|
|
|
|
What Our Readers Say
An
advisory on Cordillera food security Shalom, Your
most important priority is to send a Bulatlat team to this Cordillera
province of yours and start gathering all of the surviving natural
genetic or traditional genetic varieties of rice (and other crops as
well) and try to preserve them in a kind of propagation heritage farm of
several acres in size and whose purpose is to preserve the seeds for
future generations. I know money is hard but remenber this, only natural
varieties of your rice can be used not only as foodgrain and feedgrain but
also as seedgrain. Only natural varieties can be used
indefinitely as a source of seeds after every harvest. But HYVs and GMOs
cannot be used as seeds indefinitely, you have to buy them again and
again because the harvested grain cannot be used as seeds. Of what
use are high yields if they cannot make you economically independent and
assured of food security? What if something happens to the seed
suppliers because of some kind of international disaster or crises that
causes them to stop supplying you with seeds? The result is hunger and
outright death by starvation and famine for most of your people. Shalom! Starfleethighcom@aol.com The
Filipino Mind - Sentimentality & Naivete One
of our strengths as a people is our capacity to emphatize. We Filipinos,
just like other humans, form friendships with people of different
nationalities and cultures as a result of immigration, travel or work or
schooling. However, we unfortunately tend to confuse friendships between
individuals and people, and "friendship or special relations"
between our country and another, specifically as applied to the
so-called "special relations" between the Philippines and the
United States. This confusion is a continuously great and disastrous
mistake for us as a nation or people. Because no truly independent and
self-respecting country defines its socio-economic and political
policies -domestic and foreign- on friendship. Its relations with other
countries is based on its own national interests. To
apply, to hope and to expect a nation-to-nation relationship as one
would expect between personal friends are pure sentimentality and
naivete. We feel "utang na loob" (endless and servile
gratitude) to the Americans for "granting" us an apparent
independence; when all the while the roots and structures of colonialism
or more precisely, of neocolonialism were established and embedded in
the economic and military Agreements imposed on our country as
preconditions to the granting of national independence. Throughout our
"independent" post-WW2 years, these Agreements have greatly
contributed to the deterioration of the national economy and therefrom
continued poverty of the majority of the Filipinos. The first occasion
for national economic bankruptcy almost came about within 5 years of
"independence". These facts are difficult to appreciate
because they are not obvious and overtly blatant [demonstrating the
efficiency of neocolonialism]. However, the adverse effects to the
Filipino people are the same. American and Filipino politicians always talk about "US and Philippine Special Relations" most especially when July 4 approaches. Little that we know and appreciate that we are not that special to the USA as a country. Here are a few facts: After WW2, America completely rehabilitated Japan, its Asian enemy that smacked her hard in Pearl Harbor; while its ever-loving Filipinos, many of whom suffered or died during WW2 for America, were continuously gullible and forced to swallow the Parity Rights and Bases Agreements (among many others) just to get the equivalent of $500 each for war reparations; and the bulk of the reparations money actually went to the local American businesses, the ruling elite and their relatives and friends in the Philippine Congress/Senate. When, during the late1950's, President Carlos Garcia pushed for "Filipino First" and imposed foreign-exchange control to help native industrialization and minimize importation of luxury items, American foreign policy-makers helped Diosdado Macapagal defeat Garcia since Macapagal promised to remove the exchange control. When
Marcos imposed martial law to perpetuate his presidency beyond the
two-term limits of the Philippine Constitution, America disregarded the
"showcase of democracy" in Asia and instead supported Marcos
-because he promised to send Filipino troops to Vietnam and let her use
the miliitary bases in bombing Vietnam. Filipino politicians continue to
practice and show mendicacy by talking brave while having one eye-
awaiting approval -at the United States. No
wonder other Asian countries do not respect the Philippines; no wonder
American policy-makers do not respect us. Any thinking Filipino who has
experienced being in America knows whether a fellow is honest or just
bull____. Sadly, many Filipinos in the United States, the Philippines
and elsewhere still have not learned that all the public relations, in
the Philippine or American media, about the Filipinos/the Philippines as
having "special relations" with the United States, as being
special to America, to put it again in street lingo, is plain bullshit. Truly
independent countries and nationalistic leaderships primarily define
their relationships with other nations only in terms of selfish,
national interests, i.e. the common good and welfare of its own
citizenry. If the national leadership or government does not pursue the
common good of its people, it ought to be removed, either peacefully or
forcibly. The government has to be of the people, by the people and for
the people. We seem to have forgotten this fundamental fact - a
community or society is formed to provide essential needs and welfare to
its constituents. (Oct. 31, 2003) Bert
M. Drona On
Loren Legarda It obviously never occurred to the esteemed senator the huge conflict of interest she placed herself into for being a senator, product endorser and a television presenter. Perhaps a senator's' salary and perks were never enough for the privilege life that she was born into. With a very influential Legarda family on her mother side and the USA education she had after the marriage annulment of her parents, I was never surprise the ambitions of Senator Legarda. It might not occur to her that there are still people who know some details of the sordid family affairs that she and her sisters had. It will surprise a lot of people and it can turn into a real life soap opera. (Oct. 13, 2003) Regards, Eliminate
the middlemen Why
not those asinan owners organize together and sell their salt directly
to the consumers? This way they can compete with import salt and get the
most from their hard work. (Oct.
