(First of three parts) On the way to completing its second term, the Leonardia administration is already battered by dozens of accusations of graft and corruption and bad governance. Worse, Bacolodnons are still baffled by what the Leonardia administration is doing, what it is doing to the city’s coffers, and where it is leading the…
Day: January 19, 2009
A Glimpse of Urban Poverty and Other Basic Problems in Bacolod City
(Second of three parts) The lack of jobs, unstable income, and decent housing, as well as high crime rates – problems exacerbated by the city government’s lack of a pro-people development paradigm – are just among the manifestations that Bacolod is unlikely to grow as a “humane city”. BY KARL G. OMBION SPECIAL REPORT (Bulatlat.com)…
Not an Empowering Government
(Conclusion) Although calls for greater people participation in governance and development are commonly heard and even “recognized” by the Leonardia administration, in reality, its programs and projects rarely involved, if any at all, the people’s meaningful participation. BY KARL G. OMBION SPECIAL REPORT (Bulatlat.com) Although calls for greater people participation in governance and development are…
Who is the Eldest and Who is the Youngest?
Who is the Eldest and Who is the Youngest? It should be fairly easy to tell who among any number of siblings is older and who is younger….
(Photo by OWEN SEGOVIA BAYOG)
Moral Depredation
Firing the Boss
On December 5, 2008, over 200 recently fired workers at the Republic Window and Doors factory in Chicago occupied their plant, demanding they be paid their vacation and severance checks. The occupation ended victoriously six days later when the Bank of America and other lenders to Republic agreed to pay the workers the approximately $2…
Unions Need Unity, But More
A new direction in labor requires linking unions with other social and economic justice movements. Defending immigrants from raids and helping them win legal status is just as important to the growth of unions as passing the Employee Free Choice Act. U.S. workers need a new trade policy, which stops using poverty to boost corporate…
Philippines Effectively Enters Recession
Even as the administration continues to deny that the global economic turmoil will push the country into a deeper crisis, the Philippines has effectively started to enter a recession. BY IBON FOUNDATION Posted by Bulatlat Even as the administration continues to deny that the global economic turmoil will push the country into a deeper crisis,…
Just Say “No” to the Credit Rating Agencies
What is most insidious about the credit agency warnings is the “fallacy of composition” follies it provokes. If collectively countries and investors follow their advice and governments – especially in the largest countries – fail to engage in large enough fiscal expansions – then the prospects for widespread payment problems of sovereign debt surely will…
Why Palestinians Need Our Solidarity
Israel has been carved out like a U.S. military base in the Middle East. The United States uses Israel to lay its claim over vital oilfields for U.S. and other Western companies. In other words, Israel’s role as an imperial base of the United States must provide the context of any discussion of the Gaza…
Dr. Ramon Sison, Versatile Medical Doctor and Filipino Hollywood Actor
For those who are following the careers of Filipino-Americans who have made a name in Hollywood, Dr. Ramon Sison may well be remembered as among the ranks of versatile Filipinos who have made their mark not only as Asian character actors in Hollywood, but also as professionals in the so-called land of milk and honey.…