Philippines: from GLW archives. 1

["Alan Bradley" <alanb@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From issue 413 of Green Left Weekly (http://www.greenleft.org.au)

PHILIPPINES: Protesters disrupt Congress

MANILA -- Five members of the Philippines Socialist Party of Labour (SPP)
were detained on July 18 in the Batasan (parliament) hall. The SPP members
interrupted a special session of Congress called to pass the emergency
powers bill with which the government hopes to ?stabilise? the situation in
Mindanao.

Several SPP activists, chanting ?Oppose Erap's [Philippines President
Joseph Estrada's] emergency powers! Oust the Erap regime! Build a
government of the poor!?, rushed towards the rostrum. Security guards
swooped on them and dragged them out of the hall. They were charged with
disturbing Congress proceedings.

The emergency powers bill will ban strikes and freeze the implementation of
land reform in Mindanao. It will also allow the government to sign
contracts without putting them up for public tender.