2013 is the defining year for the Aquino administration. First, the country entered the midterm of the Aquino presidency. All that has been happening in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the country is now a result of the Aquino administration’s own policies. It could no longer shift the blame on its predecessor, the much-hated Macapagal-Arroyo administration. Second, the Aquino administration faced the very issues that it raised against the previous administration: corruption, bribery, trapo politics, and political dynasties; and impunity in human rights violations and killings of journalists. Third, President Benigno Aquino III declared that it would finally settle, this year, the decades-old land issue involving the Cojuangco-Aquino clan. Fourth, its ability to respond to crisis was severely tested by the strongest typhoon to ever make landfall and a devastating earthquake, which hit the country at a time when the Filipino people has barely risen from two strong typhoons that hit the country late last year.

So how did the Aquino administration fare?

5 ways Cojuangco-Aquinos evade land distribution in Luisita

To this day, however, not one of the 6,296 farmworker-beneficiaries neither got hold of original land titles nor started cultivating any piece of land distributed by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR). The DAR is mandated by the high court to implement the SC ruling.

The Cojuangco-Aquinos who had reigned over the more than 4,915 hectares for more than five decades are doing everything to keep the land in its control. The clan of President Aquino, mainly through DAR, has frustrated land distribution through the following tactics. (Click here to read the entire report)

6 cases showing impunity under Aquino

In May 2010, President Benigno Aquino III told ambassadors of the European Union (EU) who visited him in his residence at Times street that he would resolve the problem of extrajudicial killings.

“The extrajudicial killings would have to be solved. It does not mean just identifying the perpetrators but capturing them and also sending them to jail,” Aquino was quoted as saying in a report.

Bulatlat.com selected six prominent cases of extrajudicial killings committed during Aquino’s reign. These cases reveal that the human rights situation in the country remains to be bleak. (Click here to read the entire report)

4 alleged human rights violators promoted by Aquino

If Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has a favorite general in the person of retired Gen. Jovito Palparan Jr., President Benigno Aquino III has his own favorites too. These military officials who have been promoted and appointed to key positions by Aquino have, like Palparan, tainted records when it comes to human rights violations. (Click here to read the entire report)




13 natural and man-made disasters of 2013

In summary, the biggest disaster of the year is the government of BS Aquino as proven by the president’s mishandling of crisis situations, his stubborn defense of pork politics, his support for extractive activities which contributed to the further degradation of the environment, his inaction over continuing human rights abuses inflicted against activists and journalists, and his shameful lack of leadership when Yolanda hit the country. Filipinos deserve a better government. (Click here to read the entire report)










‘We Should Legalize Everything’ and other shocking sound bites of 2013

2013 was a calamitous year for the Philippines – earthquakes, strong typhoons, bus crashes, corruption scandals. The reactions of various newsmakers to these disasters have revealed a lot of things about the fundamental flaws in governance, and in particular the inability of President BS Aquino to govern properly and decisively. Let us review some of these popular sound bites which seemed at first to be irrelevant one-liners. Actually, many of these airtime and print fillers exposed the bankruptcy of the ruling order.



‘Wrecking Ball’ and other objects that made news in 2013

1. Martilyo. Robbers belonging to the ‘Martilyo Gang’ used a hammer and crowbar to rob jewelry shops in SM North Edsa, the grandmother of all supermalls in the country. Because of this incident which happened during the Christmas shopping rush, hammers cannot be sold anymore in malls and police has banned the wearing of caps and sunglasses inside shopping centers. SM should revise its jingle: We’ve got it all for you, except hammers.

2. Payong. Mayor Junjun Binay drew controversy after he reportedly berated Dasmarinas guards for blocking his security convoy. Even more controversial was the umbrella used by his aide even if there was no rain and it was evening. Many quickly remembered how a former Supreme Court Chief Justice used to hold umbrellas for former First Lady Imelda Marcos during Martial Law. Interestingly, only few mentioned Bro Mike Velarde and his ‘baliktarin ang payong’ preaching.

3 issues confronted by OFWs in 2013

Over the years, remittances sent by overseas Filipino workers have kept the country’s economy afloat. But time and again, migrant rights advocacy groups have pointed out that despite the major contribution of OFWs to the economy, they experience utter neglect from the government.

From January to October 2013, Filipino migrant workers have sent $18,542,112,000, compared to $17,498,550,000 during the same period last year. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas noted in its report that dollar remittances of OFWs have increased by 5.96 percent.

Garry Martinez, chairperson of Migrante International, told Bulatlat.com that despite being touted by the government as modern day heroes for their contribution to the economy, overseas Filipino workers have received no government assistance. The Aquino government’s response, or non-response, to the plight of OFWs who were affected by the Saudization policy – a labor scheme mandating companies to hire Saudi nationals to comprise at least 10 percent of their total workforce – Martinez said, stripped it of any pretense that it is looking after the welfare of OFWs in distress.

Why claims of stellar economic growth, industrial peace, taunt rather than cheer PH workers

For progressive unions, Aquino’s ‘stellar economic growth’ and ‘industrial peace’ are rosy reports that cheer only the corporate few who benefit from it. For the working majority, the claims sounded more like a taunt because it rested on what they call as ‘false claims’ or deception, coupled with repression.

Amid the flurries of yearender stories are boasts coming from the Office of President Benigno Aquino III that the Philippine economy is enjoying a stellar economic growth. But if statistics were to be cited at all, the progressive labor center Kilusang Mayo Uno said what best captures the workers’ plight in recapping 2013 is this: “P10 billion ($225 million) kickback for Napoles, P10 million ($225 thousand) pork for the SSS board, and P10 ($0.23) wage hike for workers.”
(Click here to read the entire report)

2013: Unchanged policies and economic disasters

The year 2013 has seen more rapid economic growth, rising foreign investment, and praise from international agencies and big business – yet also falling job generation, rising unemployment, soaring prices, growing poverty, and stagnant incomes.

The Aquino administration will be announcing a revised economic development plan and industrial road maps at the start of 2014. However if the policy choices remain biased for foreign investors and local big business, these plans will unlikely lead to improved conditions for the majority Filipinos. In fact, growth is becoming more exclusionary with every year of the Aquino administration and its unreformed economic policies. (Click here to read the entire report)

In 2013, demolitions, privatization, corruption burdened the urban poor

Attacks against the urban poor have remained rampant in 2013, in the name of so-called development, according to urban poor group Kadamay.

“During the first half of 2013, urban poor communities experienced rampant threats of demolition of their homes. Toward the end of the year, the threats relatively became lesser. But the attacks against the rights of urban poor families continued in various ways,” Gloria Arellano, chairperson of Kadamay, told Bulatlat.com.

Arellano said that aside from demolition, urban poor and rights advocates also struggled against privatization of basic social services under President Aquino’s centerpiece program public private partnerships, and the infamous pork barrel scandal. (Click here to read the entire report)