When journalism seeks to enlighten and not to trivialize
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When journalism seeks to enlighten and not to trivialize
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Save as PDFPOSTS FOR "On the Fringes"
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Mara, Clara and the sorry state of the nation
Mara, Clara and the sorry state of the nation
MANILA -- On days like this when I can’t make heads or tails of which story to write first and my fingers are starting to hurt from pounding the keyboard, I think that I would really, really enjoy being a showbiz writer.
Lessons in love as we remember Edsa
Lessons in love as we remember Edsa
So who are the real heroes of Edsa? The workers, the urban poor, the farmers, the members of the basic sectors who flooded the streets in the waning days of the Marcos dictatorship and demanded that Marcos step down.
The journalist in times of inhumanity
The journalist in times of inhumanity
In these times of inhumanity, the thin line between being a journalist and an activist is blurred even more. I know in my heart that I owe no one an apology.
If the Peace Talks Were a Soccer Match, I’m Rooting for the NDFP
If the Peace Talks Were a Soccer Match, I’m Rooting for the NDFP
I support the peace talks because I believe that the armed conflict in the country can only begin to be resolved if the two sides, the two governments of the GPH and the NDFP, sit and talk and come up with solutions to the problems that precisely resulted in the conflict.
For Love of the Beautiful Game
For Love of the Beautiful Game
A new era in Philippine football has dawned and I was there to witness it.
In These Times, the Price of Onion Makes Me Cry
In These Times, the Price of Onion Makes Me Cry
My sister and I usually go to the public market at least twice a month to buy vegetables and fish. While I knew that prices of goods have increased, I did not realize how steep the increases had been.
For Distressed OFWs, the Need for Superman and Other Superheroes Never Fails
For Distressed OFWs, the Need for Superman and Other Superheroes Never Fails
I thought, at first, that it was a mere coincidence that I get to hear similar wishes over and over again from families of OFWs in distress. But in the three years that I have been writing issues concerning migrants and OFs, it never fails.
The Son of ‘People Power’ and Nothing to Show for It — Not Even Solidarity with Egyptian People
The Son of ‘People Power’ and Nothing to Show for It — Not Even Solidarity with Egyptian People
Imagine the quandary he’s in: His own mother was catapulted to the presidency via Edsa 1, the culmination of two decades of struggle of the Filipino people against the abuses of the Marcos dictatorship. He should at the least salute the Egyptian people for their courage and unity in fighting the Mubarak dictatorship.
Noynoy as Inquirer’s ‘Filipino of the Year’? WTF?
Noynoy as Inquirer’s ‘Filipino of the Year’? WTF?
I must admit that after reading the Philippine Daily Inquirer’s headline “Filipino of the Year: Aquino Rocks,” my initial reaction was, “What the f—k?!” But I told myself to read the story first. The country’s leading newspaper might just surprise me.
‘Keystroke Revolution’ in the Philippines? Now There’s a Thought.
‘Keystroke Revolution’ in the Philippines? Now There’s a Thought.
The recent protests in Tunisia and Egypt have shown that social media can be a driving force for social and political change.
From the Back of a Bouncing Truck, a View of the Countryside
From the Back of a Bouncing Truck, a View of the Countryside
There had been reports of human-rights violations committed by soldiers on residents of some villages in Jones, one of Isabela’s towns. The mission’s objective was to document these violations, distribute relief goods and provide medical services to the residents of Dicamay village.
Caught in the Crossfire and Too Angry to Cry
Caught in the Crossfire and Too Angry to Cry
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK | The Pinaglabanan residents did not need my tears. They needed help. And if reporting about their struggles and exposing what they had to go through could help, why would I deny it to them?
The Preacher on the Bus: Not the Usual Holy Roller’s Hollering Exhortations
The Preacher on the Bus: Not the Usual Holy Roller’s Hollering Exhortations
Yesterday on the long ride to work, I happened to sit next to a female lay preacher. She didn’t sound like she wanted to scare us; it was not even a warning of a grim and terrible nature; she sounded, in fact, concerned. She was reminding us. She said that it was always best to be prepared, to be always ready to speak to God when we meet Him of a life well lived and meaningful.
What Newsbreak Failed to Report About the ‘Morong 5’
What Newsbreak Failed to Report About the ‘Morong 5’
As a journalist who has been covering the Morong 43 from the day of their arrest, I know that the five, like the rest of the 43 health workers, are victims of torture and ill-treatment.
‘Wake-Up Call’ for Abusive Mining Companies in the Philippines
‘Wake-Up Call’ for Abusive Mining Companies in the Philippines
Abuses by mining companies are not new in the Philippines. Destructive mining have, for decades and in tandem with wanton logging and the equally destructive building of dams, destroyed and poisoned whole communities. Mining companies have been shortchanging these communities. Worse, these firms have been using the police, the military and paramilitary units as their security guards, leading to human-rights abuses such as those suffered by the Ifugaos in Nueva Vizcaya.
Brawner’s best is not good enough
Brawner’s best is not good enough
Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Information Office is hoodwinking the public when he says that AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Victor Ibrado is ordering the transfer of the 43 health workers collectively known as the Morong 43 to a Philippine National Police (PNP) facility, even as they have supposedly communicated their desire to remain at the military's Camp Capinpin in Tanay, Rizal, where they are now detained. He is trying to make the AFP and its chief of staff appear more magnanimous than they actually are.
A disservice to Ampatuan Massacre victims
A disservice to Ampatuan Massacre victims
By RAYMUND B. VILLANUEVA
Something happened during the National Interfaith Mission for Peace and Justice visit to the massacre site in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan, Maguindanao, last January 23 that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. As an “embedded” Bulatlat correspondent in the mission from Cotabato City, I, along with my Kodao and Pinoy Weekly colleagues, had no inkling that something was wrong when we started out that day.
Satur, others file House resolution to probe P330-billion Lucio Tan exposé
Satur, others file House resolution to probe P330-billion Lucio Tan exposé
Rep. Satur C. Ocampo, Rep. Liza L. Maza, Rep. Rafael V. Mariano, Rep. Raymond V. Palatino, Rep. Teodoro A. Casiño and Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilagan have filed a resolution in Congress asking government agencies to look into allegations that tycoon Lucio Tan had defrauded the government of as much as P330 billion.
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