By Veronica Uy

MANILA, Philippines -- A “concerned” government is preparing an inter-departmental response to the country’s remaining “under scrutiny” by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) for possible violations of international labor standards, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque.

The response, Roque said, will be done on the international stage because the entire Philippine government, including the judiciary, is put to task by the USTR review, which could also jeopardize the country's preferential trade status with the US.

By ARIES RUFO

abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak

The Philippines will remain under "active scrutiny" by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) following unabated violations of labor rights and killings of trade union leaders under the Arroyo administration

By Charles Lavery

Their bodies caked in dirt from the river beds they are forced to work in, African children are enslaved in lethal mines to power our love affair with the mobile phone.

The child miners of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) risk death to dig for a highly dangerous ore used in mobiles, laptops and games consoles.

The massive demand for coltan - short for columbite-tantalite - has fuelled a desperate and bloody battle to seize the river beds where it can be mined.

Sen. John McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico is yet one more example of how out of touch he is with working families, and how close he is to corporate special interests. Working people have seen bad trade deals send their jobs overseas and decimate their communities, yet McCain enthusiastically supports the proposed U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement and celebrates the effects of NAFTA.