13, 2003) About
the spoils of war I
think that it is good reporting, but to get people to believe it is
another story. I used to work with Philips Magnavox until
retirement in 1990. A few years later Carlyle bought it up, then
sold it to Hughes and then was sold to Raytheon. Around 26 plants
around Ft. Wayne in the 1980's, now two plants are left with
around 300 people vs. 8000+ in the 80's. Very few people know this
story and I am sure that there are a lot of things that I don't know
either. I
contend that we are headed for a one world government and the end to
world in the not too distant future. I am about 79, not worry
about myself , but have children and grandchildren and
great-grandchildren that I am greatly concerned about. I
am glad that I found this website and hope to hear more from you. Thanks. (Oct. 12, 2003) Sincerely,
Frederick
L. Sprunger Gawad Ka Amado Nais
ko lamang pong malaman kung saan makaka-download ng Entry Form para sa
Gawad Ka Amado 2003 na na-feature sa inyong website kamakailan lamang.
Sayang at walang Entry Form sa inyong artikulo. Nahihirapan
po akong makakuha ng orihinal na sipi nito sa kanilang upisina dahil
narito po ako sa Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Kung makukuha ko po ito sa
alin mang website, labis ko pong ipagpapasalamat kung maituturo ninyo sa
akin ang tamang address. Nalalapit
na po ang deadline (Oct. 24) kung kaya inaasahan ko po ang maaga ninyong
kasagutan. (Oct. 7, 2003) Salamat
pong muli. Eduardo
Carpena Dumagats:
A People's Struggle to be Free How
do I can a hold of the documentary.. Please ask the producer/director to
contact me thanks. (Oct.
6, 2003) Plain
and simple logic It
is a very plain and simple logic. The roots of this high
unemployment rate can be traced from the too much politicking of our
Tongressmen and Senatongs. Instead of focusing to establish true peace
and order thru tougher criminal laws, they are fighting each other in
the Senate Chambers. Two, if 12.7 % is true and accurate, then, the DOLE
secretary needs to be replaced immediately for the lousy job she's
doing. We cannot continue further with this mess. Three, rampant
government corruption in every level is driving investors away! The
government must protect the business first. Without the business, there
is no employee. Reform the labor laws, there's too much confusion and
chaos. During the arbitration in NLRC, ang madalas manalo eh yung
arbiter na nakakuha na ng pera sa businessman, yung mga union leaders na
nalagyan na rin. (Sept.
25, 2003) Jojo
Al Malvar, PhD. Crim Justice. California Request
for reprints I
admire the courage and perspective of your online publication. I read
your mission statement and a few of your stories and already I salute
you people for putting out a website that has the potential of
enlightening millions of overseas Filipinos who thirst not only for news
but for education about important issues that matter to their homeland. Journalist in prison Congratulations
on this excellent piece (Commentary: Unionism
as a Deterrent to Violence vs Media) By
the way, are there writers and journalists in prison today? Please give
me their names and facts about their imprisonment. I can help--I am a
member of the National Writers Union, a big national organization here,
and also other groups. We need to publicize their cases around the
world. (Sept.
23, 2003) Ingat,
Sonny On
media killings Alarming!
But WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? (Sept. 16, 2003) Jackson
Agaldang Alternative reporting Thank
you so much for the news and feature updates. At least, I get
alternative reporting of current events. It complements what I read from
broadsheets mainly the PDI. I hope to be able to find time to share some
views about the important issues in our midst. (Sept. 9, 2003) Salamat
po and more power! Malou
Santigao "Very informative" The
article about Roundup herbicide would
be very informative IF SOME REFERENCES WERE GIVEN. (Sept. 4, 2003) Stephen
Sassman Analytical
Chemist Purdue
University, Department of Agronomy Crop
Soil and Environmental Sciences 915
W. State Street, Lilly Hall West
Lafayette, IN 47907-2054 Phone:
(765) 471-9135 Reproduction Every
now and then, I find some articles that I thought my congregation here
would like to read or should read. Is it possible then to
reproduce these articles for insertion in the Sunday pew sheets that we
distribute in church? Bulatlat will, of course be acknowledged and the
pew sheets are free of charge. (August 30, 2003) Sincerely, Fr.
Dwight Q. dela Torre WTO
and the youth Greetings
from the ASA! We are very much grateful with the articles and continued update you post regarding the WTO and the impacts it has on people's livelihood and lives. On
our part, being one of the biggest sectors in the world, the youth and
students are deeply affected by the continuous trends and schemes of
globalization being implemented by the WTO and local governments. It
is funny how youth organizations are being used by these multilateral
agencies to show the "good side" of imperialist globalization,
stating it (globalization) blurs peoples' culture. And yes it does, from
our perspective, blurring the rights of people to livelihood, to
ownership of lands, rights and social services that are meant to be
provided to them by their respective states. It blurs the rights of
indigenous peoples to ancestral lands, self-determination and freedom.
