The militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP or Philippine Peasant Movement) called for the review of the Biofuels Law fearing that jathropa planting would intensify land grabbing and peasant displacement. BY AUBREY MAKILAN Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 28, August 19-25, 2007 The militant peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP or Philippine Peasant…
Day: August 18, 2007
The Crux of the Moro Problem*
It is clear why the Philippine government is not about to give up Mindanao or even only the acknowledged Moro ancestral domains to the Moro people. All talk about national sovereignty and the indivisibility of Philippine territory is just a convenient cover for the real reasons: ownership of land by big non-Moro landowners, including multinationals…
Fisherfolk Group Says Petron Should Fund Guimaras Rehab Plan
Groups supporting the plight of victims of Guimaras oil spill tragedy last year have asked lawmakers to pass a law that would focus on the rehabilitation of Guimaras and other affected areas over the next three years, adding that the proposed fund of P10 billion for rehabilitation should come from Petron Corp. BY GERRY ALBERT…
Free Trade Pacts with China, Japan to Further Weaken RP Economy
Philippine trade deals with Japan and China, which President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo recently urged Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members to act on, will further weaken the country’s already damaged domestic economy. BY IBON FOUNDATION Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 28, August 19-25, 2007 Philippine trade deals with Japan and China, which President Gloria…
JPEPA Ushers in Era of Unparalleled Defeatist Policy Making
The JPEPA deprives the Philippines of vital economic policy tools it would need in its future development.. BY IBON FOUNDATION Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 28, August 19-25 As the Senate prepares to conduct hearings on the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), an independent think-tank called for the junking of the…
Strict Requirements in JPEPA Belie Gov’t Claim of Huge Labor Market for RP Nurses in Japan
BY IBON FOUNDATION Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 28, August 19-25, 2007 Philippine Ambassador to Japan Domingo Siazon recently made a pitch for the Senate ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA), saying that Japan’s aging population represents a large labor market for local nurses and caregivers. But according to independent think-tank IBON…
Tales from the Peripheries: The Plight of UP’s Research, Extension and Professional Staff
They are the university’s guidance counselors, librarians, technical specialists, extension workers and researchers, who are also at the forefront of developing and producing notable researches. BY JOHN ALLIAGE MORALES Philippine Collegian Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 28, August 19-25, 2007 They are the university’s guidance counselors, librarians, technical specialists, extension workers and researchers, who…
Students, Teachers Oppose GMA’s Cyber Ed
Saying that expensive technology is not the solution to the decline in the quality of education in the country, teacher and student groups called for the scrapping of the DepEd’s Cyber Education Project. BY VICTOR GREGOR LIMON Philippine Collegian Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 28, August 19-25, 2007 Saying that expensive technology is not…
Ghost of 2004
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano must have heaved a sigh of relief when last May’s senatorial and local elections pushed through, thinking that with the polls the so-called “Hello Garci” issue would be swept under the rug and finally laid to rest. But ghosts like that do not…
National Dance
Grade schoolers in La Union perform the tinikling, the Philippine national dance. The tinikling is at risk of vanishing with the inroads of dances popularized by Hollywood celebrities and their local imitators. Its being in danger of dying out is part of the Philippines’ overall deculturization through inundation of Western influences. But there are still…
‘New’ Kadayawan Goes Back to Its Tribal Roots
As the city announced a shift in the way the annual Kadayawan Festival is celebrated — that is, for one, showcasing Lumad culture and tradition not for tourism’s sake — tribal leaders remain concerned that the festivities hardly depict the struggle of Mindanao’s indigenous peoples to pursue their unique way of life and retain control…