2004 Budget Based on Flawed Speculation
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Bulatlat Contributors | Jan 31, 2004
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Satur C. Ocampo | The Moro Land Problem
Satur C. Ocampo | The Moro Land Problem
In response to the calls by the GPH and the NDFP panels for consultations with, and participation of, various sectors in the peace process, Mindanao peace advocates and people’s organizations met in mid-February in Davao City. They drew up and approved a Mindanao people’s peace agenda for submission to the two negotiating panels. The agenda was presented at the Marawi and Iligan forums. (By Satur C. Ocampo / bulatlat.com)
Carol Pagaduan-Araullo | A Woman’s Liberation
Carol Pagaduan-Araullo | A Woman’s Liberation
At the March 8 rally, as I waited to deliver my speech to the thousands of women gathered at some distance from the Presidential Palace, I could not help but reflect on my own sojourn as a woman, from a carefree middle-class upbringing to one defined by the social and political struggles and upheavals of my generation. (By Carol Pagaduan-Araullo / bulatlat.com)
Luis V. Teodoro | Iraq Redux
Luis V. Teodoro | Iraq Redux
The violence and brutality of Gaddafi's rule, and the absence of progress during the 41 years he’s been in power, are making the case for the rebels. His erstwhile friends in Europe would gladly turn against him -- but not before they’ve seen to it that someone pliable, and preferably less daffy, could take his place, the better to assure the West continuing access to Libyan oil. (By Luis V. Teodoro / bulatlat.com)
Benjie Oliveros | Heed the People’s Call for Immediate Relief
Benjie Oliveros | Heed the People’s Call for Immediate Relief
It seems that the Aquino government would rather let the Filipino people suffer than lean on oil companies to "moderate their greed." It is more scared of facing the wrath of the IMF-WB than the Filipino people. Perhaps, it is banking on its popularity and relying on its apologists-allies who are already in government but still stake their claim to being part of civil society. (By Benjie Oliveros / bulatlat.com)
Mara, Clara and the sorry state of the nation
Mara, Clara and the sorry state of the nation
MANILA -- On days like this when I can’t make heads or tails of which story to write first and my fingers are starting to hurt from pounding the keyboard, I think that I would really, really enjoy being a showbiz writer.
Satur C. Ocampo | Edsa 1, Broadly
Satur C. Ocampo | Edsa 1, Broadly
The 25th anniversary of the 1986 Edsa popular uprising again stirred feelings of pride and frustration among Filipinos. The pride stems from our having successfully carried out the first “people power” that ousted a dictatorship through peaceful mass action. The frustration boils out of the unfulfilled promises of post-dictatorship reforms. (By Satur C. Ocampo / bulatlat.com)
Benjie Oliveros | Two Steps For Justice
Benjie Oliveros | Two Steps For Justice
Recently, there were two positive developments in the Filipino people’s quest for justice: the victims of the Marcos dictatorship finally got what is due them and the impeachment case against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez is finally being heard. (By Benjie Oliveros / bulatlat.com)
CenPEG | When Security Policies are Based on Lies
CenPEG | When Security Policies are Based on Lies
The "war on terror" policy pursued by the past Macapagal-Arroyo administration should be declared as good as dead and should be abandoned by the incumbent President. That policy was based hook, line, and sinker on former U.S. President George W. Bush, Jr.'s neo-conservative theory linking Iraq to the 9/11 bombings. Now, an Iraqi defector who was the primary source of so-called intelligence reports that were used to make a case for Bush's Operation Iraqi Freedom has confessed that he made the whole story up. (By Center for People Empowerment in Governance / bulatlat.com)
Satur C. Ocampo | Impeaching the Ombudsman
Satur C. Ocampo | Impeaching the Ombudsman
Finally the congressional move to oust Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez (for the second time since 2009) has regained momentum. With the new administration’s avowed war against corruption and its majority control of the House, the militant party-list representatives hope the impeachment game will be played fairly this time. Nonetheless, they don’t rule out delaying tactics by the Ombudsman and her backers in the House. By SATUR C. OCAMPO
Carol Pagaduan-Araullo | Reality Check
Carol Pagaduan-Araullo | Reality Check
It is only through the people’s support that the two parties can draw the strength needed to withstand all negative pressures, ensure the efficacy of bilateral agreements and the successful end-result of the peace negotiations. In the final analysis, that is the meaning of the people being the true sovereign power, a fact which neither side disputes. By CAROL PAGADUAN-ARAULLO
Luis V. Teodoro | Victims and Victimizers
Luis V. Teodoro | Victims and Victimizers
The Philippine government should by all means protect Filipinos in trouble abroad, and see to it that their rights are respected. Even more fundamentally, should it put its own house in order, and create the conditions at home that will provide its citizens the means to sustain themselves in the present and to guarantee their future. By LUIS V. TEODORO
Ibon Foundation | Edsa and the Economy: 25 Years After
Ibon Foundation | Edsa and the Economy: 25 Years After
The 1986 People Power uprising created a moment of national unity and international credibility that could have been the starting point of real economic progress. By SONNY AFRICA / Ibon Foundation / bulatlat.com
Benjie Oliveros | The Significance of the 25th Anniversary of Edsa People Power
Benjie Oliveros | The Significance of the 25th Anniversary of Edsa People Power
There is nothing wrong with trying to revive the luster of the Edsa People Power uprising, if the celebration would be faithful to its essence: the people's demand for change. There is also nothing wrong with making February 25 a joyous occasion, for as long as it does not try to give the illusion that the struggle for genuine change has been won already. By BENJIE OLIVEROS / bulatlat.com
Lessons in love as we remember Edsa
Lessons in love as we remember Edsa
So who are the real heroes of Edsa? The workers, the urban poor, the farmers, the members of the basic sectors who flooded the streets in the waning days of the Marcos dictatorship and demanded that Marcos step down.
The journalist in times of inhumanity
The journalist in times of inhumanity
In these times of inhumanity, the thin line between being a journalist and an activist is blurred even more. I know in my heart that I owe no one an apology.
Satur C. Ocampo | Talking Peace, Again: Is it Necessary, or Not?
Satur C. Ocampo | Talking Peace, Again: Is it Necessary, or Not?
The peace talks now going on in Oslo between the government and the NDFP, having moved on to the deep-seated problems that have been sustaining the CPP-NPA-led armed struggle over 40 years, were the subject of editorial comment in this newspaper the other day. I think that certain points were correctly spotlighted and interpreted in the editorial, but it is amiss on others. By SATUR C. OCAMPO / bulatlat.com
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