New Bridge, Old Problems
Category: Politics & Governance
Davao Lawyers Oppose Midnight Appointment of Chief Justice
By CHERYLL D. FIEL Davao Today Posted by Bulatlat.com DAVAO CITY – Davao lawyers are restive over the issue of the President’s impending appointment of a new Chief Justice, following a Supreme Court ruling that allows her to do this despite a ban on this action in the Philippine Constitution. Eight lawyers’ groups, namely: the…
Live Webcast: Kabataan Partylist’s Education Agenda
Kabataan Rep. Mong Palatino will discuss with Bulatlat.com his party’s education agenda, in a live webcast interview on March 24, Wednesday, at 2 p.m.
Military Accused of Harassing Kin of Morong 43 to Force NPA Admission
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Five of the Morong 43 who admitted to being rebels were tortured, their families harassed, according to relatives. The children of one of the detainees have allegedly disappeared, according to their grandmother.
New Attacks Target Bayan Muna Officials, Members
By RONALYN OLEA
Two grenades were thrown at a house of a Bayan Muna member in Lezo, Aklan. Meanwhile, soldiers from the Philippine Army are openly campaigning against progressive party-list groups in South Cotabato.
SC Decision Allowing ‘Arroyo Court’ a Danger to the Public, Say Critics
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“In her desire to appoint a new chief justice, President Arroyo will be transgressing several laws and the Constitution and will also be breaking a long tradition already in place in our judicial system, and will also be encroaching upon the powers and the independence of the Judiciary,” the NUPL said.
Arroyo’s UMID: A National ID System in Disguise?
By MARYA SALAMAT
Critics of the new ID system say “this multimillion project will be another campaign kitty for the Arroyo administration and also an avenue to skirt the unconstitutionality of the National ID System which was already rejected by the Supreme Court during the Ramos regime.”
15 Years After Death of Flor Contemplacion, OFWs Remain Vulnerable as Ever
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
OFWs and domestic helpers are still going through the same nightmare that Flor Contemplacion suffered. Many rot in jail. Several have been sentenced to death. Thousands suffer abuse from their employers and neglected by their government. To these OFWs, the Arroyo regime is “chief executioner of the rights and welfare of OFWs.”
Benjie Oliveros | Party-List Elections, a Failing Democracy Project?
The worst thing that could happen with the expected low participation in the party-list elections is that it would create an opportunity for the Arroyo government to pad votes for Malacañang-sponsored party-list groups.
The Shame of Padre Faura
By ATTY. MARIE YUVENCO Bulatlat.com It isn’t true that the course of our history is charted within that building along the polluted banks of the Pasig river. Malacañang may point the direction towards which the ship of state is headed, but the captain cannot pull out of port without clearance from higher authority. The voyage…
In Fiery Protest, PUP Students Denounce 2,000% Tuition Hike
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Hundreds of students at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines walked out of their classes today to denounce a proposal to increase the school’s tuition by as much as 2,000 percent. The students, nearly a thousand of them, threw armchairs, tables and papers down to the ground floor and set these on fire.