On liberal opportunism and the “purity” smear
Accusing leftists and activists of demanding a "useless politics of purity" is a classic liberal defense mechanism designed to shift the burden of moral failure onto the critic.
COMMENTARY
On the Fringes | Days in a life as a daughter of a farmer
On the Fringes | Days in a life as a daughter of a farmer
Just like those banana trees, I know their resistance is as tough. Despite enduring a lot, it never stopped sustaining generations of families in Tungkong Mangga.
AT GROUND LEVEL
SATUR OCAMPO
Rights ‘superbody’ needs monitoring
It has been 36 years since president Corazon Aquino created the Presidential Human Rights Committee, in a much-hailed move that signaled to the Filipino people that her administration was firmly committed to the protection and promotion of human rights.
SC rules: Red-tagging is threat to life, liberty
For almost six years, red-tagging has been a major component of the bloody counterinsurgency campaign – initiated and implemented by the Duterte regime and sustained by the Marcos Jr. administration – through the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).
International tribunal hears ‘war crimes’ charges
This month, on May 17-18, the International Peoples’ Tribunal, a quasi-judicial forum periodically convened in Europe, will focus on the Philippines for the sixth time since 1980.
BALIK-TANAW
PROMOTION OF CHURCH PEOPLE’S RESPONSE
Balik-Tanaw | A time for renewal and justice
As we approach Holy Week, the readings for this Sunday invite us to reflect on renewal and justice. In our country, where the wounds from extrajudicial killings (EJK) are still fresh and legal events continue to stir strong emotions, these readings remind us of the importance of both justice and hope.
Balik-Tanaw | The lost boys
For so long we have shielded and protected David and Eli from what happened with their “lost” sons. We still do so with today’s Davids and Elis.
Balik-Tanaw | Unveiling the transfiguration: Discover the radiant transformation of Jesus
In the account of the Transfiguration in Luke 9:28-36, there are numerous elements that invite deeper reflection. Often, discussions center on the events leading up to the transfiguration, the selection of only three disciples from the twelve to accompany Jesus, the significance of Moses and Elija’s presence, and the symbolism of the clouds. However, what is frequently overlooked is the transformation of Jesus’ face and clothing, which serves as the true indicator of the Transfiguration.
BALIKSAYSAY
FRANCIS GEALOGO
Pandemic at pamamahala
Nauulit sa mga leksyon ng Influenza Pandemic ng 1918 ang kasalukuyang hamon na kinakaharap ng daigdig ukol sa COVID 19. Tila nagiging hadlang ang di maagap na pagtugon ng pamahalaan sa pagkalat ng sakit. Ang pagtapyas sa badyet sa kalusugan; ang kakulangan ng personnel at pasilidad na haharap sa pagkalat ng sakit; ang turuan at sisihan ng mga pinuno sa kung sino ang dapat na responsable sa pangunguna sa pagsugpo nito; ang racistang pananaw sa pagkakasakit; at ang kakulangan sa pagkilala sa epektibong sistema ng kwarantena ang tila nag uulit sa panganib sa kabuuan ng populasyon sa pagkalat ng sakit.
Kaninong usapan? Kaninong kapayapaan?
Mula pa noong panahon ng pananakop ng mga Espanyol, hanggang sa kasalukuyan, nabibigo ang mga usapang pangkapayapaan dahil hindi nito tinutugunan ang dahilan ng pagrerebelyon ng mga tao.
Ang heneral at ang Taal
Sinasabi pa ngang ang dagliang tugon ng mga mamamayan gaya ni Malvar ang kabaligtaran ng tila walang pakialam o kibit balikat na tugon ng pamahalaan sa kalamidad.
BLOODRUSH
SARAH RAYMUNDO
Blood Rush | Kerima muralized
For the Filipino masses, especially the farmers, Kerima Lorena Tariman is a hero. No amount of terrorist-tagging can erase that.
Blood Rush | The bells of Balangiga: Resonances of the armed anti-imperialist resistance
To a class conscious worker, it is clear that the Philippine Revolution remains unfinished, and is, in fact, raging.
Blood Rush | Ang mga kampana ng Balangiga: Batingaw ng anti-imperyalistang armadong pagbabalikwas
Ang materyalismong istoriko bilang pananaw sa kasaysayan ay binubuo ng masinsing pagsipat sa mga relasyong maka-uri na nagpapagalaw sa umiiral na moda ng produksyon sa isang tiyak na yugto o epoka sa kasaysayan.
FIRST PERSON
BULATLAT CONTRIBUTORS
First Person | Sleepless for weeks
Buying a P2.4-million minibus is definitely not an option for Papa; his jeeps' income are just enough to sustain the family's daily needs. "Saan ako kukuha ng pera? Uutang? Maintenance pa lang niyan, lugi na ako," he says. Even so, no bank would provide him such loan at his age.
To my daughter June and her friends who said I am sorry
But the combination of a campaign of historical distortion, vote buying, a Duterte-appointed COMELEC, red-tagging and relentless attacks on critics and opposition has created an election result that would bring a Marcos back to
Malacanang 50 years after the declaration of martial law.
