Photo by Ace Alegre A Kankanaey boy helps his father prepare their rain-fed payao (rice terrace) in Sabangan, Mountain Province for the next planting season, which comes just a little after the New Year. The family dog looks on as the boy is intent on his work. A few more weeks and the Chinese community…
Day: January 8, 2006
Christmas at the SOS Village
By Grace S. Uddin davaotoday.com DAVAO CITY — While busy falling in line along with other children to get his share of porridge, Rickmon, 11, recalled why he was sent to the SOS Children’s Village to live with the other children he didn’t even know. “I was so thin my parents sent me here,” he…
Violence Still Increasing: 63 Journalists Killed, More Than 1,300 Physically Attacked or Threatened
BY Reporters Without Borders Posted by Bulatlat.com In 2005: * 63 journalists and 5 media assistants were killed * at least 807 journalists were arrested * 1,308 physically attacked or threatened * and 1,006 media outlets censored On 1 January 2006, 126 journalists and 70 cyber-dissidents were in jail around the world In 2004: *3…
In Memory of Those Erased from Memory
Review of Sala sa Saysay, an anthology of poems by Richard R. Gappi, published by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) Award-winning poet Richard Gappi’s first book of poems, Sala sa Saysay (Fault in the Narrative), is a slim volume – all of 41 pages – that speaks volumes about a forgotten…
‘Soldiers Burned Our Buildings Last Christmas’
And so this is Christmas, and what have the soldiers done? Burn the buildings of a learning center in Baler, Aurora province, said its staff. BY NORTHERN DISPATCH Posted by Bulatlat.comBulatlat Days before Christmas, the staff of a local learning center went home for the holidays but were forced to cut short their vacation after…
Home is No Refuge for Abused Women
BY DABET CASTAÑEDA Bulatlat.com Found by relatives on Dec. 5, the body of Jocelyn Diaz-Pernia, 34, showed bruises on the face and stomach and strangulation marks on the neck. Pernia’s case is not unique. She is in fact just one of 12 victims of domestic violence reported everyday. Pernia’s small concrete house was dim. The…
Everyone’s a Suspect
The Anti-Terrorism Bill, which the Macapagal-Arroyo administration is pushing for with support from the U.S., has been criticized by several sectors – including media groups – for containing a definition of “terrorism” so broad it may include even legal protest actions in its list of “terroristic” acts. It turns out we could expect a bill…
Luisita Farm Brigades Till Land as They Await Distribution
As lawyers haggle over the legality of the revocation of the stock distribution option in Hacienda Luisita, the farm workers continue to reap benefits from tilling the land and earn money from the on-going sugar cane harvest. By Abner Bolos Bulatlat.com As lawyers haggle over the legality of the revocation of the stock distribution option…
E-VAT on Electricity: Short-circuiting the People’s Interest
At an average of 70 centavos per kwh and a total sale of about 24 billion kwh, electricity users in the Meralco franchise area will be contributing to the government a total of P17 billion every year. The government collects additional billions from the more than 120 electric utilities and electric coops in the country.…
NPA Grew Beyond ‘Critical Mass’ in 2005 Dramatic increase in tactical offensives
Rebel spokesman Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal claims the New People’s Army (NPA) now has an equivalent of 27 battalions or roughly around 13, 500 regular fighters. These exclude members of barrio militia units or what Rosal describes as “peasants by day, NPA fighters by night.” BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat.com A few weeks ago, Malacañang…
On a Temporary Downturn?
While President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may claim the economic problems did not begin with her administration, she cannot escape the fact that she is presiding over an economy that is not on a mere temporary downturn, as government claims, but in an ever worsening state. By Benjie Oliveros Bulatlat.com Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Augusto Santos announced Dec.…