Should Congress decide to either convene itself into a constituent assembly or to call for elections for delegates to a constitutional convention, the citizenry must closely monitor the process — not because the 1987 Constitution is Corazon Aquino’s most outstanding legacy, but because, at this critical stage in the country’s history, it is among the people’s few remaining means of defense against the return of authoritarian rule and the further ruin of this country.
Tags: cory aquino
Olalia-Alay-ay double murder, first big crime to ‘shatter illusion of democracy’
By MARYA SALAMAT
Despite evidences and eyewitnesses, the accused killers of Olalia and Alay-ay, thirteen known members of RAM, have so far evaded arrest by invoking the amnesty granted them after their failed coups.
25 years after, justice for Mendiola massacre victims still nowhere in sight
By RONALYN V. OLEA
In reaction to Secretary Ricky Carandang’s statement that there is “no practical point” in reopening the investigation as it has already been “resolved,” the relatives of the victims replied, “How could it have been resolved when no one has been punished? Now that the son is in power, all the more we have to press for justice.”
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 | 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
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 Son of ‘People Power’ and Nothing to Show for It — Not Even Solidarity with Egyptian People
Imagine the quandary he’s in: His own mother was catapulted to the presidency via Edsa 1, the culmination of two decades of struggle of the Filipino people against the abuses of the Marcos dictatorship. He should at the least salute the Egyptian people for their courage and unity in fighting the Mubarak dictatorship.
24 Years Later, the Wounds of Mendiola Still Bleed
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
Survivors of the Mendiola Massacre are left with bitter memories of that day 24 years ago, when soldiers and police fired their weapons at a group of protesting farmers. Their thirst for justice has kept them going in their continuing struggle for land.
‘It’s Not Too Much to Demand Justice, to Demand Land for the Landless’
Mendiola Massacre survivor Teresita Arjona, whose husband Danilo died with 12 others in the carnage, vividly remembers what happened that day 24 years ago. She is unlikely to ever forget, she says, because the reasons why they marched to Malacañang then are the same reasons why farmers continue to hold protests and rallies and why so many others have been killed.
‘Life for Farmers Is Meaningless If They Are Deprived of Land’
Mendiola Massacre survivor Pedro Gonzalez knows by heart the crimes the governments that followed the Marcos dictatorship committed against the Filipino people. These, he says, make him remember what he is fighting for.
Farmers Urge Noynoy to Reopen Mendiola Massacre Case
By INA ALLECO R. SILVERIO
As the 24th anniversary of the infamous Mendiola Massacre nears, farmers led by the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) called on President Benigno S. Aquino III to bring justice and closure to the issue by reopening the investigation.