Rice Importation Hurts Local Farmers, Costs NFA Billions in Losses
Not only does rice importation hurt local farmers, it is also the culprit behind the billions of pesos in losses incurred by the National Food Authority (NFA) over the years.
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Not only does rice importation hurt local farmers, it is also the culprit behind the billions of pesos in losses incurred by the National Food Authority (NFA) over the years.

That a motorcycle can carry this many people at once is hard to imagine, but this family seems to have succeeded in pulling it off. Thus far they seem to be having a smooth ride and children are evidently exhilarated at getting to ride with their parents, even as their position calls for extra cautiousness. (Photo by Raymund Villanueva)

Cart Before the Horse. Driving to the market one sunny morning, I saw this funny scene. Talk about catching a cliché on camera. (Photo by Raymund Villanueva)
Even as world crude prices have gone down to approximately their January 2008 levels, current pump prices are still above the averages for the period January-March 2008.
We were young, full of energy and were willing to do anything to contribute toward change.
“Sampung taon na pala iyon?” I told Sally, and laughed. “Naramdaman mo bang tumanda tayo ng sampung taon?” I added. We went on sharing memories, those moments when we held meetings until the wee hours of the night at the Anakbayan headquarters on P. Noval in Sampaloc, Manila; the allies we encountered during the campaign; all the “gimmicks” we devised to oust Estrada and even the times when we skipped meals because we had no money; and many more.
By RAYMUND B. VILLANUEVA / Kodao Productions / Bulatlat.com
I was caught in the middle of a gunfight that lasted hours in Tugaya, Lanao del Sur while covering the country’s first-ever automated elections. I don’t know if being ‘caught in the middle’ is a correct description because I was there as a journalist and had prior knowledge that that town is a poll hotspot. But I use it nonetheless because I did not want the gunfight to happen, much less witness it up close.
Automation and computerization are supposed to make life easier. It is supposed to speed up processes by minimizing human intervention. After all, machines are more efficient, more precise, and do not tire easily compared to humans. However, this is not the case with the first Philippine Automated Election System.
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