The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines lamented Wednesday the government’s continuing promotion of mining, despite a growing chorus of those who are against it. BY ROY LAGARDE CBCP News Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 7, March 16-29, 2008 When it comes to mining issues, the Catholic bishops’ formidable foes are not the mining…
Day: March 15, 2008
Release of 22 Chinese Fishermen Meant to Appease China, Fishers’ Group Says
The militant fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya or National Alliance of Small Fisherfolk Organizations) said on March 15 that the dismissal of the case against and the subsequent release of 22 Chinese fishermen last March 14 was meant to appease the Chinese government currently irked over the scandal and diplomatic…
Spratlys Agreement Unconstitutional: Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking Is Void
The Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking [JMSU] signed by the Philippine government with China and Vietnam is unconstitutional for violating the National Economy and Patrimony provisions of the 1987 Constitution. If it is confirmed that the signing of the same is related to the fraud that attended the various contracts with China, the said Agreement is…
Youth, Students Lead Anti-Arroyo Rally in Manila
That it was examination week in schools throughout the country did not deter youth and students from leading a March 14 rally at the Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 7, March 16-29, 2008 That it was examination week in schools throughout the country did not deter youth and…
Bishop Asks Neri to Tell All, Calls on the People to Act to Unravel the Truth
BY DABET CASTAÑEDA Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 7, March 16-29, 2008 In a Misa para sa Maralita (mass for the urban poor) March 14 at the Sto. Nino Church in Tondo, Manila, Bishop Broderick Pabillo called on Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Secretary Romulo Neri to tell all that he knows about the bribery and…
Still Hanging in the Balance
With the current intensification of the political crisis, the growing movement calling for Truth and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s resignation or ouster might still be able to muster enough strength to push the Arroyo government out of Malacañang and mitigate the sufferings it imposed on the Filipino people. But if the Arroyo government is able to again…
Para sa Estudyanteng Nakikibaka
Nasa iyo ang desisyon kung hanggang saan mo gustong dalhin ang iyong pagkilos. Sa isang lipunang “normal,” tungkulin ko bilang guro na sabihan kang unahin ang pag-aaral dahil ito ang pundasyon ng iyong magandang bukas. Pero alam mong malayo sa “normal” ang ating kalagayan, at wala akong karapatang sabihing magkakaroon ka ng magandang bukas dahil…
The Water Cure
Many Americans were puzzled by the news, in 1902, that United States soldiers were torturing Filipinos with water. The United States, throughout its emergence as a world power, had spoken the language of liberation, rescue, and freedom. This was the language that, when coupled with expanding military and commercial ambitions, had helped launch two very…
Interrogators Don’t Need to Torture; It Doesn’t Work
BY ROBERT WEINER AND JOHN LARMETT The Cleveland Plain Dealer Truthout.org Posted by Bulatlat ALTERNATIVE READER Vol. VIII, No. 7, March 16-29, 2008 The House vote this week was 225 to 188 – not enough to override President Bush’s veto of legislation requiring the CIA to abide by the same interrogation rules that bar torture…
Abra Village Folks, Gov’t Clash Over Mining Operations
Local village folks, mainly indigenous peoples in Licuan-Baay, Abra have clashed with government over allowing mining operations in their town as they have shut down their doors to any mining activity. BY ACE ALEGRE Contributed to Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 8, March 16-29, 2008 Local village folks, mainly indigenous peoples in Licuan-Baay, Abra have clashed…
Students at Mindanao University Fall Prey to Rapists
“Angeline’s” quiet life in the university suddenly turned tragic after she was abducted from her boarding house, brought to a lodging house, and allegedly raped. This, said the Suara Bangsamoro Party, is not the first case of rape and sexual harassment that occurred within the premises of University of Southern Mindanao in North Cotabato. BY…