The bombings that took place in Mindanao earlier this month are the handiwork of people who want the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to completely collapse, the spokesperson of the Moro revolutionary group said. These, he said, are people who are…
Category: Agrarian Reform
So Young, So Committed, and So Much in Danger
Even as young lawyers, they have witnessed injustices being committed as they chose to defend the oppressed. And because they persist in handling “controversial” cases, Jobert Pahilga and Noel Neri have earned the ire of some of the country’s most powerful landlords and capitalists, as well as state security forces, and have become victims themselves…
New Rice Varieties Destroying Native Farming Practices
Ina Endena is concerned at the impact of the new rice varieties on Agawa community life. Since the introduction of the biit, the synchronized planting season has been inexistent. During a community holiday for example, the farmers usually break the ubaya or community taboo just to tend their fields for the application of needed fertilizers…
‘Pakyao’ Makes Negros Sugar Farm Hands Poorer
The “pakyao” system or piece-rate labor arrangement has replaced the work arrangement in many sugar farms in Negros. Workers on “pakyao” system set their own work time and methods, divide among themselves the contracted price which is usually lower than minimum wage, and they do not enjoy basic benefits provided by the labor law. They…
A Cry for Justice
There was nothing worth stealing from the bishop except the life he had dedicated to the fight for truth, social justice, a better lot for the exploited and oppressed and genuine peace. The authorities are not at all interested in finding out who would have wanted and benefited from snuffing out such a life. By…
Bishop Alberto Ramento: True Bishop of the Poor
Many paid tribute to Bishop Alberto Ramento. But the most touching tribute came from workers he supported during their struggles. As his son, Alberto Ramento III, said, “Hanggang sa huli, pag-aari pa rin siya ng simbahan. Hanggang sa huli, siya ay para pa rin sa masa.” (Until the end, he is owned by the church.…
Iglesia Filipina Independiente: A Revolutionary Heritage
It is not surprising for the IFI to have so many priests and even bishops who are at the same time also high-profile activists. The involvement of these IFI clerics in the cause-oriented movement is but a reflection of their church’s activist orientation, which is a product of its revolutionary heritage. BY ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO…
The Bishop of the Workers and Peasants
All of us are in grief and feel a deep sense of loss over the murder of Bishop Ramento. But we are all comforted by the fact that he has lived a full and meaningful life in the service of his faith and the oppressed and exploited people. BY PROF. JOSE MARIA SISON Posted by…
Bishop’s Killing Shows Church under Attack – IFI
Fr. Terry Revollido said the Iglesia Filipino Independiente (IFI) is under attack because it is the church “of the workers, the peasants and other poor people.” In his homily at the wake of Bishop Ramento in Tarlac City he said that the bishop died because he fulfilled the church’s mission to be on the side…
People’s Land Reform in Hacienda Luisita
“It is a dream come true. Old women in the village are literally crying with happiness when they saw long stretches of palay (unhusked rice grain) being spread on the concrete road to dry under the sun. They say this is what they have been waiting for all these years, to see the hacienda producing…
Workers’ Rights Trampled Upon by GMA’s Total War
The Arroyo regime’s “total war” is not only victimizing progressive party lists, lawyers, church workers, teachers, students, and peasants. It is also victimizing workers who are peacefully exercising their union rights as the experience of the Samahan ng mga Manggagawa sa Console Farms (SAMACOFA or the Union of Workers at Console Farms) in Central Luzon…