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…
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino Bulatlat.com I was a congressman for four years (2009-2013) which equaled the number of my undergraduate years at UP Diliman (1996-2000). When asked about my two-term stint in Congress, I often claim that it’s like college but not quite like college. Of course it’s a joke since my college life was…
ROOT ACCESS Rick Bahague Bulatlat.com Mahigit 37M na ang mamamayan na gumagamit ng internet sa bansa. Sa kabila ng pupugak-pugak na mobile internet 63% sa kanila ang subscribers nito at gumugugol ng apat na oras sa social media. Facebook ang nangungunang online social media network at 34 milyon sa mga gumagamit ng internet ay matatagpuan…
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld Malacañang sources say the administration isn’t lobbying for the Nobel Peace Prize for Benigno Aquino III, and we should take them at their word. But if they are indeed lobbying for it, and today being Mendicancy — sorry, “Philippine-American Friendship” — Day, they should enlist United States…
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star Besieged by the threat of an impeachment complaint to be filed against him before he delivers his fifth state-of-the-nation address on July 28 — stemming from the unanimous Supreme Court ruling declaring as unconstitutional the Disbursement Acceleration Program that he had approved — President…
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Bulatlat.com The Supreme Court decision regarding the unconstitutionality of “specific acts” in the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) is a big blow to the Aquino administration. While the 92-page Supreme Court decision appears Solomonic (as most decisions of the High Court are especially if it is critical of government policy), it…
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino Bulatlat.com 1. Rallies are violent, street rallies are illegal, and they cause destabilization. A rally is neither a picnic nor a carnival but it is also not a riot and a mortal combat activity. A rally will end and disperse peacefully if the police is not ordered to attack the protesters.…
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star In terms of growth in foreign direct investment inflows among the six “major” economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Philippines was on top in 2013, scoring a 24% increase. That’s the good news. However, there’s the downside. Our country was at…
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld Some Filipinos probably thought that the family members of Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. were speaking metaphorically when they complained about the infestation of “rats and roaches” in Revilla’s detention cell in the Philippine National Police Custodial Center. But they were being literal, and were not referring…
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective The results of April 24-30 survey by Ibon Foundation confirms what most people are feeling during these times. This is a relief from other surveys where one’s immediate reaction after reading its results is “Really?”. The results of Ibon’s survey reflects a not too optimistic view, but one which is…
BLOOD RUSH By SARAH RAYMUNDO Bulatlat.com So They Won’t Disappear for Concepcion Empeño* The work of death in an island of cheap matters, like raw resources and warm wageless bodies, does not require gas chambers and crematory ovens of Holocaust proportions. They are needless and so out of fashion in the current book of human…