A couple abducted by soldiers and alleged as communist leaders in Leyte province have been transferred to the Leyte Provincial Jail after being surfaced around 3 p.m., March 24 in the PNP’s Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba City, Laguna. BY DABET CASTAÑEDA HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 8, March 16-29, 2008 After four…
Day: March 31, 2008
Old Reliable
Nothing beats the old reliable kalesa. Calamigan town’s improvised kalesa can seat eight passengers, including the kutsero. For a small fare, the kalesa – which remains an all-time favorite transport of rural Bikolanos – can take you from market to home. Unlike the smoke-belching tricycle or jeepney, the kalesa is environment-friendly and airy, to boot,…
Walang Awit ang Ibong Hindi Malaya
NI RAUL FUNILAS Inilathala ng Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 8, March 30-April 5, 2008 Ikulong mo man ang ibon sa hawla at gintong moog, Busugin sa milagrosang palay na ipon sa bukot; Oliba mang gintong lawrel ang aranyang ibinalot Nais pa ri’y kalayaa’t papawiri’y umimbulog— Galain ang buong mundong humihingal sa pag-ikot. Ligalig ang kaisipang…
Salamisim Noong Mahal na Araw
NI RICHARD R. GAPPI Inilathala ng Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 8, March 30-April 5, 2008 Prologo: Ang Pagninilay Sabi ng Simbahan, pagninilay ang kahulugan ng Mahal na Araw. May hihigit pa kaya sa pagbubulay-bulay kaysa sa mga tula na bulong at pintig ng puso ngayong duguan ang palad ng tanghaling tapat at sa kapayapaan, nandoon…
OFWs to Greet Arroyo’s April 5 Birthday with Zero Remittance
After a rousing protest by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Hong Kong during Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s visit on March 30, Filipino migrant workers are again preparing another “greeting” for the president on her 61st birthday on April 5. Led by Migrante International, the largest alliance of migrant Filipinos worldwide, OFWs set April 5…
Despite Doubts by MILF, ‘Peace is Still Possible’
Dureza said the government is currently working on another draft on the ancestral domain clause that will hopefully be acceptable to the MILF to break the deadlock in the peace negotiations. BY GERMELINA A. LACORTE Davao Today Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 8, March 30-April 5, 2008 Sec. Jesus Dureza, the President’s adviser on…
Pag-angat ng Starbucks sa Ordinaryong Pag-angat
Ang karanasang Starbucks at gitnang uri ay nagsasaad ng bagong auratiko o ang pakiwari na ginawa ang lugar para sa iyo lamang: lugar na pwedeng pagtrabahuan ng notebook computers (may wi-fi card na pwedeng bilhin para sa Internet), pwedeng pag-aralan bitbit ang makakapal na librong binabasa at minememorya (parang haven ng mga estudyanteng sawa na…
Baguio Mayor Seeks Rice Price Watch
Mayor Reinaldo Bautista, Jr. last week said he would ask the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) regional office here to strictly monitor the prices of rice in the city to guard against profiteering, hoarding and other illegal practices that may arise due to the problem hounding the rice industry. BY AILEEN F. REFUERZO, Baguio…
A Nation Divided, A Truth Concealed
The Supreme Court decision upholding the right of CHED Sec. Romulo Neri and Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to invoke executive privilege did not serve the cause of justice and truth. It helped conceal a crime, added to the cracks in the institutions of government, and left the nation more deeply divided. BY BENJIE OLIVEROS ANALYSIS Bulatlat…
Real Crises
There is real danger that rice will soon become a very scarce commodity beginning with the market stalls but eventually, from the dining table of tens of millions of poor Filipinos. This is not to say that this staple food has not become scarce before and is even now beyond the reach of a scandalously…
Gov’t, AFP Claims of NPA Weakening are Lies – Ka Roger
CPP spokesperson Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal has belied claims by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the AFP that the strength of the CPP’s armed component, the NPA, has been halved in the last two years and that it will certainly face defeat by 2010. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 8, March 30-April 5,…