- Bulatlat

Bulatlat Live: Read Bulatlat's liveblog on the Philippine Daily Inquirer's "1st Edition: The Presidential Debate." Listen to a replay of the audio webcast of the debate here.

By RONALYN V. OLEA
After three days, relatives and colleagues were finally able to visit the 43 arrested health workers through the intervention of Commission on Human Rights (CHR) chairperson Leila de Lima, who earlier denounced the military for refusing access to those detained.

Military Continues to Deny Friends, Kin Access to ‘Morong 43′

By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Relatives and friends of the 43 health workers — among them doctors, nurses and midwives — who were taken by the military and police in Morong, Rizal province, on Saturday are set to file on Monday a petition for habeas corpus before the Supreme Court. This, after the military on Sunday continued to prevent them, as well as the media, from seeing those arrested in person.

Refund RFID Fees, Transport Groups Urge LTO

By MARYA SALAMAT
A hundred members of Piston and the Alliance of Private Motorists against RFID marched from Edsa-Kamias to picket the offices of LTO in East Avenue last Wednesday to press for this demand. They are questioning the LTO’s seeming reluctance to refund the motorists and the LTO officers’ conflicting statements about the status of the money.

Macau Dreams, Dashed by Scammers

By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Scammers, with the possible connivance of immigration people, are dashing the dreams of Filipinos who shell out their hard-earned money for nonexistent jobs in Macau, the gambling capital of Asia.

Unjustified Sugar Importation to Benefit Traders but Hurt Consumers

By ARNOLD PADILLA
There is no justifiable reason for local sugar prices to increase due to increasing global prices. The Philippines is not dependent on imported sugar and, in fact, is a net sugar exporter.

Douglas Dumanon: A Brave, Committed Activist and Labor Leader

By MARYA SALAMAT
Although Douglas Dumanon hailed from a middle-class family, he joined and served without hesitation the struggle of the toiling masses, especially that of the workers and the urban poor.

Tortured Youth Activist Belies Military’s Claim of ‘Staged Abduction’

By RONALYN OLEA
A youth activist who was tortured for 10 days by people he believed to be soldiers has belied claims by the military that he is a rebel returnee and that his abduction had been staged. His lawyer thinks the military is experimenting with the case of Noriel Rodriguez.

Computerized Elections System Faulty, Vulnerable to Cheating

By MARYA SALAMAT
Concerns are being raised that the automated elections system (AES), which is supposed to be used in the coming elections in May, is vulnerable to cheating and that the Commission on Elections has been so inept in the preparations.