As the avalanche of bad economic news continues, you may now be worrying about losing your job – or if you’re out of work, of not finding one. You are not alone. With over 300,000 more lay-offs expected by June, the global economic crisis has hit home – and our lives and our future are on the line.

Unfortunately, we can’t even count on our own government for help. Its pursuit of policies that weakened our domestic economy, dismantled our industry, and ravaged our agriculture is what brought us to where we are now: a country with about half of the population living below poverty, with 9 million unemployed or underemployed, and one in five go hungry. And it has no plans of changing course.

Worse, its proposed solution will merely transfer billions of taxpayers’ money to the wrong hands. So tens of thousands will be laid off, many will go homeless, more will go hungry – but the kurakots will have the time of their lives.

But there is an alternative.

In the last few months, we put our heads together – from over a hundred organizations – to discuss and plan. The result is what we call the Balay Kalinaw People’s Agenda to Respond to the Economic Crisis (named after our meeting place) – a comprehensive, step-by-step and itemized set of recommendations that contrasts with the government’s and the so-called “experts” lack of solutions.

It really took no genius to realize what we realized: If we have been going on the wrong course, then we need to change direction! So among our proposals are to:

* spend more on housing, health, education, and other social services

* create more jobs by rebuilding our domestic industries

* lower the prices of basic goods by reclaiming our control over utilities and other strategic sectors

* increase purchasing power by sharing our country’s resources more democratically

In other words, everything the government has not wanted to do and is not willing to do.

And this is why we need each other’s help: they will keep ignoring all of us unless they see that there’s more and more of us. Here’s what you can do:

* Download, study, and discuss the People’s Agenda [1]

* If you agree, support and sign on to it

* Urge your organization to sign: http://www.balayagenda.org/index.ph...

* Donate so we can publish the Agenda in a newspaper and more people get to read and support it (write to info balayagenda.org and we’ll get back to you with details on how to donate)

* Pass on this e-mail to your friends

We will present the declaration in various public forums and we are raising funds to publish the statement with all our signatures in a major newspaper. But more needs to be done so we will get back to you with more plans.

The crisis can be depressing but, with each other’s help, we can seize it as an opportunity for change!

Yours on behalf of the People’s Agenda supporters,

Aya, Chester, Cora, Jean, Joseph, Herbert, Mitzi, Qiqo, Yuen and many others (See complete list of supporters below)

As of 18 February

Action and Solidarity for the Empowerment of Teachers (ASSERT)

Aguman dareng Maldang Talapag-obra keng Gabon (AMTG-Pampanga)

AKBAYAN Citizens Action Party

Alab-Katipunan

Alliance of Progressive Labor (APL)

Alternate Forum for Research in Mindanao (AFRIM, Inc.)

Alyansa ng Kabataang Mindanao para sa Kapayapaan (AKMK)

Alyansa ng Maralitang Pilipino (AMP)

Alyansa sa mga Nagkahiusang Kabus sa Pantalan (ALKAP)

Aniban ng Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (AMA)

Asian Partnership for the Development of Human Resources in Rural Asia (AsiaDHRRA)

Association of Genuine Labor Organizations (AGLO)

Automotive Independent Workers Alliance (AIWA)

Bagong Kamalayan Collective Inc

Balay Rehabilitation Center

Balikatan ng mga Manggagawa sa Konstruksiyon (BMK)

Billah Islam Community Organizing & Rural Development (BILLAH ISLAM)

Buklod ng Kababaihan

Buklod ng mga Manggagawa sa RCPI (BMRCPI)

Buklod-Olongapo

Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino (BMP)

Bukluran ng Progresibong Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (BPMP)

Bukluran sa Ikauunlad ng Sosyalistang Isip at Gawa (BISIG)

Center for Agrarian Reform Empowerment and Transformation, Inc. (CARET)

Center for Labor Justice (CLJ)

Center for Migrant Advocacy Philippines (CMA)

Center for Popular Empowerment (CPE)

Center for Rural Empowerment Services in Central Mindanao (CRESCENT)

Coalition Against Trafficking of Women Asia Pacific (CATW-AP)

Confederation of Independent Unions in the Public Sector (CIU)

Development Roundtable Series (DRTS) Thematic Working Group on Foreign Policy

DRTS Mindanao Thematic Working Group

DRTS Thematic Working Group on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development

DRTS Thematic Working Group on Trade and Industrial Policy

ENVI-Watchers

EU-ASEAN FTA Campaign Network-Philippines

Focus on the Global South

Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC)

Freedom from Debt Coalition Women’s Committee

Gaston Z. Ortigas Peace Institute

Global Call to Action against Poverty – Philippines (GCAP)

Global Network Asia

International Gender and Trade Network - Asia (IGTN-Asia)

International South Group Network (ISGN)

Jihad al Akbar Foundation

Kababaihan ng Kilusang Mangingisda

Kalayaan!

