Members of the media in Baguio City wore black T-shirts as their contribution to the nationally- coordinated observation of the international day of protest against media killings in the country. BY KIM QUITASOL Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat BAGUIO CITY (246 kms. North of Manila) – Members of the media here wore black T-shirts on…
Category: Regions
Tomas Osmeña and the Vigilantes of Cebu City
If there is any local politician who has managed to court controversy for the alleged presence of vigilante groups in his turf other than Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, it is Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña. He admits there are such groups in his area of responsibility, but says “that’s the way it is” and…
P125 Wage Hike and Arroyo’s Economic Boom
If President Arroyo wants to talk about “social payback from the booming economy,” the only acceptable and meaningful social payback that Filipino workers deserve today is a substantial wage increase complemented by price control reforms, tax reforms, and drastic increases in social services spending BY ARNOLD PADILLA IBON Features Posted by Bulatlat IBON Features –…
Open-Pit Mining Destroyed Village in Zambales
It was as if a giant used a shovel to gouge the face of the mountain in Barangay Buhawen, San Marcelino, Zambales. Below the towering rocky façade, reddish-black liquid formed a pool of poison. This is the legacy of open pit mining 15 years ago. And now mining companies are about to come back with…
Japan Aid Threat Prompts GMA to Act on Peasant Leader’s Killing
Is there a connection between acting on a case of political killing and the Japanese government’s release of funding for an irrigation project? BY ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW Northern Dispatch Posted by Bulatlat.com Seven months after the incident, a human rights watchdog in the Cordillera said that Task Force Usig of the Philippine National Police (PNP)…
NGO-Village Project Lights Up Sagada Village
While homes powered by commercial electricity contend with high power rates, the agriculture-dependent residents of the village where the joint project of the Montañosa Research and Development Center (MRDC) and the Mabaca tribe of Bayawong was recently set up only contribute minimal monthly dues. Trained members of the community will manage the project with minimal…
Jueteng Operated by Baguio Local Execs Raided
Jueteng operations in Baguio City allegedly hiding under the cloak of legalized bingo met a big stumbling block last week when Cordillera policemen simultaneously raided “gambling dens” including a barangay (village) hall. BY ACE ALEGRE Contributed to Bulatlat BAGUIO CITY (246 kms. north of Manila) – Jueteng operations in the city allegedly hiding under the…
Rights Abuses Intensify in Cebu
Progressive organizations based in Cebu City decried the overkill in the security preparations for the coming ASEAN Summit. “Frantic preparations for the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Cebu have thrown the provincial government in a militarist state of panic,” said lawyer Alfonso Cinco, chairperson of Karapatan-Cebu. BY EMILY VITAL Bulatlat.com Progressive organizations based in Cebu City…
Cordillera Peasants, Women Hold ‘Foodless Day’; Earth’s 854 Million People Go Hungry Everyday
Representatives from Innabuyog-GABRIELA, an alliance of indigenous women, and the Alyansa dagiti Pesante iti Taeng Kordilyera (Apit-Tako or Peasant Alliance in the Cordillera Homeland), have come together to address the World Rural Women’s Day and the World Food Day. The economic crisis in the country, especially in the rural areas, is worsening, they say. BY…
On the October Bombings on Mindanao: ‘These are the Handiwork of Groups Opposing Peace’
The bombings that took place in Mindanao earlier this month are the handiwork of people who want the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to completely collapse, the spokesperson of the Moro revolutionary group said. These, he said, are people who are…
Thailand’s Army Still Looms Large in Politics
By Nopporn Wong-Anan Reuters Posted by Bulatlat BANGKOK – Even though Thailand’s last military coup was 15 years ago, when Bangkok motorists spotted tanks rolling down the street last week, many thought the army was up to its old tricks once again. “I received more than 10 calls from people saying they had seen several…