Workers from the Alliance of Progressive Labor picketed the Energy Regulatory Commission office this morning to protest the decision of the ERC granting authority to the National Power Corporation (NAPOCOR) and Manila Electric Company (MERALCO) to raise power rates on a monthly basis.

“It is a stupid response to a problem that should have been solved long ago if the government had only listened to the clamor of the people to rescind its onerous contracts with the Independent Power Producers or IPPs, “Josua Mata, Secretary General of the Alliance of Progressive Labor, said.

The APL argued that the consumers are still paying the Purchased Power Adjustments or PPA because the government merely hid it, along with other adjustments, under a new name, which is the GRAM or Generation Rates Adjustments Mechanism.

It can be recalled that President Gloria Arroyo lowered the PPA of NAPOCOR to 40 centavos from 1.25 pesos two years ago after the people held massive protests to scrap the PPA from their monthly bills. However, the 85 centavos difference was not actually removed but remained as outstanding debt of the government, which the unsuspecting consumers had to pay in the process through a series of rates increases. Aside from this, the government guarantees the supply of oil to the IPPs. With the interminable depreciation of the peso to the dollar and oil price increases in the world market, NAPOCOR debts to the IPPs expanded tremendously thus increasing it today to an awesome amount of more than 900 billion pesos.

Unfortunately, the ERC decision has aggravated the situation further because now, NAPOCOR and MERALCO were not only given the authority to increase rates on a monthly basis but they can do so without approval by the ERC and holding of public hearings.

“The ERC and the Arroyo government have not proven that they are serving in-behalf of the Filipino people but are in fact, instruments of the IPPs to ensure windfall profits as the power industry degenerates further at the expense of the consumers and the Philippine economy,” Mata added.

The Alliance of Progressive Labor vowed to continue protesting the decision and until the government finally accede to the demand of the people to scrap the PPA and rescind its onerous contracts with the IPPs.

In a press conference today, survivors from organizations within the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women – Asia Pacific (CATW-AP) marked the International Day of No Prostitution, by criticizing statements by legislators during recent hearings in the Senate on the escort system. CATW leaders also revealed studies on human rights violations within the system of prostitution.

Minda Pascual, President of Bagong Kamalayan and a survivor of prostitution in the street of Quezon City , challenged Senator Lito Lapid to study the problem of prostitution and human rights suffered by victims before making any statement on it. Ms. Pascual decried the degrading remarks by senators, quoting Sen. Lapid, “Tutal bayad na kayo, wag na kayo magsalita,” and Sen. Flaver making fun of Keanna Reeves’ real name, “Ah, Janet Derecho ba, akala ko kaliwa.” Pascual decried that the women are being treated in a humiliating manner, when they are known to have been used in prostitution.

According to Jean Enriquez, Deputy Director of CATW-AP, “women in bars and street prostitution have always been the target of humiliation, not only by legislators but more frequently by the police, even as the bar owners, pimps and customers run free and get protection.” Philippine members of CATW revealed data from Regional Trial Courts in Quezon City that there were 623 women arrested for vagrancy charges in 2003 and 176 cases from January to June of this year.

“There should be a shift in the mindset of policy-makers, law enforcers and the public,” said Enriquez. Calling for the passage of the Anti-Prostitution Bill, members of CATW asserted that the women and children in prostitution should be considered victims of economic and gender inequality which place women in subordinated and objectified status in society. The bill, filed in the Lower House as HB 2419, in July 2004 by Representatives Mario Aguja and Loretta Ann Rosales seeks to penalize all actors that exploit the victims in prostitution.

The International Day of No Prostitution is celebrated every October 5 globally, calling for the eradication of the industry. In the Philippines , men from student and labor groups such as the Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL) joined the march of survivors calling for the protection of victims in prostitution and for penalties against customers and profiteers in the industry of prostitution. The survivors wore masks during the march to symbolize the invisibility of victims brought by the stigma from policy-makers and the public.