By TODAY'S LENS
Benjie Oliveros | Sep 26, 2015
12 Iloilo activists arrested in violent dispersal of UP protest
12 Iloilo activists arrested in violent dispersal of UP protest
"Political repression remains a brutal reality for many Filipinos three decades after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship.”
Remembering Martial Law: Blame it on the system, and the person
Remembering Martial Law: Blame it on the system, and the person
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective It has been more than four decades, 43 years to be exact, since the late president Ferdinand E. Marcos declared Martial Law, and it has been 29 years since the Filipino people ousted the dictatorship. The current generation...
In search of a hero
In search of a hero
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective After months of speculation, Sen. Grace Poe finally announced her intention to run for president in the 2016 elections. Even before Senator Poe announced her candidacy, she has been topping the polls over erstwhile...
Trying to kill a dream
Trying to kill a dream
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective One of the multi-awarded reporters of a major media conglomerate interviewed on national television the head of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples Leonor T. Oralde-Quintayo regarding the spate of killings of Lumads...
The principle of separation of church and state
The principle of separation of church and state
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective The principle of separation of church and state has been much abused and misinterpreted (or rather interpreted for political ends) in the country, especially after the Sin of Edsa I. Of course, the Sin that this writer is...
Eh buhay ka pa di ba? and other inane, contemptuous statements, acts
Eh buhay ka pa di ba? and other inane, contemptuous statements, acts
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective After President Aquino was pressured to put a stop to the random opening of balikbayan boxes by the Bureau of Customs to look for something to tax, Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina did not even sound apologetic. He was...
Democracy in the 21st century
Democracy in the 21st century
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective The phone calls of citizens are recorded and turned over to intelligence agencies. Emails and Internet searches are likewise monitored. If one makes the mistake of mentioning Allah or Islam in his or her email, the said email...
Sorry for us consumers, it’s always a Lose-Lose situation during corporate-government disputes
Sorry for us consumers, it’s always a Lose-Lose situation during corporate-government disputes
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Under the regime of privatization and deregulation, corporate-government disputes are occurring with increasing frequency, especially when consumers are able to force the hand of government to fight for its interests. For...
Preying on Greece’s woes
Preying on Greece’s woes
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Greece is in a precarious situation. It had to accept a new round of hard austerity measures being pushed by the European Union in exchange for the release of $96 billion in bailout funds that would pay its maturing debt,...
So much of economic growth hype
So much of economic growth hype
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Called by Asian Development Bank president Takehiko Nakao as a potential “rising star of Asia,” is the country really headed toward being an economically developed country as President Aquino boasted in his last State of the...
Teachers ask SC for TRO on Ph-Japan pacts
Teachers ask SC for TRO on Ph-Japan pacts
“This unconstitutional act embodies President Aquino’s endorsement of the militaristic path of the Abe administration, proof that he is all too willing to act as an enabler of a resurgent Japanese militarism.”
Economic crisis still afflicting the world
Economic crisis still afflicting the world
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective It has been seven to eight years since the world was rocked by an economic cataclysm called the housing crisis. Banks and financial investment houses that were hitherto believed to be too big to fall were rocked at its...
Stop harassments, violations of due process, privacy
Stop harassments, violations of due process, privacy
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Raquel and Mervin Toquero were having breakfast with their children at their home in Cavite last June 28, 2015, when two men who identified themselves as soldiers suddenly appeared at their kitchen door asking for Raquel. The...
Ruffling the feathers of conservatives
Ruffling the feathers of conservatives
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Two issues are ruffling the feathers of conservatives recently: divorce and same-sex marriage. Late last week, Pope Francis was quoted admitting that there are instances when it is “morally necessary” to end a marriage. “ One...
It’s all a matter of self-interest
It’s all a matter of self-interest
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Vice President Jejomar Binay was right when he called the Aquino administration as callous and incompetent. How would one call an administration that refuses to raise the salaries and wages of rank and file workers and...
HR violations to hound P-Noy in his last SONA
HR violations to hound P-Noy in his last SONA
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star A month hence President Aquino will deliver his sixth and last state-of-the-nation address. However much he may embellish his administration’s achievements on the economy, anti-corruption drive and...
Vencer Crisostomo | Fighting for the future
Vencer Crisostomo | Fighting for the future
The rage of Vencer Crisostomo, chairperson of Anakbayan, is rooted on his aspirations for his son, Andoy, as well as for the next generation’s future.
Are we anywhere near peace in Mindanao?
Are we anywhere near peace in Mindanao?
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective The headlines of major dailies trumpeted the symbolic decommissioning of 145 fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the turning over of 75 high-powered firearms. It is supposed to be a positive step toward peace....
Surviving an earthquake
Surviving an earthquake
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat.com Talks of the impending Big One, the strong earthquake that would result from the inevitable movement of the West Valley Fault makes me relive the nightmare of the Baguio earthquake in 1990. Yes, I was in Baguio City when a magnitude...
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