Category: Commentary

KALIBUTAN By LEON DULCE Bulatlat.com We find it difficult to understand why President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, in his latest national address on primetime mass media, continues to rabidly defend the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP). The controversial presidential pork barrel fund, masterminded by Budget Sec. Butch Abad and BS Aquino himself, was declared unconstitutional by…

QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino Bulatlat.com Have you ever wondered why there are rallies calling for land reform but none that advocate for women’s right to suffrage? The answer is obvious: The first is a demand by landless farmers which is being virulently opposed by the powerful landed class while the latter is already a political…

By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo Streetwise | BusinessWorld Ergo, there will be no sacrificial lambs even if one of the most likely candidates, Budget Secretary Butch Abad, is actually the intellectual author and chief implementor of the DAP. Of course Mr. Abad’s boss gave his imprimatur, knowingly and willingly, as documents submitted to the Court and Mr.…

By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star It appears that President Aquino acted hastily and tactlessly when he decided to publicly defend the DAP (Disbursement Acceleration Program) and dispute the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision declaring it unconstitutional. He did so in a televised speech on Monday, wherein he warned of a…

By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Bulatlat.com Squeezed between President Aquino’s belligerent speech against the Supreme Court’s decision declaring his and Budget Sec. Florencio “Butch” Abad’s pet program the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and the equally destructive Typhoon Glenda was an important event: the launching of Kapayapaan, a campaign for a just and lasting peace. Why…

By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld Philippine fraternities or Greek letter societies are the local versions of similar organizations in the United States, in the universities and colleges of which fraternities (men-only organizations), sororities (societies that accept only women) and mixed-gender groups are recognized, except in those institutions where they are explicitly banned.…

By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo Streetwise | BusinessWorld The Supreme Court declaration of the unconstitutionality of “acts and practices under the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP),” coming on the heels of the detention of senators charged with plunder for amassing hundreds of millions of public funds from the abuse of their pork barrel, appears to be yet another…

Dire implications of the DAP ruling on the Aquino government

By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Bulatlat.com The upcoming fifth and penultimate State of the Nation Address of Pres. Benigno Aquino III is shaping up to be the most turbulent in his administration. Just recently, the Supreme Court dealt a blow to the administration when it declared the Aquino government’s version of the pork barrel, the…