MANILA — In a privilege speech on September 23, Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello said there is no hard evidence, here and abroad, that the Conditional Cash Transfer program has brought “people out of poverty.” He added that the CCT is “a coordinated strategy of pressure by external agencies, namely the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and…
Month: October 2010
Typhoon Juan Affects Livelihood of Residents of Ilocos Sur
Joan Garcia Bulatlat.com VIGAN CITY, Ilocos Sur-As the storm surge caused by typhoon Juan continues to affect the coastal areas of the province, the livelihood of residents of at least nine barangays in Santa and Candon remains in peril. Last October 20, Ernesto Lopez Jr. and his fellow fishermen were still trying to salvage their…
News in Pictures: Noynoy a ‘Total Failure’, Says Peasant Group
Thousands of farmers from various provinces in Southern Mindanao held a protest-march dubbed “Martsa alang sa Yuta ug Hustisya!” (March for Land and Justice!) at Rizal Park, Davao City on October 22. Led by the Kilusang Magbubukid sa Pilipinas-Southern Mindanao Region, farmers threw eggs with red paint at a poster bearing President Benigno Aquino III’s face, calling him a total failure for not having the heart nor the political intent and morality to uplift the plight of hapless farmers in the region.
MILF Still Optimistic About Peace Negotiations with Aquino Administration
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“The greatest challenge to the peace process is whether, this time, the President has the political will to surmount all obstacles and opposition… Running parallel is whether the peace process is really a problem solving endeavor or just an exercise to manage the conflict, as what previous presidents, deliberately or otherwise, did.” – MILF Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim.
Critics Slam ‘Conditional Cash Transfer Program’ as Unsustainable, Corruption-Prone
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
“No matter how much the Aquino government spends on the CCT, reducing poverty in the country still boils down to adequate social services and jobs creation, and more importantly, a ‘national development strategy’.” – Kadamay
Sidebar: Akbayan Reps, 19 Others Flip-Flop, Sign Resolution Supporting CCT Program
Photo of the Week: Umbrella Fixer
Umbrella Fixer
Street Shooter: Coach or Couch?
Coach or Couch?
Luis V. Teodoro | Tattered Democracy
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld Posted by Bulatlat.com The Philippine ranking fell from 122nd in 2009 to 156th in the Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres’ (RSF — Reporters Without Borders) 2010 Press Freedom Index released on October 20. The 2010 index covers the period Sept. 1, 2009 to Sept. 1, 2010. The Philippine…
Carol Pagaduan-Araullo | On Amnesty and Other Intriguing Questions
By CAROL PAGADUAN-ARAULLO Streetwise | BusinessWorld Posted by Bulatlat.com The debate on whether President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s amnesty proclamation for soldiers who had rebelled against the government of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is justified begs for more clarity. A confirmed putschist, retired colonel Rex Robles, twitted Senator Joker Arroyo, a political ally of Mrs. Arroyo…
Benjie Oliveros | What is Wrong With K+12 Education Program?
The objective of this grand plan is to align the public school system to the need to produce and sell cheap, skilled labor locally and internationally. Will the K+12 program solve the problems confronting Philippine education? What will be its impact on the education system in the country? By BENJIE OLIVEROS Analysis Bulatlat.com Everybody agrees…
They Grieved Then Took on the Struggle for Justice
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“Who would continue their tasks? The dead could no longer speak. It is us, the ones they left behind, who must carry on what they had started,” said Evangeline Hernandez, mother of slain human rights defender Benjaline “Beng” Hernandez and chairwoman of Hustisya!