It redirects many of our social services to privatization and further
corporatization. Education,
particularly higher education (to many post-secondary or tertiary), is
beleaguered by schemes and agreements like the General Agreement on
Trade in Services. Many educational institutions have been devastated by
money-driven policies of the government. The WTO would even have the
gull to call students "consumers" in UNESCO Meetings. In
this regard, we would like to inform you and all our colleagues that the
Asian Students Association, together with national student organizations
under its wing, shall hold a region-wide campaign against imperialist
globalization. We call it Youthrage 2: Asia-Pacific Wide Days of Action
against Imperialist Globalization and War. It is slated to happen
between the 12th and 15th of September to coincide with the days of
action announced by organizations like the International Union of
Students, ANSWER and the International League of Peoples' Struggles. We
are currently on a massive information drive as well as research in
order to keep up with our members and counterparts to make ready the
grounds for a huge protest that we hope to deliver together with other
people's organizations all over Asia and the world. Bulatlat,
like Malaysiakini of Malaysia and other independent media institutions,
is an important avenue for us to deliver our analyses and courses of
action regarding globalization and other issues concerning the students,
the youths and the peoples. We
look forward to having a strong network of media organizations, youth
and people's organizations working towards a more critical,
mass-oriented and just culture and society. Long
live press freedom! Long live the peoples' struggle! Long live
international solidarity! (August 28, 2003) In
the service of the students and the people, I remain Sincerely
yours, Rey
Perez Asis ********* Asian
Students Association (ASA) Room
B, 2/F., Wang Cheong Commercial Bldg., 249-253
Reclamation Street, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR Tel
no.: (852) 23880515; Fax no.: (852) 27825535 E-mail:
asasec@netvigator.com On Danding’s workers Just
wanted to say that the article above was well-done and spot on in
bringing corporate greed to our attention.
Can
you please send this congratulatory note to its writer – Dabet
Castañeda.
Tell her that she has done us proud! (August 27, 2003) Best
regards, Perry
On Cojuanco's SMC I'm
not about to dispute the validity of your claims.
I know nothing of them. This company sounds like capitalism on
steroids to this Yankee. Your article sounds like "venting of
anger". If you want to
sway public opinion, hit your opponent where he has no defense and has
to agree with your claims. Document what he has done and how he has
benefited from the expense of his laborers. I
am going to offer a suggestion as to the style of writing.
If you wish to sway the general populace, especially those with
education (and thus power) you must substantiate your claims.
For example: If SMC is mistreating its employees, then substantiate the
claim with statistics. For example: Total payroll expenses or labor,
year 19xx; versus total payroll for labor 2002, compared to profit 19xx
versus 2002. You need to
show that management is profiting at the expense of labor.
Payroll % to profit year 19xx to 2002, provide your readers with
hard numbers that cannot be disputed.
Voicing your opinion and grievances, without documentation and
substantiation is only minor nuisance to large corporations.
If you want to be a real pain in their @$%<#@ , support your
argument with numbers that they cannot dispute.
Become a stockholder and have all the data you want to fight them
with. I
am only suggesting that you play this game to win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Choose your audience. Can
the down-trodden help themselves when they are worried about their next
meal? Sway those who can
make a difference socially. Truly bad press destroys companies of any size.
Target their
customers and stockholders. Good
luck with your attack against the greedy $&^^(&#.
I truly wish you well, and admire your will to improve the
position of the down trodden. I have been in their shoes too.
(August 25, 2003) Stumpy 'Institutional
Euthanasia' I
agree with most of the observations, comments and analysis of Capt.
Vizmanos (ret.).
This cancer has been there before I was born inside the camp of
PMA. I saw a small part of the corruption and unfair treatment in the
camp before and I used these as my theme for two winning speeches
delivered by my sister and brother for a regional oratorical contest.
Through these speeches, I spoke of or even exposed
in metaphor, what was happening in the military.
I am a daughter of a retired soldier and I have been a witness to
many corrupt and unfair practices not only in the military but in the
government long before coups became the mode for expressing grievances
and exposing anomalies. Like
the real physiological cancer, this cancer is hard to stop.
It does not have any cure and the country is in pain. So, a
logical solution might be an "institutional euthanasia." (August
23, 2003) "IMB" Least understood sector Indigenous
peoples may be the least understood sector of our society. The trouble
with our Philippine society today is that, if one doesn't make noise,
he/she goes unnoticed, worst, marginalized just like the indigenous
peoples. There's
so much work to do for the rights of the indigenous peoples.
