ADVERTISEMENT
For this, we must first experience hope in our faith. Amid the struggles of our brothers and sisters, there is hope if we continue to work for justice and peace; there is hope when we allow ourselves to be with our brothers and sisters in their struggle; there is hope when we journey together as brothers and sisters.
Oligarchs wielding vast political and economic influence have exploited the Mining Act to expand their empires, amassing immense fortunes at the expense of displaced communities, polluted water sources, and deforested landscapes. Enabled by bureaucrat capitalists—corrupt officials who manipulate regulations, grant permits, and overlook environmental violations for personal gain—these mining operations thrive with little accountability.
Today, as we face an election that could shape our democracy, we must not remain passive observers. The call of Christ is to descend from our comfort zones and engage in the realities of the suffering and struggling masses. We cannot afford to be apathetic.
“The shrinking of civic spaces in the Asia-Pacific region is a dire warning of the broader challenges faced by civil society at the national level. It is a call to action for governments to respect, protect, and fulfill the rights of civil society and people's organizations to participate in decision-making processes.”
Bukal ng karunungan ang karanasan ng mga nasa laylayan sa lipunan. Sa kanila rin nanggagaling ang motibasyon para pahusayin ang kaalaman tungo sa klase ng pagbabagong makatutulong sa kanila.
The problem with this type of politics is that it equates the delusions of a crusading politician and family with political empowerment. It weakens collective action for good governance by spreading the illusion that complex social issues can be addressed either by foul language or pitting individuals against each other in a macabre show of public shaming.
Simple lang naman po ang panawagan namin: Transparency. Accountability.
Such efforts at twisting history should be met with resistance. Resist by exposing the lies, shedding light on the truth, and preserving our collective memory.
Alone we cannot do it. A big part of that is because of our readers and supporters, and our reason for being – the marginalized and oppressed sectors, the ordinary Filipinos whose miseries and victories we strive to amplify in every story we produce.
I chose to be part of Bulatlat, the longest-running online alternative news site in the country and the authority in human rights journalism in the Philippines, primarily because I believe in its principles and brand of journalism, which amplifies the voices of marginalized and oppressed. Bulatlat frames their stories based on the perspective of ordinary Filipinos while adhering to the highest standards of journalism.
Now, I write stories, join people’s organizations in fact-finding missions, and, like in my previous work, engage with partners. Sustaining relationships with our sources, especially those in the grassroots, is a significant part of my work. Communicating with sources, partners, and even readers makes me feel more grounded in reality.
In the First Reading from Isaiah (6:1-8), the prophet Isaiah has a powerful vision of God’s holiness. He sees the Lord in all His glory and is overwhelmed by His presence. Isaiah realizes his own unworthiness and sins, but instead of being turned away, God purifies him and calls him to be His messenger. Isaiah’s response is simple yet profound: “Here am I, send me.”
This is my purpose in life, I thought, to fight for the people and with the people. Eventually, I coped with my first heartbreak as I have found my true purpose.
Para sa ating dalawa, susing salik sa mas malakas na pagsasama ang pagkakaroon ng isang anak. Sinisikap nating palakihin siya nang matino, gamit ang dangal at husay hindi lang mula sa libro kundi mula sa nakakasalamuha niya.
The Marcos Jr. administration now says it’s willing to sit down with the International Criminal Court to discuss “certain areas” of cooperation on the latter’s investigation, started in 2018, on former president Duterte’s “war on drugs.” The timeline goes back to the time he was Davao City mayor.
I was walking with a colleague to the Surigao house we share and came to talk about her first foray into the city. A development worker, she had come from Iligan and had just been onboarded into a response team here in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Odette in 2021. Her work then must have been challenging, made even more difficult by the prevailing Covid. Being new here myself and getting a lot of help settling in, I was immediately reminded that I arrived at a better time.
As the new year begins, it’s the flourishing corruption that the country’s business executives are most worried about, according to a survey towards yearend 2024 conducted by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP).
Napanood mo ba ang viral na bidyo? Sige, panoorin mo pang muli. Sana nama’y higit pa sa 42 segundo ang pagninilay-nilay sa konteksto ng mga pangunahing karakter. Huwag din sanang mabilis na maghusga, lalo na sa ginawa ng guwardiya.
In Jesus’ time, while water is essential, it is often unsafe to drink due to high possibility of contamination. Waterborne diseases were very common and were a major cause of death especially to the poor. Historically, wine being fermented, was a safer and more practical option, frequently diluted with water to purify it and extend its use. In our scripture reading, at Cana, there were six stone jars filled with water for purification, these were meant for ritual purposes, yet as we look beyond the narrative and fill the gaps of the story, these tapayans, or clay jars were not just religious objects but practical necessities. These are symbols of survival in a world of scarcity. If there’s no clean water and no wine, what else could there be?
Surely, the increasing number of self-declared poor among our people is a cause for national concern. The government’s poverty-reduction program definitely needs serious evaluation, what with the contributory negative causes such as calamities, both natural and man-made, that come aplenty every year. This negative trend notwithstanding, two positive developments at the beginning of the new year provide us reasons to cheer up.
A community of readers and supporters that help us sustain our operations through microdonations for as low as $1.