It takes convincing the electorate who have long been sickened by elections that mean nothing to their lives and future that this one is more than just a choice between Estrada’s candidates and Arroyo’s candidates and is, therefore, different. The opposition should be able to show that this is beyond ousting Arroyo and beyond retaking…
Category: Commentary
Two Small Hopes
The report of United Nations Special Rapporteur Philip Alston on the culpability of the military in the spate of political killings, and the formation of the anti-fraud group Kontra-Daya addressed two critical issues confronting the Arroyo government: its crisis of legitimacy and charges of electoral fraud; and the gross violations of human rights especially the…
Dalawang Buwan Matapos ang Reming, Albay
Nananaginip si Bobet gabi-gabi ng pagbukas niya sa bintana at rumaragasa ang putik at bato. Maitim ang ilog sa bukana ng bahay. Tinatangay ang sumasalungat na tao, manok, baboy at kalabaw. Naghuhimiyaw ang mga ito pero hindi kaya ng dambuhalang tunog ng pagragasa. At araw-araw ay gumigising si Bobet para maglakad, wala namang pinatutunguhan, pero…
Elections: A Critical View
Mrs. Arroyo and other reactionaries are bound to fail because they overestimate their own strength and underestimate the people’s intelligence, determination and capacity to take destiny in their own hands. By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo BusinessWorld Posted by Bulatlat Not a few friends and even fellow activists have asked whether the right thing to do in the…
Electoral Showdown
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has so polarized the country that one is either pro or anti, no in-betweens. The UNO senatorial candidates, in particular, and the anti-Arroyo movement, in general have their political differences, as the administration is wont to point out. But Arroyo has pushed them together against her. BY BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat The battle lines…
Senate Approved Anti-Terror Bill Not Watered Down but More Draconian Than the House Version
District representatives asked to declare no vote during the election CODAL wishes to correct members of the Senate who contend that their version of the anti-terrorism bill is watered down. In this instance, the authors of the House version could not outdo Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile in crafting a bill intended to terrorize legitimate dissenters.…
Congress: A Hall of Injustice
The senators who voted for the anti-terrorism bill have nothing to say against the constitutional anomaly that while the measure gives the chief executive and the military vast authoritarian powers it is silent on Congress’ lack of power as a “check and balance mechanism” to executive abuse. BY BOBBY TUAZON Bulatlat Members of Congress, pro-administration…
Melo Commission – Still No Surprises*
It is important to point out that while the Melo Commission report is kept under wraps, with only alleged parts of it revealed piecemeal, as suits the purposes of Malacañang, there can not be any meaningful nor even worthwhile response to it except that of continuing caution, if not skepticism. What the human rights organizations,…
U.S. Congress Should Probe into Military Aid to Arroyo Gov’t
Just as members of the U.S. Congress are now conducting a review of Bush’s war policy in Iraq, it may well be timely to include a review of the U.S. armed intervention in the Philippines where the support for the Philippine military operations has promoted gross and systematic violations of human rights. BY BOBBY TUAZON…
Options for 2007
The year 2006 left us with so many options for this year. What will be yours? BY BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat The year 2006 left us with so many options for this year. You have the option to come up with a list of New Year’s resolutions or quit doing so. If you do come up…
U.S. and Latin America: Overview for 2006, Perspectives for 2007
The New Year does not promise ‘more of the same’: it will start with a major US military escalation in the Middle East but it will likely end with a greater military debacle, ensuring deepening political crises and increased economic instability both in the Middle East, the US and Latin America. By James Petras Posted…