If many have worked for the rights of the children and women, as
I had, and succeeded, then, at least the same must be accorded to the
indigenous peoples. Bulatlat
may want to regularly input articles or news about this sector. This is
the sector that is often displaced unjustly by large-scale
infrastructure projects like power projects and highways. Many
violations of the IPRA or the indigenous peoples rights act of 1997 have
been made and will still be made if we don't consciously put them in our
priority either in advocacy and programs. (August 23, 2003) "IMB" Exorbitant placement fees Since
the government is also being benefited by the overseas workers
remittances, why then can't the government help in lowering
the exorbitant fees being charged by placement agencies? Isn't it about
time that it does something great for its "modern day
heroes?' How come the government has no "say" on this matter?
it cannot even protect its own. (August 22, 2003) Coi
Dela Torre Payatas boy Jomer Your
article on the 12-year-old Payatas boy Jomer and his dream has touched
me deeply. I would like to
a small part of the realization of his dream. Could you furnish me a way
of getting in touch with him? (August 16, 2003) Edgar P.S.:
Could you have an option where a printer-friendly version is available?
I have an outdated Epson dot matrix and I have to copy-and-paste your
articles onto Word before I can print properly. <idontexistanywhere@yahoo.com> Ang Istorya ni Maryo at Nanay Ising Mawawalan
ng saysay ang balitang 'to kung walang aksyong magaganap bilang isang
tulong sa dalawang ibinalita....Sana'y magawan ng aksyon agad, mabilis
na aksyon!!! Sa mga tulad ng mga anak ni Mang maryo, hindi po ba pwedeng
makarating sa ahensya ng ating pamahalaan, tulad ng DSWD, ang sa tamang
pangangalaga ng kaniyang mga anak? (August 13, 2003) <lowerlip79@yahoo.com> Wondrous world, indeed Nice
Caloy. Am the driver. The car has found its peace already and am
back in my bike. It's a wonderful countryside indeed. Hidden in its
beauty though are poor fisherfolk, hungry children, not so healthy
women and a deteriorating coastal and marine environment. (August 12,
2003) BenCy
Ellorin Fascinating photos I
am fascinated by the photos. If I am from GenSan, would you know how can
I get to those places? Tell your friend if he would consider his vintage
gallant. A can be of help. (August 11, 2003) hamboy
anakpawis Wondrous World WOW!
The pictures are breathtaking! Seeing the pics has
taken a lot of load off my mind. How I wish I can take
a break now and go to those places! It does not matter
whether I have to walk, take a bus or hitch ride
just to get there. You are luckier since you have a
car even though it is two decades old. Hope
you will have more photo essays in this website. (August
11, 2003) Suga
D. On Coup Virus I
must congratulate Johnny Mercado's piece on the coup--it hits the mark,
any which way you look at it. As one black-listed journalist who sought
political asylum in the U.S. immediately before martial law, I am
touched by the piece for indeed it would seem that "democracy grows
from the barrel of a gun" in this country. Most of all, I admire
the data gathered and presented and true "pagbulatlat." Johnny
has done it again but then I have always been his fan from the old
days. Hi
to Johnny from Carol now holed up in Tacloban. (August
10, 2003) Rollie
(Carolina) Montilla Impeach Reyes and Arroyo! The
actions of party list Bayan Muna and Bayan is right! I agree on
the call for resignation of Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes and much
for President Arroyo for being useless and desperate to catch the
attention of the Imperial US. Moreover, they will likely to be impeached
for they are not responding to the revolutionary interests of the
people. (August 9, 2003) Jaber
Akmad CIA terrorism.... its true Ka
Roger's opinion is not an opinion but a truth that CIAs are doing the
bombing here in Southeast Asia. Proof: About
4-5 months ago, an American staying in Evergreen Hotel here in Uyanguren
Street, Davao City accidentally
detonated a bomb intended to bomb Davao City. The news appeared for just
a day in the local media... then nothing was heard of it. The injured
American was brought to the hospital.... but before the news and
investigation could fully take off a group of Americans picked up the
guy at dawn. This group used a private jet to carry the guy directly to
the US or anywhere, without passing Manila. Bombings could have taken
place earlier in Davao City, but it was delayed a little bit because of
this first casualty... So
chaos in Southeast Asia will continue.... because of the CIA!....Peace
will never be achieved by local
effort.... and UN should have to investigate this! (August
8, 2003) A
concerned citizen from Davao City <gildureza@yahoo.com> Putschists I
appreciate your direct opinion expressed in your article.
Wish you continue disseminating your information to us all
Filipinos. I commend you for this.
