By Jasper Almirante/ Bulatlat Bulatlat.com Now amounting to P150 billion (about $2.8 billion), the coco levy fund remains in the hands of government and is being traded to some powers-that-be in return for some favor. Taken from coconut farmers during the Marcos...
Photo courtesy of Karapatan-Surigao del Sur / Bulatlat Bulatlat.com With simple belongings wrapped and placed atop their heads and in their backpacks, women and children refugees of war-torn Andap Valley, Surigao del Sur in southern Philippines return to their...
By Jasper Almirante/ Bulatlat Bulatlat.com For 22 million elementary and high school students on June 6, all roads lead to schools they temporarily left last summer. For the coming school year, they are expected to learn from their underpaid, overworked teachers....
Photo by Ace Alegre / Bulatlat Bulatlat.com Mountainous La Trinidad Valley, the Philippines’ strawberry capital some 260 kms north of Manila, last week made it to the Guinness Book of World Records by baking the biggest strawberry shortcake in the world. The cake,...
By Saul Landau Progresso Weekly 26 May to 01 June 2005 Edition Bulatlat.com "So what did you think of China's recent economic foray into Latin America," I asked a university student. "Huh?" she replied. "I read something about it," said another, "but I don't...
By Paulo A. Paranagua, translation by Siv O’Neall From AxisofLogic.com Bulatlat.com May 29, 2005 -- Since Monday May 23, La Paz has been disrupted by thousands of demonstrators. Minors explode cachorros, tubes filled with dynamite. The roads are blocked, the access...
By Leslie Feinberg From AxisofLogic.com June 2, 2005 Issue The specter of Che Guevara—assassinated in the Bolivian jungle by the CIA four decades ago—is alive in the streets of La Paz. Bolivian workers and peasants, more than 60 percent of whom are Indi genous, are...
By Luis Gomez From AxisofLogic.com Bulatlat.com In a march even bigger than yesterday’s, the residents of El Alto and the Aymara peasant farmers returned to La Paz this morning. More than 50,000 people covered an area of nearly 100 square kilometers: this time they...
By Jorge Martin From AxisofLogic.com Bulatlat.com On Tuesday, May 31 a series of marches and demonstrations with people numbering in the tens of thousands surrounded the Bolivian Parliament. On the third week of protests, demonstrations and roadblocks, as many as...
Nanang (mother) Irene Baawa, 64, not only makes a mean native coffee but also serves as the de facto peace pact holder of an Abra tribe. Arthur L. Allad-iw Northern Dispatch Bulatlat.com Malibcong, Abra -- Nanang (mother) Irene Baawa, 64, wakes up early in the...
A decade of unhampered entry of goods and investments to Third World markets has reaped profits for the transnational corporations of rich countries. Through all these, poor countries were left to bite the dust. By John Paul Andaquig IBON Features / June 2, 2005...
How does one know that the workers’ demands are just and fair? One indication is the groundswell of support they get not only from other marginalized sectors, but also their spouses and children. BY ABIGAIL BENGWAYAN Northern Dispatch Bulatlat.com MANKAYAN, Benguet...
A deadlock in the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) negotiations prompted the more than 1,000 workers of Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company (LCMCo) to go on strike last June 2. Lepanto, the lone gold producer in the country, earned around P2.7 billion in 2004...
Members of the Department of Land Reform’s Task Force Hacienda Luisita got a beating from the House Committee on Agrarian Reform for the much delayed report on its investigation on the implementation of the Stock Distribution Option in Luzon’s largest sugar estate,...
4 children among 20 missing persons in Samar Four children are among some 20 persons reported missing in Samar; 22 others have been summarily executed – all in just four months. Behind these alleged atrocities is Maj. Gen. Jovito Palparan whose latest promotion in...
In just a few days, classes will begin. While most parents and students are busy buying school supplies and teachers are sprucing up their classrooms, a tribal community in northern Philippines is looking for ways to ensure that their children will be able to go to...
Per capita budget for education is P5,200 vs Japan’s P210,481, Thailand’s P46,314 The government has adopted a “business-as-usual” attitude in explaining preparations for the school opening. For progressive students and teachers, however, they will take the...
As the “Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995” nears its 10th anniversary, OFW Reynaldo Cortez awaits his death sentence in a Riyadh jail. His case highlights how the law has been ineffectual in keeping Filipino workers from the gallows. BY ROWENA...
Negros Oriental’s No. 2 intelligence officer called for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after defecting to the New People’s Army, saying “people very, very close to Malacañang” and even “inside the Palace” are running big time-illegal gambling and...
Cites massive corruption, illegal drugs and gambling syndicates in gov’t For being a victim of injustice by the government institution he served with utmost dedication for 28 years, he finally made “the most difficult decision” in his entire life by joining the...
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