The “massacre” of government employees’ jobs begins now that the Supreme Court (SC) has upheld the constitutionality of the much disputed Republic Act No. 9335 or the Lateral Attrition Act of 2005, authored by Quezon Rep. Danilo E. Suarez. BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA Bulatlat.com Vol. VIII, No. 30, August 31-September 6, 2008 The “massacre” of…
Bulatlat Contributors
Families of Desaparecidos Gather for International Day of the Disappeared
BY JEFF OCAMPO Bulatlat.com August 30, 2008 – 11:27 p.m. Families of victims of enforced disappearances, along with their supporters, party-list groups and people’s organizations gathered today, August 30, to mark the International Day of the Disappeared and held a program at Plaza Miranda in Quiapo around 3 p.m. to call for justice for the…
Gov’t Employees’ Group Says Malacañang is Behind Meralco Ownership Mess
BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA Bulatlat.com Posted 5:11 p.m., Aug. 27, 2008 Quezon City—It is Malacañang, all this time that has been behind the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) ownership issue, using the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) to pressure the Lopez bloc to give up its shares. This was the statement of the Confederation for Unity,…
Truth Festival: An Exposé of GMA’s Long List of Liabilities
Various religious formations, people’s organizations and artist groups organized a cultural event dubbed as the “Truth Festival” which aimed to “expose the liability of Arroyo government” in the worsening economic condition of the country and the armed conflict in Mindanao. Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN) and its member organizations aired out their respective grievances and demands…
Proposed Housing Agency will Worsen the Housing Problem – NHA Union
The proposed Department of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD) is not the answer to the current housing problem in the Philippines: it will even create a monstrous problem: soaring housing prices and land-use conversions that would result to food insecurity. BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA Bulatlat.com Vol. VIII, No. 29, August 24-30, 2008 QUEZON CITY—For employees…
Globalisation, Lawyers and the State
The traditional role of lawyers has been challenged in recent decades by the growth of social movement lawyering which emerged from two developments. First, the radical lawyer movements of the mid-sixties and seventies4 and, second, the emergence of human rights legal activism which has seen lawyers involved in a wide range of issues and movements.5…
ILPS Decries US Hypocrisy on the Russian-Georgian Conflict, Demands US Imperialism and NATO to Get Out of Caucasus
Georgia unleashed the aggression against South Ossetia and against the Russian peacekeeping force there by raining artillery fire, missiles and bombs on the capital city of Tskhinvali and sending an invasionary armored force against it on August 7 and 8. Hundreds of civilians were killed. Russian peacekeeping troops were also killed and wounded. Only subsequently…
The US Missile Defence System Is The Magic Pudding That Will Never Run Out
Poland is just the latest fall guy for an American foreign policy dictated by military industrial lobbyists in Washington BY GEORGE MONBIOT The Guardian ALTERNATIVE READER Posted by Bulatlat.com Vol. VIII, No. 29, August 24-30, 2008 It’s a novel way to take your own life. Just as Russia demonstrates what happens to former minions that…
The Global Economic War
From Nigeria to the Philippines, Mexico to India, insurgents are finding new ways to mobilise rage. It is in Afghanistan that the tactical impact will be most sharply felt. BY PAUL ROGERS Open Democracy ALTERNATIVE READER Posted by Bulatlat.com Vol. VIII, No. 29, August 24-30, 2008 From Nigeria to the Philippines, Mexico to India, insurgents…
JRU Students Suspended, Condemn ‘Campus Repression’
Nineteen students of Jose Rizal University (JRU) in Mandaluyong were suspended after organizing a snake rally on the afternoon of July 17. These students are dismayed over the “blatant campus repression.” BY JEFFREY OCAMPO Bulatlat.com Vol. VIII, No. 29, August 24-30, 2008 Nineteen students from Jose Rizal University (JRU) who organized a snake rally within…
‘It is My Strongest Hope That No One Sees Violence As a Way to Peace’
“It is my strongest hope that no one sees violence as a way to peace,” she said. These were the words of US Ambassador Kristie Kenney on Tuesday, Aug. 19, commenting on skirmishes between government forces and Moro rebels in Mindanao. It is an interesting statement coming from the highest-level representative of the US government…