Honasan and other putschists should air their grievances to the
media, and other avenues and to get the peoples majority to support
them, if it is reasonable. (August
5, 2003) Fernando
P. De Arce Attack on indigenous communities Indigenous life is cheap in the Philippines just like black life was cheap in apartheid South Africa. The president sleeps peacefully with the blood of innocent Aeta children on her hands while the church attacks abortion but together with the rest of the world remains silent on the killing of as yet unborn indigenous children. It is time for the struggle of the indigenous peoples to be screamed at the world - for the rights of children to be able to play peacefully in their homes to be heard and defended - for the rights of those who have come before us and the lessons and values that they continue to teach us to be defended in the spirit of keeping our culture alive. Filipino
journalists have an added challenge to expose these atrocities to the
world at large while the ngo
community continues to build solidarity (not for more reports to be
written on how our ancestors lived and now suffer), but for action to be
taken against a government and a president who has no respect for where
she has come from or where she is taking our people to. (August
5, 2003) Zaide
Harneker On Makati siege Your
article is factual, I believe. Thanks. I
admire Captain Trillanes and the rest of the rebels (maybe, they
are even radicals as "radicals” strike the "roots"
of problems - that is, corruption in the military and the
government.). I wish that there would be more of them, principled
and courageous. How
it was written is simply elegant and easily understood. The key
points were there - the drama in Makati, the soldiers' charges, key
players, etc. (July 30, 2003) Ines
Basaen Phosphate Mines I
am in complete agreement with the article. I live in West Central Florida, where many phosphate mines produce the chemical fertilizers sold worldwide. Having
been involved in archaeology and paleontology and the pursuit of fossils
on these mining sites called "Bone Valley," I have seen the
degradation and read of the adverse effects on the land and animals. One
article, from the Tampa Tribune, Feb. 16, 1984; "Fluoride-tainted
pasture grass may harm cattle", notes the U.S. EPA found;
"When the ore is processed into fertilizer, as much as 85
percent of the fluoride may end up in waste gypsum piles...Those piles
and other cooling ponds, ditches and smoke stacks are the major sources
of the fluoride being detected in grasses." "A mule
breeder had experienced high rates of abortions in mares and deformed
young. A cattle rancher's herd was diagnosed as having fluorosis." "The
Geology of Florida", 1997, University Press of Florida, page 143
notes: "In
addition to uranium, fluorine is an economic byproduct of
phosphoric-acid production. The fluorine from the rock reacts with
silica to form SiF4 gas. During acid production this gas is
recovered as fluorosilicic acid (H2SiF6) in wet scrubbers that are part
of the environmental-protection equipment. Fluorosilicic acid is
widely used in the preparation of chemical compounds and in the
treatment of public drinking water." The
U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, "Toxicological Profile
for Fluorides, Hydrogen Fluoride and Fluorine (F), 1993, notes that we
are exposed to these chemicals from fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides,
food processing, etc. The
uranium decay series runs from radium, radon, down into three isotopes
of lead, and the U.S. Center for Disease Control received the analysis
of fluorosilicic acid showing uranium at <3 ppm and radium 226-228 at
a lesser level. There
is little wonder so many virus and bacteria are mutating, causing new
diseases, especially since one of the most touted antibiotics is Cipro (Ciprofloxacin)
one of some 30 fluoroquinolones used extensively. (July 30, 2003) Anita
Knight South Korea migrant workers Very
informative. Unfortunately,
this situation does not exist in South Korea alone. It seems more
countries with migrant workers tend to abuse the situation. Emphasis
should be made to improve and correct the migrant issue in the first
place. (I know, easier said than done.) (July 25, 2003) "Nicanor
C. Santos de Dios" Nice work Dear
Bulatlat, Hope
you can still remember me, I’m the avid reader/ visitor of your site.
And I do really appreciate the work of your writers. Just keep up the
good work and more power to Bulatlat. (July 24, 2003) DJ
Mj What is USA's Secret QUESTION:
What has made the USA become a super power in only 227
years? Many of the world's countries are centuries old and yet many of
those century-old countries are third-world, poor and impoverished.
What does the USA have and much of the world does not? Could it be
freedoms and democracy that interest the world's peoples to immigrate to
the USA in cargo ships, rowboats, railroad cars and even by foot?
What
is the USA's secret? Jealous??
(July
22, 2003) MITCH
NIMEY What is a Filipino? You
sound so anti-administration, so anti-American.
So what are the solutions that you could offer to the Filipino
people? It is a fact that
our "government" since it began after World War II was seeded
with corruption and greed. Our
'clanish' nature, 'kababayan muna' attitude leads us to protect and
provide for 'our own' first.
Even to the point of 'arranging' the circumstances. Is
there an upright Filipino left? Is
there an honest one left? Is
there one, upright, honest leader that made it on the political stage
and remained an upright and honest individual?
It is like standing in front of a mighty ocean and confronting
the waves. Bribery and
corruption will not be easily removed in a society like ours. (July 19,
2003) Oliver
Kilayko Oil This
is the first time I have seen this obvious fact stated so plainly.
Somehow the "O" word seems to be verboten in the US. I'm
definitely bookmarking your site. Thanks! (July
8 2003) Fred
Dorn Brilliantly conceived
Re:
History's Memory, Literature's Memory - Including Ourselves in History This
was very helpful to me, I thought it was brilliantly conceived and
written very well. I saw a number of print errors that
I which report if you are interested. I worked as an editor
during my last degree. I think that you have beautiful ideas, but
that some polish would do a lot. Thank you for your reporting. (July
8 2003) In
gratitude, a Canadian, Greg Resourceful and informative
Hi!
