“It has helped me make a resolution that the peddlers of lies cannot go on and be left unchecked. Yes, they may be Goliath but the presence of Goliath also gives birth to little Davids.” Edith Burgos, mother of missing activist Jonas Burgos, said this at the launching of the Let the Stones Cry Out!,…
Day: February 21, 2009
No Fear of Falling
No Fear of Falling
The possibility of suffering a bad fall from this wall in Smokey Mountain, Tondo, Manila is apparently the least of this boy’s worries. (Photo by Eric Sales)
Philippine Gov’t ‘Lawyering’ for US on Smith Transfer, Lawyers’ Group Says
A lawyers’ group has denounced the Philippine government for “lawyering for a foreign government” on the transfer of convicted rapist L/Cpl. Daniel Smith of the US Marines to Philippine prison facilities. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat A lawyers’ group has denounced the Philippine government for “lawyering for a foreign government” on the transfer of convicted…
More Filipinos Think Gov’t Won’t Deal with Crisis Well
As the country faces uncertainty in the face of the global economic downturn, the latest IBON survey shows that majority of Filipinos doubt that the administration will be able to address the crisis well. BY IBON FOUNDATION Posted by Bulatlat As the country faces uncertainty in the face of the global economic downturn, the latest…
OFW Remittances amid Crisis: Government’s Dependable Source Faces Challenges
The situation OFWs are now facing is a wake-up call for government which has mythologized overseas remittances as some kind of magic bullet for development BY SONNY AFRICA IBON Features Posted by Bulatlat Even as overseas Filipino workers’ (OFW) remittances grew by 13.7 percent last year, the slowdown in growth in December 2008 draws attention…
‘Katas ng VAT’ Did Not Reach Majority of Filipinos
According to the January 2009 IBON Nationwide Survey, 62.5 percent of the 1,500 respondents said that the government subsidy package did not reach them, while 18.1 percent said that it did. BY IBON FOUNDATION Posted by Bulatlat Malacañang released this week the final P4-billion ($82,850,041 at the current exchange rate of $1=P48.28) tranche of the…
Programmed Helplessness
Too many problems have been confronting the Filipino people. To effectively confront these problems and issues, tough but obvious solutions can be implemented. However, the Arroyo government refuses to act decisively, claiming it could not do anything about it or at best, implements peripheral solutions. This is programmed helplessness. BY BENJIE OLIVEROS ANALYSIS The Supreme…
To Control Or Not to Control: Is the RH Bill Necessary?
The proponents of the bill say a law is necessary to protect women’s and families’ health, but its opponents say the bill not only endangers women’s health but family ties, too. BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA Correspondent Bulatlat Who will win the fiery battle on the passage of the controversial Reproductive Health (RH) bill now pending…
Red Before Maroon: My Reminiscences of UP
My memories of UP are registers of cognitive and affective experiences. And If I believe in rebirth, then UP to me is like a way station before the quarters of pleasures and pains. Where I am now, remembering is the only answer to dismemberment. BY TOMAS T. TALLEDO* Posted by Bulatlat 1. Anamnesis. To Plato…
Amid Crisis: Workers to Launch Association vs Retrenchments, Contractualization; Push Wage Fight
In the midst of the global financial crisis and the resulting job losses in the Philippines, a new labor group is expected to be launched before this month ends. At the same time, the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU or May 1st Movement) has declared that it will continue to push for a P125 across-the-board, nationwide wage increase.
Commentary on the Stimulus Package
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly A basic problem is that the economic stimulus program is mainly targeting the private sector for job creation. Businesses will not begin to hire until they see more profits to be made. But the government’s efforts to make private businesses more profitable are often at odds with getting…