By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star Six years ago (March 17, 2008) my modest pension-plan contract with Pryce Plans, Inc. matured, after I had diligently paid P256,800 in premiums over 10 years. The company asked me to choose the mode of payment on my claim. I chose immediate full lump-sum:…
Category: Commentary
Challenges of the post-Chavez era| Venezuela in crisis?
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Part 2 of 2 Part 1: The US trains its guns on Latin America once more| Venezuela in crisis? The Western press has been full of stories regarding the “crisis” in Venezuela: about the shortages and inflation, corruption, the high crime rate, and the opposition-led demonstrations of students seeking to…
Public opinion and political truth
QUESTION EVERYTHING Mong Palatino Bulatlat.com Public opinion has many uses but it should neither stand for truth nor should it be equated with political standpoint. Sometimes it is overrated despite its ephemerality. Consider the examples below: – Senator Miriam Santiago is the darling of the press and social media superstar who entertains the public with…
Sori
GUNITA NG SALITA Ni ROLAND TOLENTINO Bulatlat.com Ito ang paghingi ng paumanhin, kapatawaran o pasensya para sa mali–kulang at kalabisan–na nagawa. Maari itong boluntaryong ibinibigay at ipinagkakaloob ng nagkamali’t nakasama sa kapwa. Maari ring napilitan lang, may kailangang protektahan sa sarili sa pakikipagkapwa kaya nagsosori. Sa may kapangyarihan, mahirap ang pag-sori. Kailangan munang bukongbuko bago…
Counterrevolution in Venezuela
By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo Streetwise | BusinessWorld “Make trouble, fail, make trouble again, fail again… till their doom; that is the logic of the imperialists and all reactionaries the world over in dealing with the people’s cause, and they will never go against this logic… Fight, fail, fight again, fail again, fight again… till their victory;…
Premature
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago says it’s premature for her fellow politicians to be declaring their plans for 2016 this early. Millions of her countrymen, concerned over unemployment, energy costs, crime, even where the next meal’s coming from and where to bed down for the night, are certainly…
Killings of activists: 173 under P-Noy’s watch
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star It seems that we will not see the ending of extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations under this second Aquino administration. What we have seen were continued killings with impunity — and not only of political/social activists. These were largely perpetrated through a…
The US trains its guns on Latin America once more| Venezuela in crisis?
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat perspective Part 1 of 2 Part 2: Venezuela in crisis? Much has been written about America’s bombing and eventual occupation of Iraq, as well as its occupation of Afghanistan. Recently, the US announced its pivot to Asia, which would translate into deploying 60 percent of its naval vessels and troops overseas…
Three women
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld Before Cristina Ponce Enrile announced to the entire country and the world that her husband, former Senate President and chief martial law enforcer Juan Ponce Enrile is, in the words of one of the country’s broadsheets, “a womanizer, yes, but a thief, no,” two women had already…
The Chavez legacy lives on
By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo Streetwise | BusinessWorld Venezuela marks the first death anniversary of its charismatic, outspoken and hugely popular President, Hugo Chavez, in the midst of relatively small but persistent street protests that have turned violent and even deadly, originating from well-to-do municipalities, and led by Opposition figures that unabashedly want to bring down the…
Diplomacy, not saber-rattling
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star “…Leadership and credibility in a crisis mean reacting coolly and rationally, not rattling sabers, or rushing into economic warfare that allies may or may not support, or painting ‘red lines’ that the other side can cross with impunity.” Thus the International New York Times…