It may seem that the arrest of Jose Maria Sison, August 28, was a simple case of the Dutch police enforcing its laws; it may also seem that the announcement of the Philippine National Police, also last August 28, that it is the New People’s Army who abducted Jonas Burgos is a simple case of…
Category: Commentary
Blaming the Media
Both the Arroyo administration and the opposition were blaming the media in the aftermath of the May elections: the former for the defeat of most of its candidates for senator, the latter for its disastrous performance in the local elections. None of them blamed themselves for the common bankruptcy of their candidates’ campaigns and the…
Of Joma and Jonas, Doble and Abalos
A lot of news seems to be competing for the deadlines: the arrest of Jose Maria Sison, the enforced disappearance of Jonas Burgos, the expose of Vidal Doble and the “Hello Garci” tapes, and the NBN deal and the alleged involvement of Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos. However, these seeming disparate news are actually connected. BY…
The Bane of Urban Militarization
The fascist mindset of the Arroyo government is reflected in the logic of Marikina City Mayor Marides Fernando, in justifying urban militarization, that “order precedes peace.” That is the logic of the all-out wars in Central Luzon, Southern Tagalog, Bicol, Samar and Leyte, Cagayan Valley, CARAGA region, among others, and recently in Basilan and Sulu.…
The Bursting of the Bubble
The declines in the stock market and values of currencies may aptly be described as a bursting of the bubble because it reveals a lot of things: the real state of the world economy and the dominance of international mobile capital; the fundamental weakness and vulnerability of the Philippine economy; and the empty boasts of…
The Crux of the Moro Problem*
It is clear why the Philippine government is not about to give up Mindanao or even only the acknowledged Moro ancestral domains to the Moro people. All talk about national sovereignty and the indivisibility of Philippine territory is just a convenient cover for the real reasons: ownership of land by big non-Moro landowners, including multinationals…
Tell That to the Marines
No matter how successful the government may be in conjuring a picture of improved peace and order conditions in Mindanao, the truth is bound to emerge sooner or later, as in the latest Basilan incident. BY CAROL PAGADUAN-ARAULLO Streetwise/Business World Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No. 27, August 12-18, 2007 No matter how successful the…
An Offense against All
With the Human Security Act, the police and the military are in almost the same situation as they were during the early days of martial law, when they didn’t quite know what they could or couldn’t do– but did learn fast enough. BY LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point/Business World Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VII, No.…
The Deteriorating Education System and Worsening Poverty Situation
Consistent with its policies of deregulation and privatization, and limiting government spending, the Macapagal-Arroyo administration has been reducing its budget for education leading to the deterioration of the educational system and the decreasing access of the poor to education. And yet it is wondering why more and more people, including college graduates are not able…
Bankrupt
The only question now is what other surprises the majority will pull, whether in the Senate or the House, in furtherance of subverting the results of the elections which loudly proclaimed public antipathy towards the rule of the one president they’ve consistently disapproved of over the last four years. But as Mrs. Arroyo and company…
Precious Oil
The Independent Philippine Petroleum Companies Association (IPCA) announced that the public will again expect (dread seems to be a more appropriate word) another round of fuel price increases averaging at P0.50 per liter in the coming weeks. This, IPCA Chairman Glen Yu said, will have to be implemented because of a $4 dollar per barrel…