Iraq, like Vietnam, is a conflict where political realities on the ground will trump America’s overwhelming military force. BY STEVE WEISSMAN T r u t h o u t | Perspective Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No, 30, August 31-September 6, 2008 Back in January, the Bush administration proposed a Status of Forces Agreement to…
Month: August 2008
Not the Same as Being Equal
Violence against women is “epidemic.” Eighty-seven percent of women complain of domestic violence. Half of those cases involve sexual violence. Sixty percent of marriages are still forced. Fifty-seven percent of brides are still under the legal age of 16. What would you call this massive use of force, complete with torture, if not “war” –…
Access to Information Pushed
Filipino journalists consider access to information as vital in their profession. The right to information is not only a right of journalists but of ordinary citizens, too. In the words of Nepo Malaluan, co-convenor of Access to Information Network (ATIN), “Non-access to public information can lead to, or be used to hide corruption.” BY RONALYN…
Photo Essay: Scavenging at the Felisa Dumpsite
Fisherfolk Sail Cebu-Bohol Strait to Oppose Aussie Offshore Mining Firm
The offshore mining in Cebu-Bohol Strait and other parts of the Visayan basin will affect the livelihood of more than 100,000 small fishermen and 500,000 dependents, and will further exacerbate the problem of food security of 87 million Filipinos. BY GERRY ALBERT CORPUZ Bulatlat.com Volume VIII, Number 30, August 31 – September 6, 2008 ARGAO,…
Lateral Attrition Act of 2005 to Bring Mass Layoffs – Gov’t Employees’ Group
The “massacre” of government employees’ jobs begins now that the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the constitutionality of the much disputed Republic Act No. 9335 or the Lateral Attrition Act of 2005, authored by Quezon Rep. Danilo E. Suarez. BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA Bulatlat.com Vol. VIII, No. 30, August 31-September 6, 2008 The “massacre” of…
Families of Desaparecidos Gather for International Day of the Disappeared
BY JEFF OCAMPO Bulatlat.com August 30, 2008 – 11:27 p.m. Families of victims of enforced disappearances, along with their supporters, party-list groups and people’s organizations gathered today, August 30, to mark the International Day of the Disappeared and held a program at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo around 3 p.m. to call for justice for the…
Malacañang‘s Proposed Budget, Anti-Poor – GABRIELA
BY Bulatlat.com August 29, 2008 – 2:00 p.m. Women’s group GABRIELA branded Malacañang’s proposed P1.415 trillion budget for 2009 budget as anti-poor. The group said that to claim that it will provide ‘welfare armor’ for poor families is a complete lie. In a statement, Emmi de Jesus, GABRIELA secretary general, explained that the P10.5 billion…
Group Says Arroyo’s Cha-cha Spells Surrender of Nat’l Patrimony to US
BY Bulatlat.com August 29, 2008 – 2:15 p.m. DAVAO CITY – Members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) staged a protest action in this city against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s proposed charter change. In a statement, Makpil Camacho, Bayan-Southern Mindanao Region (SMR) deputy secretary general, said, “The US is using the marionette Arroyo regime to amend the constitution…
Gov’t Employees’ Group Says Malacañang is Behind Meralco Ownership Mess
BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA Bulatlat.com Posted 5:11 p.m., Aug. 27, 2008 Quezon City—It is Malacañang, all this time that has been behind the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) ownership issue, using the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to pressure the Lopez bloc to give up its shares. This was the statement of the Confederation for Unity,…
Student Group Launches Campaign vs Mindanao War
BY Bulatlat.com Posted 5:30 p.m., Aug. 27, 2008 Student groups led by the League of Filipino Students (LFS) today kicked-off campus campaigns against the escalation of the conflict in Mindanao, for which they blamed the Arroyo administration. According to the LFS, the campaign will take the form of an information drive which they will launch…