By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO Bulatlat.com MANILA — Urban poor leader Carmen Deunida, more commonly known as Nanay Mameng, celebrated her 84th birthday last February 8. She shares this special day with two known politicians in the country — the late Senator Claro Recto whom she looks up to and another, President Benigno S. Aquino [...]

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL and RONALYN V. OLEA
“This is a historic moment… Aside from the judiciary, even the executive and the legislative are virtually on trial as far as the bar of public opinion is concerned. All of them will be watched and judged by the public.” – Gloria Panagutin Movement

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“We welcome the filing of impeachment complaint against Corona who remains to be a loyal cohort of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo… However, we are alarmed by President Aquino’s move to appoint a new Chief Justice which is obviously meant to control the SC.” – Rodel Mesa, secretary general of Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (Uma)

Sidebar: Threatened, charged with crimes, Luisita farm workers continue to fight

By RONALYN V. OLEA MANILA – Five days before Christmas, while travelling from Manila to Hacienda Luisita, farm worker Rodel Mesa received a text message. Instead of words, he got graphic representation of a bullet. “Where is the gun?” he replied in Filipino. “Do whatever you want,” he added. On January 2, his fellow leader, [...]

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“We are watching very closely. The present administration must demonstrate that the Philippines has turned the page and a new chapter where freedom and justice prevail has begun.” – Beaconsfield United Church of Canada

By RONALYN V. OLEA
“Undermining [of previous agreements] is the strongest evidence that the Aquino regime has no desire or intention to engage in serious peace negotiations to address the roots of the armed conflict.” — NDFP peace panel chairman Luis Jalandoni

By SONNY AFRICA
The Philippines can’t rely on the world economy and old globalization policies to drive economic growth and development.

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO Bulatlat.com The country’s urban poor have one more reason to consider President Benigno S. Aquino III an enemy of the poor: he vetoed a provision inserted by the House of Representatives into the 2012 national budget that would have forced the government to put a limit on borrowing funds from [...]

By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
In his veto message on the 2011 national budget, President Aquino said the P5 billion calamity fund should be mainly used by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) for “actual calamities”and not for “preparation of relocation sites/facilities, and training personnel engaged in direct disaster.”

By MARYA SALAMAT
“At this point any increase in transport fares will be rendered insignificant amid continuing oil price increases.” – Lana Linaban, Gabriela

By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com Main story: Approved 2012 budget skewed vs peoples’ needs MANILA — Kabataan Party-list Rep. Raymond “Mong” Palatino criticized the Congress-ratified 2012 national budget of P1.816 trillion ($41.61 billion) as “unhealthy and ignorant” because it gave Filipino a mere P1.25 ($.03) for health and P6.55 ($.15) for education per day.   “The [...]