By RONALYN V. OLEA
“While we respect the view that a trial by publicity can be detrimental to the accused, we fail to see how that can happen in this case. The Ampatuan case is extremely important for the public, the media and the relatives of the victims. The media and the public — particularly those who live outside Metro Manila and who can only follow the proceedings through the media — need to know exactly what is going on inside the courtroom.”
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
With the flooding after Ondoy and the blaming of poor peasants and fisherfolks around the Laguna de Bay, many in Pila, Laguna, fear that the demolition of their homes is now just a matter of time.
By ARNOLD PADILLA
No matter how oil firms deny the allegations that they are overcharging the consumers, the widespread public perception that oil companies are abusive and profit-hungry will remain. This will be the case as long as the oil industry is deregulated and oil companies are allowed to automatically increase their prices and at the same time not compelled to publicly divulge how they compute their price adjustments.
By ALEXANDER MARTIN REMOLLINO Bulatlat.com MANILA – Chants of “US imperialist, No. 1 terrorist!” and “Death to imperialism!” reverberated through the streets as over a hundred activists marched toward the US embassy in Manila earlier today to protest the meeting between US President Barack Obama and Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The rally was spearheaded by…
MANILA — Melissa Roxas, the American activist who was kidnapped and tortured allegedly by Filipino soldiers in May, arrived from the United States last night to pursue her case against her captors. In a press conference at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Roxas said she returned to the Philippines to pursue her case, not just…
Progressive groups under the banner of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan stage a pre-State of the Nation Address (Sona) protest on Tandang Sora corner Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Monday. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is scheduled to deliver her last Sona on July 27. (Photos by Ronalyn V. Olea / bulatlat.com)
For the Arroyo government, it would be a dream photo ops come true. For the United States government, it would be a chance to reinforce their neo-colonial interests in the Philippines. “Both Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and US president Barack Obama plan to utilize the meeting for their own gain. Arroyo needs the publicity as a…
The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan today condemned the four explosions that rocked Mindanao, particularly Jolo in Sulu, the city of Iligan and Lanao del Norte. “The explosions that resulted in civilian deaths are condemnable and cannot be justified. We condemn in the strongest terms the spate of bombings that have hit Mindanao over the…
Independent probe needed — Bayan MANILA — The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan doubts the Malacanang probe into the abduction of Filipino-American activist Melissa Roxas will lead anywhere. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita recently ordered the Department of Defense to investigate the abduction. “It’s a sham. The Palace is likely reeling from intense public criticism of…
“I thought I was going to die there and then,” Melissa Roxas says. “They held my feet and my hands down and doubled-up plastic bags were pulled down on my head and face and closed on my neck and I started to suffocate and I could not breathe anymore and I was seeing white and thinking I was going to die.” | JOHN EDWARD JANDOC, MELISSA’S COMPANION, REMAINS MISSING
Bayan countered by saying that “the PHRC, by prejudging the incident as a mere propaganda tool by Bayan and Karapatan, shows that it has really no intention of uncovering the truth behind the abduction of Roxas and company. The Philippine government is more interested in saving face. From their statements, it is clear that the…