Keeping EDSA alive
Such efforts at twisting history should be met with resistance. Resist by exposing the lies, shedding light on the truth, and preserving our collective memory.
Keeping EDSA alive
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#Bulatlat24 | A commitment to serve the people
#Bulatlat24 | A commitment to serve the people
Alone we cannot do it. A big part of that is because of our readers and supporters, and our reason for being – the marginalized and oppressed sectors, the ordinary Filipinos whose miseries and victories we strive to amplify in every story we produce.
#Bulatlat24 | My proudest commitment: choosing ‘journalism for the people’
#Bulatlat24 | My proudest commitment: choosing ‘journalism for the people’
I chose to be part of Bulatlat, the longest-running online alternative news site in the country and the authority in human rights journalism in the Philippines, primarily because I believe in its principles and brand of journalism, which amplifies the voices of marginalized and oppressed. Bulatlat frames their stories based on the perspective of ordinary Filipinos while adhering to the highest standards of journalism.
#Bulatlat24 | The decisiveness to give journalism a chance
#Bulatlat24 | The decisiveness to give journalism a chance
Now, I write stories, join people’s organizations in fact-finding missions, and, like in my previous work, engage with partners. Sustaining relationships with our sources, especially those in the grassroots, is a significant part of my work. Communicating with sources, partners, and even readers makes me feel more grounded in reality.
Balik-Tanaw | Called, transformed, sent
Balik-Tanaw | Called, transformed, sent
In the First Reading from Isaiah (6:1-8), the prophet Isaiah has a powerful vision of God’s holiness. He sees the Lord in all His glory and is overwhelmed by His presence. Isaiah realizes his own unworthiness and sins, but instead of being turned away, God purifies him and calls him to be His messenger. Isaiah’s response is simple yet profound: “Here am I, send me.”
#Bulatlat24 | Heartbreak turned into a meaningful purpose
#Bulatlat24 | Heartbreak turned into a meaningful purpose
This is my purpose in life, I thought, to fight for the people and with the people. Eventually, I coped with my first heartbreak as I have found my true purpose.
Konteksto | Liham
Konteksto | Liham
Para sa ating dalawa, susing salik sa mas malakas na pagsasama ang pagkakaroon ng isang anak. Sinisikap nating palakihin siya nang matino, gamit ang dangal at husay hindi lang mula sa libro kundi mula sa nakakasalamuha niya.
Phl now open to ICC probe on ‘war on drugs’
Phl now open to ICC probe on ‘war on drugs’
The Marcos Jr. administration now says it’s willing to sit down with the International Criminal Court to discuss “certain areas” of cooperation on the latter’s investigation, started in 2018, on former president Duterte’s “war on drugs.” The timeline goes back to the time he was Davao City mayor.
Balik-Tanaw | Good news
Balik-Tanaw | Good news
I was walking with a colleague to the Surigao house we share and came to talk about her first foray into the city. A development worker, she had come from Iligan and had just been onboarded into a response team here in the aftermath of Super Typhoon Odette in 2021. Her work then must have been challenging, made even more difficult by the prevailing Covid. Being new here myself and getting a lot of help settling in, I was immediately reminded that I arrived at a better time.
Corruption top concern for businessmen in 2025
Corruption top concern for businessmen in 2025
As the new year begins, it’s the flourishing corruption that the country’s business executives are most worried about, according to a survey towards yearend 2024 conducted by the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP).
Konteksto | Sampaguita
Konteksto | Sampaguita
Napanood mo ba ang viral na bidyo? Sige, panoorin mo pang muli. Sana nama’y higit pa sa 42 segundo ang pagninilay-nilay sa konteksto ng mga pangunahing karakter. Huwag din sanang mabilis na maghusga, lalo na sa ginawa ng guwardiya.
Balik-Tanaw | Tubig ng buhay sa uhaw na mundo: Water to wine: A call to justice and transformation
Balik-Tanaw | Tubig ng buhay sa uhaw na mundo: Water to wine: A call to justice and transformation
In Jesus’ time, while water is essential, it is often unsafe to drink due to high possibility of contamination. Waterborne diseases were very common and were a major cause of death especially to the poor. Historically, wine being fermented, was a safer and more practical option, frequently diluted with water to purify it and extend its use. In our scripture reading, at Cana, there were six stone jars filled with water for purification, these were meant for ritual purposes, yet as we look beyond the narrative and fill the gaps of the story, these tapayans, or clay jars were not just religious objects but practical necessities. These are symbols of survival in a world of scarcity. If there’s no clean water and no wine, what else could there be?
Two bits of good news lighten up the start of 2025
Two bits of good news lighten up the start of 2025
Surely, the increasing number of self-declared poor among our people is a cause for national concern. The government’s poverty-reduction program definitely needs serious evaluation, what with the contributory negative causes such as calamities, both natural and man-made, that come aplenty every year. This negative trend notwithstanding, two positive developments at the beginning of the new year provide us reasons to cheer up.
Balik-Tanaw | Humility, courage and hope
Balik-Tanaw | Humility, courage and hope
The Baptism of the Lord is more than a thing to remember or a period in Jesus’ life – it is a powerful reminder to reflect on how His baptism shapes our very being. It invites us to examine our purpose as the baptized. It is challenging us to step beyond comfort , and embody a solidarity that responds to the cries of a world yearning for justice, peace, and hope.
Balik-Tanaw | A reflection on Epiphany, and what it may mean for our times
Balik-Tanaw | A reflection on Epiphany, and what it may mean for our times
When the album Folklore was released on July 2020, it was just months after Covid 19 affected the entire world. Taylor Swift isolated herself in those days, but aloneness proved to be fertile ground for a revelation. One song stood out among those included in the album. In this poetic, lyrical piece, Swift “empathizes with doctors and nurses, who served the affected despite their harrowing work, and mental trauma they have to experience while handling the loss of human lives.”
One-fifth of world’s children live amid armed conflicts
One-fifth of world’s children live amid armed conflicts
More than 473 million young people, nearly one-fifth of all children in the world, suffer from the worst level of violence since World War II (1939-1945). This, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund, as lucidly reported by The Guardian.
Hello, laban again! The people’s fight for accountability and justice
Hello, laban again! The people’s fight for accountability and justice
Let us end the year with a resolve to defeat the politics represented by Marcos and Duterte and to fight for a just future.
Hiked use of anti-terror law under Marcos Jr.’s regime
Hiked use of anti-terror law under Marcos Jr.’s regime
During the first six months of this year, the human rights alliance Karapatan observed, the government has increasingly weaponized the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) of 2020 and the Terrorism Financing and Suppression Act (TFSA) of 2012 against human rights defenders, political activists and other dissenters.
Konteksto | Pag-asa
Konteksto | Pag-asa
Walang problema kung nais paniwalaan ang kasabihang “Habang may buhay, may pag-asa” pero mas mainam na isakonteksto ito sa mahigpit na pagkakaisa ng mas malawak na mamamayan.
Marcoses asked to pay P203-B overdue estate tax
Marcoses asked to pay P203-B overdue estate tax
Considering the devastations wrought by recent typhoons in many parts of the country, an activist group has urged Marcos Jr. and his family to pay their P203-billion estate tax deficiency that fell due 25 long years ago.
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