By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Migrant Watch Bulatlat MANILA – Overseas Filipino workers are just as outraged as many in the homeland over the recent passage in the House of Representatives of the bill that could pave the way to amend the Constitution. On June 4, members of the United Filipinos in Hongkong (Unifil-Migrante-HK), Bayan-HK,…
Day: June 6, 2009
Street Bingo
Street Bingo. No polo field for these urban-poor residents playing bingo along Tomas Morato Avenue, in Quezon City. (By Raymund Villanueva)
Derailing the Cha-Cha Train
Derailing the Cha-Cha Train. After the railroading of House Resolution 1109, the charter change (cha-cha) train is now on track, and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo must be jumping with joy at the idea that there is now no obstacle to her staying in power beyond 2010. Arroyo, however, should not be too sure of victory: she and her minions may have put one over the opposition in Congress but she cannot underestimate the power of an enraged public, which may yet derail the Cha-cha train. (By Flon Faurillo)
Spinning Good News from Bad Economic Data
All these hard sell about a strong economy – despite undeniable data that the Philippines is on the verge of a recession — would be further exposed and discredited as the global crunch and the country’s own perennial crisis deteriorate. For Arroyo, the political costs can be huge.
Kalbo
Ni PAPA OSMUBAL Inilathala ng Bulatlat (hango sa matandang kuwentong pambata “The Emperor’s New Clothes” at alay ko sa pamahalaang Gloria Arroyo at sa kanyang mga among dayuhan) Malakas ang tawanan at usapan, nakakabingi, lalo na ang kalansing ng mga alahas na suot ng mga dumalong panauhin na kung di lang nakasimangot ang iilan masasabi…
Attack on Abra Journalist Remains Unsolved
By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat BAGUIO CITY – An Abra journalist whose house was fired upon a month ago by unidentified gunmen has appealed to the police for an immediate resolution of her case as she feels threatened while the perpetrators are still roaming free. Still clueless about who the perpetrators…
Cordillera Groups Rise Up Vs. Cha-cha
By ALDWIN QUITASOL Regions Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat BAGUIO CITY ? Various progressive groups here in this city 246 kms. north of Manila held an indignation rally June 3 against the railroading of House Resolution 1109 that seeks to convene Congress into a Constituent Assembly (Con-ass). The House of Representatives voted on the resolution…
Cordillera Tribes Heighten Struggle Against Large-Scale Mines in Chico River Watersheds
By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW Northern Dispatch Indigenous Peoples Watch Posted by Bulatlat BONTOC, Mountain Province – Like the anti-Chico Dam struggle in the 1980s, tribal elders in this province, 394 kms. north of Manila, and nearby Kalinga are renewing their cooperation, including their peace pact (bodong or pechen), in their new struggle to defend their…
An Open Letter of Concern on the 2009 Philippine Independence Day Celebration In New York City
Dear Philippine Consul General Cecilia Rebong, We write this in the midst of preparations for the upcoming and much-anticipated Philippine Independence Day Celebration (PIDC) in New York City! Like the rest of the Filipino community in New York, we are looking forward to commemorating with our fellow kababayan the Philippine Independence from three centuries of…
The Future of Israel and the Decline of the American Empire: The Wages of Hubris and Vengeance
By ARNO J. MEYER CounterPunch International Posted by Bulatlat Israel is in the grip of a kind of collective schizophrenia. Not only its governors but the majority of its Jewish population have delusions of both grandeur and persecution, making for a distortion of reality and inconsistent behavior. Israeli Jews see and represent themselves as a…
Obama in Cairo: High Words, Low Truths
By ALEXANDER COCKBURN CounterPunch International Posted by Bulatlat As they drafted his speech to the Muslim world, delivered in Cairo on Thursday, June 4, President Obama’s speech writers strove to suggest that cordiality towards Islam is soundly embedded in America’s cultural history. The first Muslim congressman, Obama confided to his vast audience across the Muslim…