After more than two years of being abducted and detained, the Tagaytay 5 finally had their day in court as the latter started hearing their petition for bail. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008 The Tagaytay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 18 has started hearing…
Month: July 2008
Principe Demands Reinvestigation of Rebellion Case
Elizabeth Principe, currently detained on charges of rebellion, wants a reinvestigation of her case. Her husband, meanwhile, remains missing after being abducted in February 2007. BY JOAN GARCIA HUMAN RIGHTS Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008 Candon City, Ilocos Sur (347 kms from Manila) – The Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 23 is…
Diskusyon sa Deregulasyon
Labindalawang taon na ang nakaraan mula nang ipatupad ang deregulasyon sa downstream oil industry at ang tanging positibong ibinunga nito ay ang mas malaking tubo mula sa mga kompanya ng langis at mas malaking koleksiyon ng pamahalaan sa pamamagitan ng buwis. NI DANILO ARAÑA ARAO Konteksto / Pinoy Weekly Inilathala ng Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No.…
Arroyo Welcomes More U.S. Participation in the ‘Killing Fields’ of RP
A historic event worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records may have occurred in Washington in the last week of June. The worst “torture” president that the United States has ever had met the most corrupt and brutal president ever inflicted on the Filipino people. Grotesque or farcical? George W. Bush is now credited…
Ifugao Town Favors Organic Rice Farming
While most of Filipino farmers grapple with the increasing cost of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, farmers in Mayoyao, a town in Ifugao, favor organic rice farming. BY LYN RAMO REGIONS Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008 BAGUIO CITY (246 kms from Manila) – Organic rice, anyone? Mayoyao, a town…
Tirad Pass
I saw Tirad Pass on my first visit in the summer of 2002. It reminds me of the Filipino war against the Americans and the sacrifice made by its youngest general in Philippine history – Gen. Gregorio del Pilar. BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008…
Sogo at Lehitimasyon ng Komersyal na Bawal na Pagnanasa
Dito, tulad sa rehimen ni Arroyo, ang halinghing at iri ay sabayang nagsasaad ng pagbulwak ng at pagdisiplina sa bawal. Basta may pera, hindi nabubura, bagkus lalong tumitingkad, ang distinksyon ng bawal at hindi sa mundong ibabaw. NI ROLAND TOLENTINO KULTURANG POPULAR KULTURA Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008 Pejoratibo ang tingin sa…
N. Vizcaya Local Officials Rise vs Mining Firm
Local officials of the province of Nueva Vizcaya dare to fight a mining giant. This is a stark contrast to the national government pledging full support for transnational mining corporations. BY BULATLAT Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008 BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya (268 kms north of Manila) — Gov. Luisa Lloren Cuaresma and other provincial…
‘Katas ng Saudi’ No More; OFW Earnings Go to VAT
With the rising cost of basic commodities coupled with the value-added tax (VAT), millions of overseas Filipino workers say goodbye to “Katas ng Saudi,” or big earnings from Saudi. BY BULATLAT MIGRANT WATCH Vol. VIII, No. 22, JULY 6-12, 2008 “No more ‘Katas ng Saudi!’ OFWs are bleeding dry!” This was the statement of the…
It was Oil, All Along
“The war in Iraq has absolutely nothing to do with oil,” so we were told. It actually is about oil, all along. BY BILL MOYERS AND MICHAEL WINSHIP Truthout.org ALTERNATIVE READER Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 22, July 6-12, 2008 Oh no, they told us, Iraq isn’t a war about oil. That’s cynical and…
U.S. Army in Brzezinki’s Afghan Trap
“That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Soviets into the Afghan trap … The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter: We now have the opportunity of giving to the Soviet Union its Vietnam war.” So said Zbigniew Brzezinski in a media…