It’s my pleasure to have those articles you've sent to me...It was
very resourceful & informative...It really helps me a lot & I'm
hoping to have this regularly. Well,
all I can say is that may all of your staff have more strength to keep
on their job & to continue your public service in helping the
Filipino people to know what is really the truth & to whom they will
believe in. I'm
happy & proud to be part of this business...thanks a lot & more
power to all... Everyone of you is our hero...keep up the good work... (July 4, 2003) ferlei PhilHealth anomalies I
would like to request your good office to investigate the anomalies
hounding the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth),
including the hiring of contractors to perform the jobs that are
supposed to be held by regular employees. Since
its creation 8 years ago, PhilHealth has not yet institutionalized its
hiring of employees. In every region, there are around 130 workers of
Philhealth. But only 20 or so are regular employees and the rest are
contractors. These contractors have no security of tenure. But what is
bad in PhilHealth is that they promise these contractors of continuing
there contract but only to find out, they'll end up working for just 6
months. The notice of termination is sent a week after the actual date
of termination. This is detrimental to those who could not prepare or
look for alternative jobs after the termination of contract at
PhilHealth. Please
investigate this matter so that Philhealth will at least learn and do
something to improve its service. The office is in the five earning
corporations of the country but has no regular employees. In region 8
alone, its service offices are manned by job-order workers! And
the regional office has 20 regular employees and more than 80 JO's. This
is a good story to take up. (July
3, 2003) Gulftown Radio The
first time I heard your web site natawa ako but anyway, I really
appreciate your site. And I wish that you will be able to have a
Tagalog or Bisaya news. I’m a newscaster from our station
Gulftown Radio 105.5 FM Lupon Davao Oriental and we air some news in the
Bisaya or Tagalog languange. And also sana you will be able to have a
daily news. Thank
you and more power to Bulatlat. (July
3, 2003) DJ
Mj Only source of truth I
look forward to receiving relevant mail from the only source that
bothers to show the truth - it will save me all the time spent reading
fickle news items on the websites of the newspapers. (June
21, 2003) "Zaide
Harneker" Unelected President The
Philippine's unelected president flew into Washington and performed the
colonial "suck up and shake down" act on her unelected
Imperial American counterpart last week. (See her interview in Newsweek
Magazine, June 2) Her conflation of Iraq with al Queda with Sept. 11,
2001 and with the kidnapping thugs Abu Sayef in order to hit the Bush
Administration up for more financial and military support exceeded all
her predecessors in shameless toadyism. Despite the horrible deaths and
wounding of thousands of precious Iraqi people and their tragic loss
of national sovereignty, despite the growing threat of unprovoked
US attacks on other sovereign nations in Asia, GMA persists in her lies
and offers no proof to her contentions that Iraq committed any acts of
terror against the United States, against the Philippines or against any
other member of the "Coalition of the Willing" ( the "COW's"
). Even the shameless Phoney-Tony Blair makes a show of embarrassment
over the lack of WMD's. Like Bush, her policies have meant economic and
social instability for the masses of people. Her contempt for the truth
matches her contempt for the brave, principled Filipino people , the
vast majority of whom opposed the US invasion of Iraq. When she has
served her purpose and since she has no mass support and no electoral
mandate -- the US will discard her like a 'used condom' ( to quote a
veteran activist). There are plenty of flunkeys waiting to take her
place in the Philippine neo-colonial ‘Hall of Shame’. Bobby's
article was 'dead on'! (June 19, 2003) Robin
Eastman-Abaya Monsanto Thanks
for the article Monsanto Unmasked. It was yet another crucial piece of
information I knew I needed but hadn't the time to get to in and amidst
all which is going on in this world. You have helped me tremendously
with this succinct overview of Monsanto. I
have posted the article on my website: www.thefourreasons.org
on the news and information page: http://www.thefourreasons.org/news_and_information.htm
(June 18, 2003) Adam
Roufberg Prisoner of war Maganda
sa pandinig at sa mata na makabasa ng ganitong artikulo... na may
sundalo na nakita ang tunay na layunin ng mga NPA... at ang mga kamalian
na nagaganap sa Pilipinas ngayon... maganda rin at nailathala ang
artikulo na ito para makita ng mga tao ang tunay na kulay ng NPA, na
para sa masa talaga... (June
17, 2003) Francis
Verdote SOS for Beng Dear
Editors, Sympathy for fisherfolk The
experiences of the fisherfolk of Tep-peng, Sinait is not far from the
local fisherfolk down here in Southern Mindanao. I live in a coastal
town of Maitum, Sarangani Province, where I have seen the living
conditions of the local fisherfolk down here. Though they live by the
bounty of the sea, they are suffering from the bad waves of the vast sea
of life. Among
the many reasons that contribute to the exploitation of these fisherfolk
are due to micro-capitalists that lingers around town. The
pitied folks burn their skins in the high seas, face the threats of
nature, and sometimes if luck is really hard on them - they are caught
by Indonesian Government for poaching. Amidst
these threats and hard labor, still their family are getting only the
smallest bounty of the sea. It
is not enough to sympathize to what our fisherfolk are doing, but we
must also take a closer look into their plights. They too are laborers
who belong to the economic backbone of our country, yet they are not
getting mush attention and protection from the government. Let
us not only focus to the plights of the workers in the urban industrial
sites but also to the thousands of hardly exploited workers in the
countryside. Hope
that the article about the fisherfolk of Sinait would get attention
from our leaders of all sides, anyway they too are gobbling the bounties
that these fisherfolk are betting from the seas.... (June
15, 2003) John
Marshall Martos Begging for obsolete war gadgets I
pity those kids... The
government should find more access of fund for education instead of
begging for obsolete war gadgets! Instead
that those kids learn how to appreciate the beauty of what our
politicians called "democracy" they learn
how hard the life is under what we call "democracy" where all
people gets a fir share from the services of the government.
