Category: Commentary

LFS at 31: The continuing relevance of and need for activism and militancy

The League of Filipino Students (LFS), arguably the country’s most well-known activist student organization, marks its 31st year today.

On its anniversary, the LFS’ clarion call to its members can also apply to all Filipino youth. The call may be deemed subversive by some, but perhaps mainly because it disrupts and challenges the passivity, cynicism and apathy that pervade society today. For this and its long history of making the young people realize their progressive roles in and out of campus, we say thank you to the LFS.

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PLDT’s myDSL service: F%$k3d Up!

This afternoon, the DSL connection at our house just went kaput. I performed some “tricks” — known to all PLDT myDSL subscribers who have experienced problems and sought technical assistance. You know the drill: ipconfig /release and /renew. Resetting the modem. In my case, also resetting the router. I did all those plenty of times, knowing fully well that my computer and house connections may be the culprit.

But after several frustrating tries, I called up PLDT’s so-called customer service.

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Ermita announces ‘new peace paradigm’ which looks like all-out war

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has announced the dissolution of the government peace panel in peace negotiations with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

Again, the militarists have gained the upper hand by successfully putting disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) as the ultimate goal of the peace talks. Never mind the resolution of the root causes of the Moro people’s armed struggle — basta may giyera at may pretext para sa giyera where the corrupt generals may continue to make pasiklab to GMA and get access to military contracts.

Nothing new really with this “new” peace paradigm. It really looks like a deceptively-packaged all-out war.

Below is his full statement:

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‘Tagaytay 5’ now free after court trashes false raps

As expected, the court freed the Tagaytay 5 after finding the rebellion charges without merit and spurious.

I am so very happy for the family of poet and activist Alex Pinpin, one of the five who were abducted, jailed and falsely charged, and also for the others. I mention Alex because I’ve met his sister Cyrine and saw in her eyes the pain of losing her brother to political vendetta. But now, Cyrine is happy and could only express her profound and sincere thanks to everyone who made the freedom of the Tagaytay 5 possible.

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Blogging and social change

Blogging today has become an intellectual outlet for the more articulate Filipino middle class. In my view, this rage is a cumulative product of the following:

(1) the explosion of the worldwide web and the accompanying availability of blogging platforms;
(2) the widespread availability of affordable internet access;
(3) this social stratum’s readiness to study and engage in debate on various issues and concerns;
(4) the “individuality” and “personality” sought by individual members of this social stratum;
(5) the closed nature of the established press and media.

Whether blogging may become a tool for social change requires a leap of faith,

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Poor Filipinos pay 90 percent of VAT collections

President Arroyo claims that more than 80 percent of VAT revenues are paid by the rick and at the same time, it is the poor that benefit from the onerous, regressive tax.

Bulatlat has a story contradicting this claim, quoting heavily from an expert whose study of government data has showed the exact opposite. Blogger/electrical engineer/activist Monram lighted the way for the Bulatlat report.

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TXTPower in the news over Arroyo’s 50-centavo text gimmick

Here are news items published since Tuesday, regarding TXTPower’s views on President Arroyo’s claim that she has lowered text rates to a mere 50 centavos:

Westmincom chief wants to hide US soldiers from media, public view

The policy of omerta is gripping many parts of government. The lack of transparency is a playground for bacteria and viruses called unconstitutional and criminal acts. It also shows great disrespect to the Filipino people and the media.

The policy of silence has reached absurd heights with statements attributed to the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Westmincom chief Major General Nelson Allaga and which were reported by Inquirer.net’s Julie Alipala.

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Scums in Singapore

I just recently came from Singapore where I joined a good number of journalists cover the 41st Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and related gatherings.

I went there to take a good look at the event and get some good dose of on-the-job training. As a journalist, it was my maiden foreign assignment and I did not plan to waste it. My employer, one of the Japan’s leading newspapers, would perhaps have been very disappointed had I failed them.

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GMA’s 50 centavos per text: Arbitrary, still expensive

TXTPower released the following statement regarding the new promo price of P0.50 per text message announced yesterday by President Arroyo in her speech before Congress:

The economist Mrs. Arroyo is trying to cheat the public over the so-called 50 percent reduction in texting rates which she pompously announced in her eighth State of the Nation Address yesterday, according to consumer group TXTPower.

“The truth is, text messages may already cost less than 50 centavos. The forward march of mobile technology and the gigantic profit rates for the past years have lowered the cost of sending text messages to absurdly low levels, far lower than P0.50,” said TXTPower president Anthony Ian Cruz.

Cruz said that “the setting of a price of P1.00 before and P0.50 now, upon the request of Mrs. Arroyo, is obviously arbitrary and does not reflect the real cost of texting.”

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Live-blogging the SONA 2008

Below is my attempt to live-blog de facto President Arroyo’s eighth State of the Nation Address. the SONA is an annual constitutional ritual where the President gives a report to a joint session of both houses of Congress.

3:58 pm – Villar and Nograles call the joint session to order. Nograles introduces the national anthem.

4:00 pm – Villar introduces “legislators’ prayer”.

Several religious leaders lead the prayer. Muslim leader included.

Plume of smoke rises after GMA makes the sign of the cross.

4:02 pm – Nograles introduces GMA. Applause. GMA walks down to the podium. Applause galore.

Thank you Speaker Nograles. Senate President Villar… etc. The usual pleasantries.

We ended 2007 with the strongest economic growth in 2007. We are looking to a brighter future.

Because tough choices were made.

Applause galore.

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Bayan’s SONA ng mamamayan, the people’s SONA

NOTE: Text of speech updated

Bayan chair and BusinessWorld columnist Dr. Carol P. Araullo delivers this speech later today at a rally some blocks away from Batasan Pambansa.

Dr. Araullo told me over the phone that this speech does not aim to drown the public with statistics. It focuses on helping us make sense of the situation — and more importantly as an inspiration for collective action.

Read on…

SONA ng Mamamayan
Ni Dr. Carol P. Araullo
Tagapangulo, Bagong Alyansang Makabayan

Magandang tanghali sa lahat ng dumalo sa pagtitipon natin dito sa lansangan para ihayag ang tunay na kalagayan ng bayan, makiisa at magprotesta dito sa tinatawag nating SONA ng Mamamayan. Mabuhay kayo!

Sapagkat alam nating pawang kasinungalingan ang manggagaling kay Gng. Arroyo sa kanyang bibigkasing SONA sa Konggreso, ayaw nating palampasin ang insultong ito. Gusto nating patunayan na hindi na niya kayang lokohin pa ang taumbayan.

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Gloria “The Economist” Arroyo fails in economics

No one bothers to tell it straight and to state the obvious — but President Arroyo who has made it a point to stress her academic credentials as an economist has failed miserably to save the Filipino people from economic ruin. Inflation continues to go up to the highest levels and the public are made to satisfy themselves with cosmetic solutions and selective dole-outs.

President Arroyo is just making palusot just to get by.

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JUSTICE NOW: Victims and gov’t must sue Sulpicio Lines

Sulpicio Lines must brought to court so it may be held accountable for the tragedy that killed hundreds of passengers of MV Princess of the Stars.

First, the government prosecutors should immediately file appropriate charges based on President Arroyo’s appraisal that the company erred in letting the ship leave Manila for Cebu. The results of the Board of Marine Inquiry investigation may buttress the legal cases on Sulpicio Lines’ many and perhaps repeated violations of laws.

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