By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star At the House of Representatives plenary deliberations on the proposed 2016 General Appropriations Act (national budget) last Monday, two interesting revelations involving investment incentives and wrongful use of public funds were drawn out through assiduous interpellation. One: Both Maynilad Water Services Inc. and Manila…
Category: At Ground Level
Citizens are losing faith in democratic systems
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star “Signs of democratic dysfunction are everywhere, from Athens to Ankara. Brussels to Brasilia. In the United States, the federal government has shut down 12 times in the last 35 years…a Gallup tracking poll shows that trust in the presidency and in the Supreme Court…
Eerily evoking martial law
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star Will President Aquino issue a statement on Monday, Sept. 21, which marks the 43rd year after Ferdinand E. Marcos declared martial law and began a 14-year fascist dictatorship whose pernicious imprints remain to this day? What will he say? Two weeks ago I wrote…
Armed conflicts displace 60 million worldwide
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star Yes, that’s how many citizens of various countries, enmeshed in varying degrees and types of armed conflicts, have been displaced thus far – either internally (within their homelands) or forced to seek asylum/refuge in other countries. (In the Philippines, we’ve had numerous, repeated incidences…
Stop the killings
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star We’ve entered the first of the “ber” months. For the many who are holiday-obsessed this may evoke merry thoughts of bells tinkling, of gift-shopping, of Christmas approaching. It’s a different picture, unfortunately, for human rights defenders, progressive organizations, journalists, and indigenous peoples particularly in…
Foreign brands influx into Phl retail market
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star Three months ago, I wrote about the hazy prospect of resolving the huge backlog in providing housing for the underprivileged and homeless citizens: 5.5 million units today, projected to rise to 12.5 million in 2030. Private housing developers gripe that the government is passing…
Asserting national interest in trade negotiations
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star Though we are mere uzi or bystanders in the ongoing negotiations to forge a Trans-Pacific free-trade bloc, it is interesting, and instructive, to observe the converging and clashing national interests among the 12 countries involved. Final agreement is being difficult to reach, dashing President…
‘Close US military bases and save money, lives’
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star Now comes a new — and quite reasonable — proposal on what to do with the 700 US military bases overstaying in various countries across the world: Close them all, and save money and lives. The idea comes from David Vine, associate professor at…
Agriculture lag, other issues in final SONA
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star A month ago I wrote in this space that at least two unresolved issues – his “dismal record” on human rights and impunity and the Mamasapano tragedy – will hound President Aquino in his sixth and last state-of-the-nation address on Monday. That remains true.…
Threats, harassments vs progressive groups
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star What are they up to? Are they aiming to deter bigger participation in the anticipated protest actions timed with President Aquino’s final state-of-the-nation address on July 27, as some activists suspect? Or are they setting the ground for a worse scenario – as a…
Austerity, eurozone policies need to change
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star The government’s economic managers have been repeatedly assuring us that whatever happens to debt-ridden Greece and its European Union membership will have little impact in the Philippines. However, it’s worthwhile watching the interesting developments there. Then we can judge if these don’t really affect…