By MARYA SALAMAT
President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III pledged to install a transparent government, the opposite of scandal-ridden administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. But a global survey on budget transparency gives his administration a lower if not the same score as during Arroyo’s.
Tags: noynoy aquino
Release of P140 million pork barrel fund for Akbayan representative slammed
By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com MANILA – Last year the currently incumbent partylist Akbayan came under fire from critics. With Akbayan leaders enjoying key appointive positions in the Aquino cabinet and its partylist receiving or taking care of millions of government funds, questions are lodged over whether it was indeed “marginalized.” Despite this, Akbayan leaders continue…
Now you see them, now you don’t, but G.I. Joes are here to stay, no thanks to the Aquino government
By MARYA SALAMAT Bulatlat.com MANILA – Tensions at the West Philippine Sea have been hitting the headlines since last year. President Benigno Aquino III has been blowing hot and cold over the issue: at times saber-rattling, begging the US to deploy more troops and ‘defend the Philippines against China,’ then calling for diplomatic measures to…
Elite governance, elite economics: When vaunted growth clashes with reality
By ARNOLD PADILLA Bulatlat.com MANILA — In 2012, the dominant theme peddled by the Aquino administration was “good governance is good economics”. Malacañang’s hoax is that the “daang matuwid” (righteous path) has created a favorable environment for inclusive economic growth. From being the sick man of Asia, the Philippines now brims with vitality. Or so,…
New Year’s wish of college editors: New Year’s Resolution for Pres. Aquino
The following are some of college editors’ proposed 2013 New Year’s Resolution for President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, as compiled by the College Editors’ Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) national office: More prudent spending. The government should monitor spending especially with the implementation of the Sin Tax Law. – Patrick Ong, Editor in chief of The…
Jonas Burgos’s mother assails promotion of officer linked to abduction of son
By RONALYN V. OLEA Bulatlat.com MANILA – Six days before the commemoration of International Human Rights Day, a military officer implicated in gross human rights violations took his oath before President Benigno Aquino III. Brig. Gen. Eduardo Año has been assigned as the new chief of the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces of the…
Edita Burgos decries Aquino’s ‘insensitivity’ to victims of rights abuses
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“To seek justice and to right a wrong done to families who have been victims of enforced disappearances, will that be considered a leftist act?”
Youth groups urge public to sign petition against AO 31
Youth groups urge public to sign petition against AO 31 (Photo by Chad Balangon / Bulatlat.com)
On 40th anniversary of martial law, groups slam continuing repression
By RONALYN V. OLEA
“The poor are still poor, exploited and oppressed. Today, social justice remains elusive, and the culture of impunity prevails, like it was under martial law.” – Karapatan
Sidebar: Aquino urged to indemnify victims, free all political prisoners
40 years after, martial law activists still clamor for justice
ByRONALYN V. OLEA
“Forty is not just a number to remember but a reminder of the length of time we have been fighting impunity and for the attainment of justice. “ – Marie Hilao-Enriquez, Karapatan
Politika ng relief operations, pilantropiya’t redempsyon
Ni ROLAND B. TOLENTINO Bulatlat.com Nagiging standard routine na itong kalakaran: magpapabaya ang gobyerno, iaasa sa at mamamayagpag ang pribadong negosyo (kasama ang iligal na pagmimina’t pagtrotroso, at kalabisan ng real estate developers) ang pagpapaunlad (re: komersyalisasyon) ng infrastruktura at publiko serbisyo, magkakabagyo (kailangang labis ang efekto sa Metro Manila para magkaroon ng pambansang dimensyon…