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By MARYA SALAMAT
Among those who participated in the recent Lakbayan, the national peasant caravan, were members of the Aberlin Aetas, a tribe in Tarlac whose communities and livelihood are being threatened by a mega-dam project started by the administration of Cory Aquino and now being pursued by the Arroyo regime.
By MARYA SALAMAT
The first time Rep. Luis Villafuerte went up and asked the farmers to meet with him in April, “he hoodwinked us to sign a paper which we thought was just an attendance sheet, but later turned out to be our supposed agreement to donate the lands we have been tilling to Green Earth,” members of Lingap Magsasaka, the farmers' group, told Bulatlat during the northern leg of the 10-day Lakbayan.
The Comelec, by providing Arroyo the opportunity to perpetuate herself in power through the representative-prime minister route and Estrada the opportunity to regain power, is keeping impunity alive.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Despite the glossy image of Canada as one of the places where Filipinos would want to migrate to, poverty and lack of job security are realities that they have to contend with. Mable Elmore, who visited the Philippines recently, said her primary goal as member of Canada's Legislative Assembly is to provide affordable housing, raise the minimum wage and support working single mothers.
By SONNY AFRICA
Amid the unfounded hype about a global economic recovery, the challenge for Philippine development remains to be in the direction of defying the imperialist globalization offensive and genuinely building the domestic economy.
By RITCHE T. SALGADO
Farmers and fisherfolk groups in Negros Occidental have been holding protests outside the capitol to denounce the mounting harassments experienced by Negrense farmers and farm workers. They also denounce a series of moves by landlords to file common and trivial offenses against peasants who demand land reform.
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By RONALYN V. OLEA
Two activists have complained that the Philippine military has been harassing them, the latest in a series of similar intimidations apparently aimed at forcing activists to spy against militant groups for the armed forces.
By ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
“The general public, in a more sustained manner, now demands concrete economic platforms of governance from these candidate. Past elections have been about personality, machinery, and other non-issues.”
"Yes, I have chosen to seek refuge under the revolutionary movement, particularly with the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army and the National Democratic Front. This is the most logical choice on my part because these are the very organizations that can guarantee not only my protection from political killings but also, above all, freedom of the people from the oppressive grip of a reactionary fascist state. I am still breathing and fighting precisely because of this choice."
By GRACE S. UDDIN
Small farmers like Winifreda Cabisay have not benefited much from the government's agrarian-reform program. She was awarded land in 1996 but she has not been awarded a title to it and has had problems maintaining it. With the 10-day Lakbayan, Cabisay hopes that the issues that confront farmers like her will be heard.
By MARYA SALAMAT
The Supreme Court decision came just a month after the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers, representing progressive partylists Bayan Muna, Gabriela partylist and Anakpawis and transport group Piston, filed a petition questioning the RFID project of the LTO.
Majority of victims of human-rights violations in the Philippines are peasants. They are the ones most denied not just land but justice. So any candidate for president who claims to be for justice should, first and foremost, commit to the implementation of a genuine agrarian-reform program. This is why the Hacienda Luisita land problem is a defining issue for Noynoy Aquino.
By MARYA SALAMAT
Act, Migrante and Courage accuse the Arroyo administration of having a hand in the Comelec's decisions to bar them from the partylist race. The rulings were released quite late last year, thus not allowing enough time for the three partylist groups to challenge the decisions. The groups have been active in campaigns against the Arroyo administration's policies, corruption scandals and rights abuses.
By ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO
As the curtain was beginning to fall on 2009, the on-and-off peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) resumed in Kuala Lumpur, with both parties agreeing to begin talks on the drafting of a Comprehensive Peace Compact that would resolve the Moro question. The year, however, drew to a close without any far-reaching movement in the GRP-MILF peace process.
By REP. RAYMOND PALATINO
Manny Villar’s brave decision to openly embrace a platform-based unity with the Left has smashed the taboo in Philippine politics. From now on, the participation of the Left will be expected in future electoral contests for top political posts.
By MARYA SALAMAT
Human-rights violations in 2009 are “numerous and varied and no sector of society is exempted,” belying the Arroyo government’s claim that steps have been taken to improve the Philippine government’s human-rights record, according to Karapatan. And with Oplan Bantay Laya 2's deadline in 2010 fast approaching, more abuses are certain to occur, it said.
By RONALYN V. OLEA
In 2009, the landlord-dominated Philippine Congress extended the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program for another five years. Did the landed legislators, among them President Arroyo's close relatives, go against their interests in passing CARPER? Or did they simply lengthen the agony of Filipino peasants, given that the new program seems worse than the original?
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Land Reform: Crisis in Sugarlandia