“The January 27 demolition of homes of the urban poor in the North Triangle was “the most overkill” in the number of police forces deployed, teargas fired and high-powered rifles displayed.” – CTUHR
Month: January 2014
Yolanda survivors protest lack of govt assistance
Thousands of Yolanda (international name Haiyan) survivors marched along the streets of Tacloban on Jan. 25 to protest the lack of government assistance they are receiving, three months after the supertyphoon hit the province. “This is a people surge — a swelling of the people demanding justice for Yolanda victims and asserting their right to…
North Triangle residents lose homes to demolition, decry ‘overkill’
“The new wave of demolitions along Agham Road in Sitio San Roque, Quezon City, wreaks of violence and wanton disrespect for basic human rights. From the looks of it, not even an iota of humanity was present during the demolition.” – Kabataan Rep. Terry Ridon
‘Rice smuggling happened with gov’t consent’ – Anakpawis
“The farmers-as-importers program is nothing but a legal cover provided by the NFA to rice cartels and smugglers to corner the big bulk of rice importation.” – Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas
Selfie
GUNITA NG SALITA Ni ROLAND TOLENTINO Bulatlat.com Selfie ang piniling salita ng taon ng guardian ng wikang ingles, ang Oxford Dictionaries. Ang lumalabas na pag-unawa at katangian nito ay: sariling kuha’t upload ng sarili sa mga social network site. Indikatibo ang selfie ng isang narisistikong proyekto, ang proyekto ng pag-angat at preserbasyon ng sarili. Inaangat…
Tumandoks unite against land-grabbing, mega dam, military harassment
“Typhoon Yolanda destroyed our houses and our trees in November 8 last year… Now, more than two months after, the 61st IB-PA and the NCIP suddenly remembered to conduct a relief distribution operation, come here in the middle of our assembly preparations and in full battle gear?”
The bigger conspiracy
By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo Streetwise | BusinessWorld In opposing the steep rise in electricity rates charged by Meralco and the generation companies (GenCos) starting December 2013, we need to dig deeper into the why’s and wherefore’s of high electricity rates. The Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 or EPIRA has been setting the neoliberal parameters…
Government as encumbrance
By LUIS V. TEODORO Vantage Point | BusinessWorld There are least two explanations for Benigno Aquino III’s high approval (73%) and trust ratings (74%). Although these declined by six and two percentage points, or from 79 and 76, respectively, as Pulse Asia pointed out when it released its survey results, the decline is not statistically…
Workers’ plight sidelined in economic recovery drive
By Satur C. Ocampo At Ground Level | The Philippine Star “Improving the state of the world” is the avowed mission of the 43rd annual gathering of big capitalists this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, based on a risk assessment (beneath the “euphoria” over global economic recovery) that the growing gap…
Why is there pessimism despite rosy economic growth figures?
By BENJIE OLIVEROS Bulatlat Perspective The Aquino administration has been boasting that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, averaging 7.4 percent during the first three quarters of 2013, has been among the highest in Asia. In 2012, the country registered a 6.8 percent growth. So this should result in better living conditions for the…
Praeteritum et futurum 2
By RAYMUND B. VILLANUEVA