(Conclusion) Extrajudicial executions, meant to create terror among the populace, are main fare in U.S.-directed counterinsurgency strategies in Vietnam and El Salvador during the latter part of the 60s and early 80s respectively. It is now being seen with increased intensity in Iraq and the Philippines. It is not surprising though, as Iraq, together with…
Benjie Oliveros
Propping up a Bankrupt, Illegitimate Regime
(Second of three parts) U.S. support for the Arroyo regime has been steady even when President Arroyo was deeply enmeshed in a crisis and was almost ousted in 2005. Its political support did not waiver even when President Arroyo declared a state of national emergency in February 2006. The support of the U.S. is one…
Southeast Asia and the Philippines: The Second Front in the U.S. ‘War on Terror’
(First of three parts) Southeast Asia caught greater attention from the U.S. after the latter launched its “war on terror” in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Southeast Asia, most especially the Philippines, provided U.S. Pres. George W. Bush with a venue to project the “global war on terror”. And…
Cha Cha is about Political Survival
The political crisis now cannot be solved by the shift to a parliamentary system with Macapagal-Arroyo and her allies imposing themselves upon the Filipino people. The Filipino people need less of them, not more. BY BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat.com Against all odds, the Macapagal-Arroyo administration and its allies in the House of Representatives are ramming through…
Cha Cha is about Political Survival
The political crisis now cannot be solved by the shift to a parliamentary system with Macapagal-Arroyo and her allies imposing themselves upon the Filipino people. The Filipino people need less of them, not more. BY BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat Against all odds, the Macapagal-Arroyo administration and its allies in the House of Representatives are ramming through…
Martial Law and Back
In six years, the Arroyo administration has reversed the gains of the Filipino people, no matter how small, when it toppled the Marcos fascist dictatorship. BY BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat.com It has been a little more than 20 years since the Filipino people toppled the dictatorship through a People Power uprising. With the euphoria felt by…
Nicole’s Ordeal is More than Rape
Nicole’s case is not just rape. It is also a case against the presence of U.S. troops in the country, a violation of our sovereignty. It is not only Nicole’s dignity which has been violated. The Filipino people’s dignity is also trampled upon whenever U.S. troops conduct military exercises in our country; participate in combat…
Indicting Bush
The result of the U.S. midterm elections is not so much a vote for the Democrats although it catapulted them to the majority position after 14 years. It is more of an indictment of the Bush administration, specifically its policy on Iraq and the war on terror, its incompetence in managing the disaster caused by…
Widespread Hunger Belies Arroyo’s Growth Claims
The results of the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) regarding the incidence of hunger and poverty are better indicators of the economic situation instead of the so-called growth statistics released by the government. BY BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat.com The SWS survey conducted from September 24 to October 2002 revealed that 2.9 million households,…
Removing the Corrupt
What happened to Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay is not a simple case of implementing the rule of law. It is actually a case of bending the law to suit the self-serving interests of the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the person who should be removed first if we are really serious about nipping corruption in…
The Specter of Martial Law
Thirty four years since the declaration of Martial Law and 20 years since its downfall through a people power uprising, the specter of another dictatorship is more real today than ever. BY BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat.com Thirty four years since the declaration of Martial Law and 20 years since its downfall through a people power uprising,…