By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld What’s a Philippine election for that one should once more be inflicted on us? It’s certainly not so the citizenry can elect new leaders–or even remotely better ones, that possibility being nil with the dominance of a handful of dynasties over the political system. Neither is it…
Month: January 2013
Open Letter to Mark Duke, CEO of Walmart: Take the lead on raising minimum wage
By RALPH NADER Commondreams.org Mike Duke CEO ?Walmart Corporation?Bentonville Arkansas Dear Mr. Duke, Walmart, your gigantic company, is increasingly being challenged by your workers, government prosecutors, civil lawsuits, communities (that do not want a Walmart), taxpayers learning about your drain on government services and corporate welfare, and small businesses and groups working with unions such…
Martial law victims hail initial victory on compensation bill
By RONALYN V. OLEA
‘More than the monetary compensation, the bill represents the only formal, written document that acknowledges that martial law violated the human rights of Filipinos and that there were courageous people who fought the dictatorship.’ Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan
26 years after Mendiola massacre, farmers still fight for genuine land reform
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Agrarian reform has not yet been achieved, no matter how Aquino seeks to create the illusion that his administration has finished implementing it.
‘Malacañang’s hand now all over Freedom of Info bill’
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“It’s no longer Freedom of Information but Freedom of Exemption.” – Raymond Palatino, Kabataan Partylist
Jail officers forego ‘overkill’ security measures with poet Ericson Acosta
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA –Poet-songwriter Ericson Acosta is happy to be out of the Calbayog sub-provincial jail in Samar where he had been detained for 23 months on trumped-up criminal charges. His freedom is temporary, though. And Acosta is aware his battle still has a long way to go. The court granted him…
Farmers bring land reform demands to Noynoy’s gate at Times St.
Farmers bring land reform demands to Noynoy’s gate at Times St. (Photo by Pom Cahilog-Villanueva / Bulatlat.com)
Whitewash, greater damage to reef, marine life feared for Tubbataha
Read main story: Punish US Navy for violating Phl laws; Stop use of Phl as US military base, Aquino urged By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com MANILA – As it becomes clearer that the US Navy’s minesweeper USS Guardian could not just be dragged away from the erstwhile protected Tubbataha Reef — extraction supposedly by lifting is…
Workers push for wage hike bill in 15th Congress
By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com MANILA – This week marks the last nine session days before Congress takes a recess for election campaign. As such, workers led by labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) tried to remind the lawmakers not to leave behind their years-long demand for Congress to immediately pass the P125 across-the-board wage hike…
Revved-up counterinsurgency
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star “I am now in a position to influence the implementation of (Oplan) Bayanihan as chief of staff because I now become its operational commander. Unlike when I was the CGPA (commanding general of the Philippine Army), I had a limited role as the force…
Mendiola massacre marked with protests, critique of ‘bogus’ growth
MANILA — Multisectoral group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) joined peasant organizations today in remembering the brutal Mendiola massacre. It underscored that economic growth will only be inclusive if genuine agrarian reform is implemented in the country. On January 22, 1987, thousands of farmers and supporters trooped to Mendiola bridge in Manila to press the late…