The anti-JPEPA (Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement) fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) is set to lead an across-the-country “JPEPA-free zone campaign,” where the country’s fishing waters will be declared as free from the execution of the bilateral trade pact currently waiting the concurrence of the Senate. BY GERRY ALBERT CORPUZ Contributed…
Day: August 2, 2008
Starting Early

Starting Early Whoever said that children are too young to be attending protest rallies?(Photo by Angie de Lara/bulatlat.com)
Group Urges Cordi Farmers to ‘Bear Arms’ vs Soldiers
A Cordillera-based activist group is urging the region’s farmers to bear arms to defend themselves from government soldiers who, two weeks ago, allegedly murdered a farmer in Lubuagan, Kalinga. BY ACE ALEGRE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Contributed to Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 26, August 3-9, 2008 BAGUIO CITY (246 kms north of Manila) – A Cordillera-based…
UN Officials Prompt Probe on Death Threats vs Right Worker
In response to the joint letter sent by two United Nations Special Rapporteurs, the Davao City police initiated an investigation on the death threats received by a human rights activist. BY BULATLAT HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Volume VIII, Number 26, August 3 – 9, 2008 DAVAO CITY – A human rights defender appeared August 1 before…
Relatives, Supporters of Detained Peasant Leader Slam ‘Mafia-Style’ Transfer to Manila City Jail
Relatives and supporters of detained Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP or Peasant Movement of the Philippines) deputy secretary-general for external affairs Randall Echanis Aug. 2 denounced the “Mafia-style and highly irregular transfer” of the peasant leader to the Manila City Jail. BY GERRY ALBERT CORPUZ HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH Contributed to Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 26,…
The People’s SONA
PHOTO ESSAY PHOTOS BY ANGIE DE LARA AND RONALYN V. OLEA TEXT BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 26, August 3-9, 2008 The sky was cloudy and there were intermittent rains on July 28, when activists took to the streets to greet Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) with protests.…
No Justice, Impunity Prevails
Relatives of victims of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances deplore the fact that up to now justice still remains elusive and impunity still prevails even as the Supreme Court promulgated new remedies such as the writ of amparo. Worse, the Court of Appeals has dismissed the cases that they filed thereby providing the conditions for…
Online Petition Seeks to Scrap Remittance Charges
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have taken their struggle against remittance charges to the worldwide web. Their online petition also includes the demand to remove the value-added tax (VAT) on oil and power. BY ANGIE DE LARA MIGRANT WATCH Bulatlat Volume VIII, Number 26, August 3-9, 2008 Migrante International launched their online petition to scrap remittance…
Paralyzed OFW in Dubai Hospital for Almost a Year
Overseas Filipino worker Baikan Musa has been in a hospital in Dubai for almost a year now. An organization of Filipino migrants has been putting pressure on the Philippine government to provide assistance to the victim. BY BULATLAT MIGRANT WATCH Volume VIII, No. 26, August 3-9, 2008 The chapter of Migrante International in United Arab…
BAD DOG. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog near the river bank. (Photo by Britney Spears)
Federalism Will Entrench the Oligarchy
The proposal for a federal system will further entrench the power of the oligarchs and, being divisive, would leave the country more fragmented. BY THE POLICY STUDY, PUBLICATION, AND ADVOCACY Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CENPEG) Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 26, August 3-9, 2008 More than a year after the move to…