(June 15, 2003) John
Marshall Martos Too short Your
article (on Davao terrorism) is very interesting but I find it too
short. I would like to know where I could find more information
about it. Actually,
I'm a French student on Philippines studies and I would like to do my
first year PhD on the socio-ecenomic problems of Mindanao. I did my
MA on EDSA DOS and I would like to THANK YOU VERY MUCH for all the
informations and analysis you provide in your website. (June
15, 2003) Jean
Philippe Busson Progressive scientists Thanks
for the article on progressive activists scientists at UP. Advances
in science and technology are monopolized by the imperialist powers for
very significant reasons - that is why the first targets for destruction
in Iraq after the fall of Baghdad were the research institutes and the
universities followed by the mad scramble to capture and 'neutralize'
Iraqi scientists. One of the first pronouncements of the
colonial/occupation administrators was to forbid academics and
scientists with Baath Party ties from ever being able to work.
That has effectively crippled the universities, agricultural and
petroleum research centers and medical schools. And
other countries with scientific research capacity are at risk:
Cuba's fine biomedical research centers have been cited by the
Bush administration as 'proof' that the Cuban has capacity to develop
biological weapons. Imagine
- Cuba with the finest educational system and health system in Latin
America and the Caribbean and which serves not only all the Cuban people
but also trains thousands of health workers and scientists from poor
countries in Africa and Latin America is a target for US preemptive
destruction precisely because of its scientific advances serving the
needs of humanity. Iran,
which now has the largest, best educated generation in its history is
being targeted. Computers
and high tech gadgets are merely fluff that a scientifically ignorant
and corrupt client like GMA would claim proves the Philippines has any
capacity in science and technology.
Without major government support for the sciences and for
research - the Philippines will never achieve real independence and will
never be able to use its wealth and human resources to serve the real
needs of its people. (June 14, 2003)
reabaya Interesting and well documented article on Davao Terorrism I'm
just providing feedback on the article on Davao City's Descent into
Madness: Davao Children Terrorized in Gov't Raid. It's
well written, informative and well documented. It's very useful for our
organisation, Save the Children, which is trying to highlight the plight
of street children in Davao and lobby again abuses by the
authorities. Keep
up the good work! (June 10, 2003) Best
wishes Kate
O'Malley Agrarian reform doomed Thank
you very much for giving us space to air issues of farmers through Bulatlat.com.
This is a very much valued help, as the government uses all means to
block farmers' issues in the mainstream media. Obet
Pagdanganan, we believe has already done deals with the Negros political
figures and landlords, whom would oil his campaign machinery in 2004 and
that of the ruling party. He is just buying time because in December, he
would resign to resume his electoral campaign. To
date, 5 hunger strikers have been rushed to hospital for extreme
vomiting and headaches. Again,
thank you. We would keep you posted. (June 8, 2003) In
behalf of farmers, Rorie
R. Fajardo Wonderful
article about mothers We have placed a link to your web page on the article 'Mothers of Courage.' Thank you for such a wonderful article on the strong Filipino women. (June 6, 2003) Perla
Paredes Daly Liar Bush
lied. It
seems amazing that more Americans have not gotten the wake up call on
this. OUR GOVERNMENT HAS CONSISENTLY LIED TO US ABOUT IRAQ, TAXES,
EDUCATION and I could probably list 100 other things they have lied to
us about. I know all politicians lie. I'm not naive.
What's important to me is what are they lying about? Did he fib
about having guests stay in the Lincoln bedroom or did he lie about the
reasons we must go to war when we haven't been attacked? Our
current government is going to drive away all of our allies and bankrupt
the country. It's nice to be allies with smaller countries, but
they don't have what we need, which is a strong military and money.
It seems ridiculous to be treating France, Germany, and others like we
are because they disagreed about the war. It actually looks like
they thought about the consequences first and then decided against it.
The Bush administration shoots first and asks questions and thinks of
consequences later. I am very interested in politics and have
followed various news and internet sites closely, especially during the
war. It's amazing that most of the truth in the media seems to be
on the internet, not the mass media. Now that the war is over, the
mass media is not getting good ratings. Now they are willing to
look at the war as a possible scandal and question how it all happened.
Where in the hell were they before? The mass media is interested
now because scandals get ratings, just like wars get ratings. You
cannot trust mass media to educate the public on such important matters.
