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.
Let us end the year with a resolve to defeat the politics represented by Marcos and Duterte and to fight for a just future.
Friends sometimes turn a blind eye to the shortcomings and excesses of their friends but we have always overlooked what the US has done to our country over the past century. The myth of friendship persists which allowed the US to expand its bases and military presence while claiming that all this is for our own good. To punish us for the sins of the few ungrateful ones, they even asked a former bully to play their war games in our backyard.
Nakaangkla ang transpormasyon ng edukasyon sa buod ng namamayaning politika sa bansa. Paalala ito na hindi pwedeng ang tore ng kaalaman sa loob ng klasrum ay ihiwalay sa kalagayan ng lipunan. Hindi pwedeng malaya ang unibersidad pero nananatiling pyudal ang kaisipan sa bansa. Ang paniwalang ito ang nagtulak sa akin, sampu ng iba pa, na suungin ang isang landas na maaaring palabas ng paaralan subalit ang inspirasyon at motibo ay pagbutihin ang kagalingan ng lahat ng paaralan.
Patuloy na nakapagsulat si Amanda Echanis kahit nakakulong at sa kanyang mga akda masusukat ang lalim ng kanyang pagnanasa na lumaya at higit sa lahat ay magpatuloy na lumaban para sa pagbabago.
The year 2023 affirmed the significance of enjoining the people to voice out their demands and aspirations while battling the social evils that continue to plague the nation.
Kapupulutan ng mayamang aral sa kasaysayan ang dula. Higit sa lahat, pinakita ang karaniwang mukha ng aktibista at hindi ang aktibistang ginawang demonyo sa propaganda ng mga pasista.
Given the constraints they face, political prisoners deserve our utmost respect for choosing defiance instead of compromise and collaboration with the class enemy. They provide a dignified example of how to live a life devoted to the cause of fighting with the oppressed. Their activism is demonized and criminalized by those who see no evil in the obscene hoarding of the nation’s wealth by the elite and the exploitation of the poor and powerless by those in power.
The "shutdown APEC" protests in San Francisco, California gathered more than a thousand people who shared testimonies about how APEC impoverished a generation, displaced Indigenous peoples, and undermined the rights of workers.
The fun of biking is undercut by the constant reminder that our roads are unsafe. Major thoroughfares may have bike lanes but this is wishful thinking in most secondary roads. Bike lanes are merely a slim extension of existing roads where potholes, manholes, and even open drainages are often located. It is used too as an emergency lane and frequently “patronized” by motorcycle riders.
The protest of Masinloc fishers highlighted the lack of attention given to ordinary people as officials relish their token role in the geopolitical ‘game of thrones’ in the Asia-Pacific. On one hand, they are bullied by oversized Chinese vessels in our own territory; but they are also barred from fishing during Balikatan war games. Dynamite fishing has been outlawed yet US troops used a missile to blow up a warship in Zambales.
We need more testimonies and reports highlighting the lesser-known protests that contributed to the building of a formidable resistance to the dictatorship.
Family reunions allowed us to catch up, reenact rituals of domestic living, and build new memories. Were they enough? For a child who sincerely wanted to express his love and gratitude, they were agonizingly inadequate.
After half a year in power, the dictator’s son proved that he was no champion of human rights and freedom of expression. Impunity has persisted as evidenced in the killing of radio broadcaster Percy Lapid. Tokhang became Bida but extrajudicial killings did not stop. Red-tagging remains the de facto policy of the state in dealing with critics and activists despite the claim of the Justice secretary that it is only a term invented by the Left.
One does not need to subscribe to Sison’s political doctrines to see the ban as an act of censorship. If not challenged, the ban can be expanded and used as a tactic to enforce digital crackdowns. It gives tyrants the license to dictate who or what can be accessed or streamed on our networks. It is therefore a threat to our civic space.
A movement has already emerged which aims to counter the nefarious impact of disinformation. It reflects the clamor of the people to make elections and governance more transparent by ensuring that people can readily access accurate and credible information.
When disinformation is widely shared at a dizzying realtime speed by paid cyber mercenaries, can fact-checking stand a chance? There are short-term and long-term interventions that may require the enforcement of technical and regulatory mechanisms. For our part, we must not lose sight of the political solution because the roots of the information disorder are also linked to deeper structural infirmities in society.
...[t]he task of shaping the “new normal” should come from the actions of the people; it should be the outcome of our political organizing. We should claim the narrative of the “new normal” in order to reclaim our right to enjoy a better future.
The strength of Pink Rallies relies on the practical wisdom of its participants who maximize various internet platforms to build anticipation, exhibit the broad character of the event, and sustain the message of the political action for several days.
The CPP-NPA continues to thrive especially in the remote areas of the country because its politics of empowerment resonates not just with the oppressed but all those who wanted to build a new future founded on justice and equality.
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