Workers of the Hof Gorei Resort on Samal Island lift a pumpboat to the deeper portion of the beach. The boat could not be rowed because the tide is still low. The workers give a different form to the ages-old Filipino tradition called “bayanihan.” BY KEITH BACONGCO / AKP IMAGES Contributed to Bulatlat Vol. VIII,…
Day: April 12, 2008
Jema: Amarilyong Sepiro (Para kay Jemalyn Lacadin)
NI MARK ANGELES Inilathala ng Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 10, April 13-19, 2008 Niyayakap natin ang matandang puno ng mangga. Lahat tayo, nag-aatang ng ating mga kamay. Sa ilalim ng malalabay nitong mga sanga sabay-sabay tayong umuusal ng pulang awit. Unti-unting natutuyo ang ilang dahon: humuhulagpos sa kinakapitang duklay. Inilululan ng hangin sa ibang lugar…
Bakit Madilim ang Lansangan sa Pilipinas?
Madilim ang kalsada sa Manila dahil nasa interes ito ng may hawak ng kapangyarihan. Sila ang nagtatago sa dilim nang sa gayon ay maipagpatuloy ang sistematikong pangungurakot at pandarambong sa kaban ng bayan. At kung manaka-nakang mailawan ang kalsada, ang mga lumpen ay binibigyan ng pagkakataong nakawin ang ilang mahahalagang kableng maibebenta. NI ROLAND TOLENTINO…
All About Rights and Politics
Two important events concerning human rights are taking place namely, the SC deliberations on the motion for reconsideration filed by the Senate regarding the issue of executive privilege, and the Universal Periodic Review of the human rights record of the Arroyo government by the UNHRC. In both events, the assertion of the people’s rights would…
Back from Hell: Story of a Stranded OFW from Jeddah
They paid fixers operating around the Philippine consulate to be able to go back home but were in stead made to live under a bridge. They asked the assistance of the Consulate but were taken to the Saudi police. They endured cramped cells with very little food and water in two deportation centers. And now,…
Behind Bars: The Travails of a Political Prisoner
Randall Echanis, of the militant peasant organization the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, is not the only political prisoner of the Arroyo regime. There are currently 240 prisoners in detention by the count of Samahan ng mga Ex-Detainee Laban sa Detensyon at para sa Amnestiya (SELDA), an organization dedicated to helping political prisoners. BY LARISSA MAE…
Recruitment Agency Played with Lives of 10 OFWs
They were victims of illegal recruitment, having been sent to UAE with mere visit visas and forced to work for 10 to 20 hours a day for a fraction of the salaries promised to them. Worse, three of the 10 victims were even charged by their employers and arrested by the police. The alleged culprit,…
Senators Should Help Expose OFWs’ Plight in Middle East – Migrante
Migrante called on senators to help expose the deplorable conditions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in deportation centers and jails in the Middle East. BY BULATLAT MIGRANT WATCH Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 10, April 13-19, 2008 Migrante called on senators to help expose the deplorable conditions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in deportation centers and…
Start Peace by Resuming Talks, Implementing Rights Pact – Local Rights Groups to Malacañang
The resumption of peace talks and the implementation of a human rights accord signed by the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines would help lay down the basis for peace, a human rights group in the Cordillera stated. The Cordillera Human Rights Alliance (CHRA) said that…
Three Weeks of Skirmishes between AFP, NPA Result in Casualties, Killing of Teenager
As government troops launched attacks against suspected rebel strongholds, armed clashes between government troops and NPA guerillas intensified during the last three weeks resulting in casualties on both sides, and the killing of a teenager by soldiers. BY ACE ALEGRE Contributed to Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 10, Arpil 13-19, 2008 La Trinidad, Benguet (246 kms,…
No Rice Crisis in Abra
Rice in this province may not be scarce, but residents said, its price has also gone up amid the impending global rice crisis. But unlike in other urban areas, however, there are no people lining up for government-subsidized rice. BY LYN V. RAMO Northern Dipatch Posted by Bulatlat Vol. VIII, No. 10, April 13-19, 2008…