First Person | How women journalists cope with the pandemic
Socio-economic disadvantage compels women to neglect personal needs, which often leads to psychological problems. This is often the underlying problem of all the other problems that women talk about when they seek professional help. It is also a topic that women journalists can be reluctant to speak up on, given the perceived glitz and glamour of the news industry, and the expectations of our patriarchal culture on women.
KALIBUTAN
KALIKASAN-PEOPLE’S NETWORK FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Sampung pinakamatinding kampanya para sa kalikasan (Part 2)
Bibilib ka sa pagtatanggol ng PInoy sa kalikasan, sa kabila ng matinding kahirapan, lumalalang panganib para sa aktibismo, paglipana ng sandamakmak na buwitre at buwaya (pasintabi sa tunay na hayop) sa gobyernong Duterte, at tumitinding pakikialam ng mga dayuhan sa ating bansa.
Sampung pinakamatinding kampanya para sa kalikasan
Bibilib ka talaga sa mga Pinoy environmental defenders sa walang pagod at walang sawa nilang pagkilos.
People’s response to mining plunder
The people’s armed defense of their lands and national patrimony has been a recourse that must be recognized and respected in the context of deep-seated historic injustices and brutal suppression. The revolutionary armed movement in the Philippines led by the CPP-NPA-NDFP has maintained a strong opposition to destructive large-scale mining operations.
KONTEKSTO
DANILO ARAO
Konteksto | Frenchie
Hindi pa tapos ang laban kahit nagdesisyon na ang korte. Dapat lang na magsampa ng apela. Ituloy ang pangagampanya para sa kalayaan. Huwag hayaang mabulok sa bilangguan ang mga walang kasalanan.
Konteksto | Balita
Itinatakda ng mga nasa kapangyarihan ang nilalaman kahit na posibleng ipaglaban ng mga patnugot ang nararapat sa paghuhubog ng opinyong pampubliko.
Konteksto | Dinastiya
Kahit kailan, hindi matutugunan ng panukalang batas nina Dy at Marcos ang problema sa dinastiyang kontrol sa pambansa’t lokal na pamamahala. Magpapatuloy ang dominasyon ng iilang pamilya sa ehekutibo’t lehislatura. Magpapatuloy ang pagpapahirap sa mamamayan.
LAB NOTES
Advocates of Science and Technology for the People
Lab Notes | Mangroves 101: Why we need to #SaveTaliptip
Once the aerotropolis is built, the hazards of the storm surfaces and high tide would be more pronounced - especially since we’re in the Philippines, a country hit by tens of typhoons a year. And this will only get worse as storms get more violent and sea levels rise due to climate change - and in fact, destroying mangrove trees release tons of carbon dioxide due stored in their soils.
Lab Notes | Scientists and technologists say no to tyranny
There are many other instances of how S&T has been shunned and misused in the name of self-interests of those in power. This should also show you not only the ongoing tyranny in the Philippines, but also how it negatively affects science and technology either by disregarding scientific advice if it doesn’t suit the administration’s narrative, or cherry-picking concepts when it furthers their vested interests. That is why there is a need, a responsibility in fact, for us scientists, technologists, and engineers to push back against such oppression, to collectively say no to tyranny. This is the foundation upon which the Scientists and Technologists Say No To Tyranny or (SnT) 2 alliance was built upon.
Save as PDF
OPINION
BULATLAT EDITORS
Confronting SDG progress with grassroots realities
A far different reality happens in the Philippines characterized by disenfranchisement, environmental degradation, and deepening inequality.
SONA 2025: Anti-corruption, good governance as Marcos Jr. legacy?
The most obvious irony is that the flood control projects are his initiatives under the Build Better More infrastructure program, and that some of the public officials involved in the corruption behind the defective projects are the same ones who are applauding the President enthusiastically in the plenary hall.
Gaza: The US-Israel plan to instrumentalise aid is not only ineffective but deadly
Humanitarian aid must be provided only by humanitarian organisations who have the competence and determination to do it safely and effectively – not warring parties.
ON THE FRINGES
BULATLAT STAFF
Journalism is such a radical thing
Eventually, the things we learn and write about lead us to ask the questions “So what?” and “For whom?” Without fail, genuine disciples of journalism would ask themselves the questions “If not for public good, what for? If not for the people, why?”
Impeaching the world’s greatest professional wrestler
Naturally, Trump has elevated the discourse yet again. From distilling current events he is now creating it as US President. Now, he’s not just using the power of capitalism to wrestle; he’s the world’s champion of the global imperialist system.
The anatomy of a strike
In an increasingly impersonal world dominated by capital and profit margins, strikes shatter that illusion and remind us of the fundamental relations between people and things. Strikes are the tears shed at the sound of workers gaining their rights. They are the words “Lumalaban pa rin” said with the purest conviction, by workers who live, breathe, and have families to feed.
QUESTION EVERYTHING
MONG PALATINO
Question Everything | ‘Like the rain falling in torrents on a thousand raging rivers’
We need more testimonies and reports highlighting the lesser-known protests that contributed to the building of a formidable resistance to the dictatorship.
Question Everything | My father in America
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.
Question Everything | Keywords, sound bites, and newsmakers of 2022
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.
ROOT ACCESS
COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS UNION
No Results Found
The posts you requested could not be found. Try changing your module settings or create some new posts.