In July 2000, a typhoon that ravaged parts of the Philippines caused a huge garbage dump in Payatas, Quezon City to collapse, crushing more than a hundred nearby shanties and burying more than 500 residents. The tragedy shocked the nation and Payatas came to be considered as a symbol of urban poverty in the Philippines.…
Day: March 17, 2007
Impending Breakdown?
The Filipino people have been badly bruised so far by three repressive measures – the calibrated preemptive response policy (CPR), which discarded the maximum tolerance policy in dealing with protest actions; Presidential Proclamation No. 1017, which declared a “state of national emergency” throughout the country; and Executive Order No. 464, which prevented cabinet-level officials from…
Lenang Hihibok-hibok*
NI MARK ANGELES** Inilathala ng Bulatlat Si Lena ng Perpetual naging intern isang araw sa pampublikong ospital sa isang malayong bayan. Mapuputing mga g’wantes kaniya lamang ginamit sa pag-ahit at paglinis ng p’werta ng mga buntis. Nayamot itong si Lena sa kasisilip ng p’werta. Pangarap ay ibang mesa (altar ng pag-oopera). Si Lenang hihibok-hibok sa…
Tatlong Retorika ng Pagkamakata
NI AXEL PINPIN* Inilathala ng Bulatlat I. Pagkat May Dalang Halihaw ang Tula Hindi humihingi ng paumanhin ang panulaan Hindi nagpapasintabi, manapa’y nag-aalay di lamang ng kulay lumilikha ito ng buhay na karanasan ng masa sa entabladong lupa pagkat may dalang halihaw ang tula di lamang kiliti salaysay nito ang dalamhati ng mga ginang at…
The Alston Report : What is the UN’s Next Move?
The AFP kills citizens it is sworn to protect and, as Alston has warned, it will do so until it is called to account for its homicidal behavior. BY PETER SALES* Contributed to Bulatlat A lot of history seems to have been forgotten as the Philippines lurches toward the May elections. Only a nation without…