent.

STATEMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL DOMESTIC WORKERS’ DAY

Ratify and Implement ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers Now!

16 June 2012 — Today, as we commemorate the first anniversary of the adoption of ILO Convention 189 (C189) on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, we call on ILO Member States to immediately ratify and implement C189 as a demonstration of their global commitment made at the 100th Session of the International Labour Conference on 16 June 2011.

Nobel Lecture by Aung San Suu Kyi

Oslo, 16 June 2012

Your Majesties, Your Royal Highness, Excellencies, Distinguished members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Dear Friends,

Long years ago, sometimes it seems many lives ago, I was at Oxford listening to the radio programme Desert Island Discs with my young son Alexander. It was a well-known programme (for all I know it still continues) on which famous people from all walks of life were invited to talk about the eight discs, the one book beside the bible and the complete works of Shakespeare, and the one luxury item they would wish to have with them were they to be marooned on a desert island. At the end of the programme, which we had both enjoyed, Alexander asked me if I thought I might ever be invited to speak on Desert Island Discs. “Why not?” I responded lightly. Since he knew that in general only celebrities took part in the programme he proceeded to ask, with genuine interest, for what reason I thought I might be invited. I considered this for a moment and then answered: “Perhaps because I’d have won the Nobel Prize for literature,” and we both laughed. The prospect seemed pleasant but hardly probable.

Amnesty International 2012 Report

The State of the World’s Human Rights


In five regional overviews and a country-by-country survey of 155 individual countries and territories, the report shows how the demand for human rights continued to resound in every corner of the globe. Resistance to injustice and repression took many forms, often inspiring acts of enormous courage and determination from the communities and individuals facing seemingly insuperable obstacles. In the face of indifference, threats and attacks, human rights defenders pursued legal challenges at the national and international level to long-standing impunity and endemic discrimination.

5th World Social Forum on Migration

26-30 November 2012 Manila

PHILIPPINES - Hundreds of international delegates are expected to come to the country in November and participate in the World Social Forum on Migration. For the first time, the WSFM will take place in an Asian country. Previous WSFMs were held in Europe and Latin America. The theme of this 5th WSFM is “Mobility, Rights and Global Models: Looking for Alternatives.”

‘Hitong Imelda’ vs ‘hitong Candaba’

by Ambeth R. Ocampo


There is a growing appreciation these days for traditional food and cooking. Palates grown stale and lazy because of “fast food” now look forward to “slow food.” In time, I hope, Filipinos will rediscover their roots from the food they eat.

Mi Ultimo Adiós

Dr. José Rizal


Transcriber's Note: Dr. José Rizal wrote this last poem before he was executed on December 30,1896 in Bagumbayan. Although the poem was originally untitled, we have opted to use the more popular reference for this poem in this edition.

Seeking volunteers to participate in Griffith Film School Honours Research Project

“Demystifying Asian-Australian Marriage Myths”

PROJECT AIM: Challenging negative connotations and images associated with women from South-East Asian background married to white Australian men through production of a documentary.