BY Herbert Docena
Focus on the Global South
MANILA — US troops’ order to shut down the
Panamao District Hospital at night – and their threat to shoot anyone
who disobeys their order – in Sulu starting last November 30 revives
a host of unanswered questions over the true nature of their mission
in the Philippines. If US troops are only [...]

By RENATO REDENTOR CONSTANTINO
First of two parts
In the next few weeks we shall witness a torrent of sorrow and regret,
as any such horrific loss of life should provoke. But clearly the story
is unfinished, despite the seeming finality of Benazir Bhutto’s murder.
In two suicide attacks inside Pakistan since October, at least 160 have
been slaughtered, including the [...]

By Prof. JOSE MARIA SISON
Founding Chairman,Communist Party of the Philippines
Chief Political Consultant, National Democratic Front of the Philippines
The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) can best explain why the Arroyo regime cannot destroy but unwittingly causes the armed revolution to advance. But as the CPP founding chairman, NDFP chief political consultant [...]

By Roland G. Simbulan
THIRTY-NINE YEARS AGO, a revitalized Philippine Left began to challenge the long-entrenched oligarchy in a nation long considered the United States’ political and military stronghold in the Asia-Pacific. The seeds of people’s empowerment were deeply planted, and rooted. The Philippines was never to be the same again. The Left’s [...]

By Luis V. Teodoro

As if to announce to the country and the world that being attacked for doing their jobs is still a fact of journalists’ lives in the Philippines, an assassin riding pillion on a motorcycle shot dead a radio broadcaster in Davao City last Christmas eve.
Francisco Lintuan was killed in his car when [...]

By Fr. Shay CUllen
The Christmas story of my childhood was one of sweetness and light. It was a story of the birth of baby Jesus. We learned of a helpless child in the manger surrounded by caring and loving parents and animals. The choir of angels was singing Hallelujah. I liked the three kings bringing [...]

By Prof. JOSE MARIA SISON
Chief Political Consultant
National Democratic Frontof the Philippines
It is understandable why there is no ceasefire between the armed forces of the Government of the Republicof the Philippines (GRP) and those of the National Democratic Frontof the Philippines (NDFP) during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Gregorio “Ka Roger” Rosal,spokesperson of the Communist Party [...]

By Fr. Shay Cullen
Christmas and all it represents and stands for has to be redeemed. With the turning away of the western world from Christ and all he lived and died for, the spiritual meaning and value of Christmas has been lost to commercialism. Now children value more what they find in holiday socks than [...]

By Dr. Walden Bello
President of the Freedom from Debt Coalition
The gap between the urgent threat of global warming and the collective will to do something about it has never been greater. The recently concluded Conference on Climate Change in Bali was a grand opportunity to act. Instead, it was another missed opportunity. Unfortunately, [...]

By LUIS V. TEODORO
In one of those turn-arounds that seem possible only in the Philippines, the media are not only being blamed for the arrest of some 30 cameramen, media technical personnel, anchorpersons and reporters last November 29. They’re also being urged to accept a “protocol” the Philippine National Police is drafting.
Both indicate an effort [...]

By Rep. Satur C. Ocampo
Bayan Muna Party-List
Privilege Speech delivered before the House of Representatives on December 10, 2007

Today peoples all over the world observe the 59th year of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. The Philippines was among the 48 countries that adopted this historic declaration in 1948. Ironically, our country which is a [...]

By Fr. Shay Cullen
It is time to see how Jesus of Nazareth, the greatest Jew ever, the prophet, leader, champion of the poor and the outcast, was a messiah for all of us. He gave us the values that can change the world and turn it away from selfishness, sin, brutality, and evil and transform [...]

The whole opus of crafting a new government and a new democratic political institution cannot be played by simply laying siege on Oakwood or Peninsula Hotel.

By the Policy Study, Publication, and Advocacy (PSPA) Program
Center for People Empowerment in Governance (CenPEG)

The Nov. 29 takeover of the Peninsula Hotel led by detained military rebels sharpens a continuing [...]

By Luis Teodoro

The Arroyo regime is carrying on as if it were business as usual, despite the basement level approval ratings of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself as well as her entire Cabinet, the uproar over the arrest of media people last Thursday, and the regime’s imposition of a curfew in metro Manila and environs—and [...]

By Ninotchka Rosca
Holiday and year-end greetings to everyone.
The last month has been difficult, what with the deluge of emails, text and video messages, letters and phone calls, asking how a woman’s organization could contend with closed-doorism threatening the very reason for which 500 women were engaged in political activism. In the midst of this was [...]

By Fr. Shay Cullen

It is now December. Our minds and hearts ought to be turning towards the celebration of birth Jesus of Nazareth, that is if we are steadfast in resisting the distractions and temptations thrown at us by the commercial traders, they have made of this great feast a materialistic perversion. Christmas is irrelevant [...]

By Luis V. Teodoro
MANILA, Philippines — Mrs. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has formed another task force, described as a “high level” one, against political violence. The task force supersedes the police’s task force Usig which she also created for the same purpose.
Mrs. Arroyo issued Administrative Order 211 on the heels of the final report by United [...]

Human rights, civil liberties, and democracy are in a more precarious situation now. It is not because of the walk-out of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim from their court hearing at the Makati Regional Trial Court where they are being tried for coup d’ etat and the resulting standoff at [...]