I read much of the lies you mentioned on your site and on other sites as
well. Thank goodness someone has the courage to address these
issues. On a side note, I thought it was funny that people
from Eric Rudolph's (alleged Olympic Park bomber, abortion clinic
bomber, etc.) area in North Carolina said they would have helped him
when he was on the run from police for five years. Some
stated that, "He was doing what he thought was right." and
they supported him. Aren't these the same people willing to send
our military into harm's way to get rid of a supposed terroristic
dictator in another country? Yet, they would support a domestic
terrorist killing their own people. This is why my husband and I
want to move to Canada. We just don't understand how people can
think this way. That doesn't count all the personal attacks on
those who disagreed with the war in Iraq. These insults continue
even after its been shown the U.S. government lied and misrepresented
facts at every turn. I'm not sure there's any hope for America
anymore. (June 3, 2003) "Nancy
Imlay" IRRI response Thank
you for the opportunity to respond to the recent article on BB rice,
Golden Rice and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI),
especially as the author Mr Alexander Martin Remollino made no effort to
contact IRRI to seek comments on his article in the interests of
accuracy and balance. If
Mr. Remollino had attempted to contact IRRI he would have found that we
have acknowledge (sic) already that the initial benefits and
achievements of the Green Revolution were mitigated to an extent by the
overuse of pesticides. But as he points out himself this was more
than 30 years ago in the 1970s and since then rice farmers in central
Luzon - for whatever reasons - have been using less pesticides.
This is a fact confirmed by a detailed survey of farmer practices
conducted by PhilRice and IRRI. In response the article mentions
only the opinions of two KMP officials that seemingly agree with the
survey's results while - at the same time - appear to suggest that such
a reduction trend should still be considered bad. Finally,
the article trys (sic) to once again revive the hackneyed claim that
IRRI actively promotes genetically modified rice, completely ignoring
the fact that some of the Institute's most important and influential
donors are the same European nations that have expressed concerns over
this technology. Once again for the record, IRRI's role in this
area is as an objective evaluator and it has never claimed that
biotechnology could solve world hunger. On the contrary, it has
joined with other groups to publicly express concern over such claims,
especially in relation to Golden Rice and its alleged potential to be a
silver bullet for the problem of Vitamin A deficiency in the developing
world. IRRI does not believe this and has said so repeatedly.
However, the Institute does believe that Golden Rice could provide a
promising new strategy in the war on Vitamin A deficiency once it has
been proved to be comprehensively safe for humans and the environment.
Thank
you for the opportunity to clarify these points. (June 3, 2003) Duncan
Macintosh On Lino Brocka Lino
Brocka was a good friend and artistic inspiration in the 1980s. Your
short essay on his life is both well written and moving, but way on
earth do you leave out the fact that he was GAY. This is 2003 and young
Filipino gay people need as many serious minded, positive role models as
they can find. Shouldn't this be a primary concern for all concerned artists ? (June 3, 2003) Regards
Jonathan
Best Comparative charts of minimum wages Your
writings are very enlightening and informative. However, your charts
comparatively showing the yearly minimum wages only indicate your source
as the "DOLE." This is not very reassuring. I hope you can be
more specific by citing the applicable wage orders of the Regional
Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards. I
am in need of the source of your minimum wages for the years 1998 to
2002. (May 21, 2003) Thank
you very much in advance. Teodorico
N. Pangilinan Comment from Embassy of Cuba After
reading the paper of Paul Quintos which I found very enlightening I am
sending you a recent declaration of the The National Council of
the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba. (May 19, 2003) With
best regards, Ramon
A. Medina Real thugs I
have just finished reading Gracia Burnham's book and there are many
things that point out to plain incompetent leadership in the AFP and
evidence of collusion.... However, to term Israeli as a fascist state
and Ariel Sharon a thug is way out of line. Israel remains the only true
democracy in the Middle East, alone among a sea of Arab-Muslim
autocrats. True, Ariel
Sharon's policies are oppressive toward the Palestinians but you or I
would do the same if we were in the shoes of the Jews...The real thugs
are the Abu Sayyaf. What freedom in Mindanao are they fighting for?
A so-called "freedom" of a fundamentalist-based
religion that would give them good reason to oppress non-muslims?
Theocracy went out after the medieval ages and there you are trying to
justify it.... Wake up!
(May 18, 2003) Gerardo
B. Reynaldo Thought-provoking Paul
Quintos' articles are certainly thought provoking and informative.
I have saved the 2nd and 3rd parts of the series on my hard
drive, but can't access the 1st part. The following URL is where it's
supposed to be. Please
advise how I can get the "Pax Americana" article. (May
16, 2003) Thank
you, --Jim
Fox Very Proud Warmest
greetings! A
million thanks from the bottom of my heart! I'm very proud of all
of you in continuing this kind of job! It was really very helpful
to everyone who needs to know what the truth really is... Once
again thank you & more power! (May 13, 2003) With
great appreciation, Ferlei Lesson from Ka Eden and Ka Eddie
Okay. Eden Marcellana and Eddie Gumanoy were killed | |
