Month: December 2010

By MARYA SALAMAT
Judging from the first six months in office of the Aquino government, there seems to be no relief in sight for workers who have been suffering from record joblessness, runaway prices of basic goods and services, and violent attacks on their democratic rights.

By RONALYN V. OLEA
The Aquino government continues to implement Arroyo’s National Minerals Policy, said Piya Malayao, spokeswoman of KAMP. “Aquino’s private-public partnerships would further hasten foreign investments on mining at the expense of indigenous peoples,” Malayao added.

By MARYA SALAMAT
“Health is about people, not profits. The provision of health services should never be contingent on the patient’s ability to pay or the public hospital’s capacity to generate its own income. The provision of health services should be guaranteed by government to its people.” –- Health Alliance for Democracy

By CAROL PAGADUAN-ARAULLO Streetwise | BusinessWorld Posted by Bulatlat.com Pundits, activists and civil libertarians alike are still speculating on what actually led to last week’s order by President Aquino, auspiciously announced on Human Rights Day, for the Justice Department to withdraw all charges against the Morong 43, a move expected to lead to the court’s…

By RONALYN V. OLEA
Advocates of the Moro people’s struggle for self-determination say the Aquino administration must first render justice to the victims of human-rights violations during the Arroyo regime before it can talk peace.

By RAYMUND B. VILLANUEVA
Ka Oris, spokesman of the CPP-led National Democratic Front of the Philippines in Mindanao, said President Benigno S. Aquino III’s new counter-insurgency program dubbed “Oplan Bayanihan” will become another “failure” like the Oplan Bantay Laya (OBL) 1 and 2 of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
While more women are in the forefront of politics and the struggle to uphold women’s rights, still, there are many women whose rights are being violated, be it in their own communities, houses, and workplaces. Even the government violates the rights of women.

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL
She had to recount her ordeal in court over and over again while being questioned by defense attorneys whose aim was to destroy her credibility. She was called a “bad person”, a “whore”, an “adulteress”, and an “extortionist” by the Davao media. And after several years of an excruciating uphill battle, she lost her case in court. But she was undeterred.