Kalipunan ng Maliliit na Magniniyog ng Pilipinas (KAMMPIL)

Katipunan ng mga Maralitang Obrero (KAMAO)

Kilos Kanayunan

Kilusan para sa Pambansang Demokrasya (KPD)

Kilusang Mangingisda (Fisherfolk Movement) (KM)

Kongreso ng Pagkakaisa ng mga Manggagawa sa Pilipinas (KPMP)

Labor Education and Research Network (LEARN)

Labor Rights and Democracy (LARIDE)

Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates Inc. (LAHRA)

League of Independent Bank Organizations (LIBO)

League of Urban Poor for Action (LUPA)

Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC)

Lupah Sug Teachers MPC

Makabayang Alyansa ng Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (MAKABAYAN-Pilipinas)

Manggagawa para sa Kalayaan ng Bayan (MAKABAYAN)

Mariners’ Association for Regional and International Networking (MARINO)

Metro Subic Network

Mindanao People’s Caucus (MPC)

Mindanao Peoples’ Peace Movement (MPPM)

Mindanao State University-Sulu Educators MPC

Mindanao Tri-People Women’s Resource Center (MTWRC)

National Alliance of Broadcast Unions (NABU)

National Federation of Labor (NFL)

National Transportworkers’ Union (NTU)

National Union of Workers in Hotel Restaurant and Allied Industries (NUWHRAIN)

Pagkakaisa ng Kababaihan para sa Kalayaan (KAISA-KA)

Pambansang Katipunan ng Makabayang Magbubukid (PKMM)

Pambansang Koalisyon ng Kababaihan sa Kanayunan (PKKK)

Pambansang Samahan ng mga Kilusang Magsasaka (PAKISAMA)

Pandayan para sa Sosyalistang Pilipinas (PANDAYAN)

Partido ng Manggagawa (PM)

Peace Women Partners Inc.

People’s Alternative Studies Center for Research and Education in Social Development (PASCRES)

Philippine Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (PAHRA)

Philippine Employer-Labor Social Partners, Inc. (PELSPI)

Philippine Greens

Philippine Metalworkers Alliance (PMA)

Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement (PRRM)

Philippine Women Network for Genuine Peace and Security

Pinag-isang Tinig at Lakas ng Anak Pawis (PIGLAS)

Pinay Kilos!

PKI Employees Welfare Union (PEWU)

Popular Education for People’s Empowerment, Inc. (PEPE)

Postal Employees Union of the Philippines (PEUP)

Progresibong Alyansa ng mga Mangingisda (PANGISDA)

Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK)

Ranaw Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Assistance Center (RDRRAC)

Resource Center for People’s Development (RCPD)

Rural Poor Institute for Land and Human Rights Services (RIGHTS Network)

SALAM, Inc.

SANLAKAS

Sarilaya (Kasarian-Kalayaan), Inc.

Sinag Kababaihan

SOLJUSPAX

Stop the New Round Coalition

Subic Bay Islamic Dawah and Information Center

SUMPAY Mindanao

Teatrong Bayan

Third World Movement Against the Exploitation of Women

UNI Philippine Liaison Council (UNI PLC)

Union Impresores de Filipinas (UIF)

United Workers of Cavite

UP Alyansa ng mga Mag-aaral para sa Panlipunang Katwiran at Kaunlaran (UP ALYANSA)

WELGA ng Kababaihan Laban sa Kahirapan at Globalisasyon

WomanHealth Philippines

Women and Gender Commission - Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (WGC-AMRSP)

Women’s Education Development Productivity Research Organization (WEDPRO)

Workers’ Solidarity Network (WSN)

World March of Women – Pilipinas

YOKOBARI Foundation

Young Moro Professionals Network (YMPN)

Youth for Nationalism and Democracy (YND)

To add your organization to this list, sign up now: http://www.balayagenda.org/index.ph....