“It is well established that an effigy is a form of art. It is not solid waste: it is not garbage or refuse.”
‘Charges vs. effigy artist, an attack against free expression’ – artists, progressives
Month: August 2023
From The Vantage Point
By DEE AYROSO
Proposed nat’l budget for 2024: ‘Filled with red flags, skewed priorities’
“The government’s fiscal strategy is seriously flawed. Revenues are low from over-relying on indirect consumption taxes on poor and middle-class Filipinos who have low levels of incomes and spending, from cutting direct taxes especially on high-income families and large corporations, and from avoiding wealth taxes even just on hugely concentrated billionaire wealth. Poor revenue generation is ultimately what causes constant borrowing and excessive debt.”
First Person | One year in detention
Jail, after all, is not exempt from society’s great divide based on economic and social status. And even here, the movement for freedom and democracy considers our situation as part of the struggle.
Local, int’l groups denounce harassment of Filipino rights defenders
Forty-two human rights groups in the Philippines and abroad stood in solidarity with 10 Filipino human rights defenders as they condemned the ongoing harassment against them.
2 rights defenders ask prosecutor to dismiss trumped-up anti-terror law charges
Two human rights defenders from Southern Tagalog said that their trumped-up charges are evidence of how the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) is used to silence critical voices.
30 SUCs to suffer budget cuts in 2024
Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raoul Manuel said that the impending budget cut in state universities and colleges reflects the Marcos Jr. administration’s disregard for quality tertiary education.
Fishers skeptical over Manila Bay rehab funding
“Over the years, the DENR has been complicit with big corporations involved in reclamation and other forms of conversion in Manila Bay, putting the livelihood and other socio-economic rights of fishers at stake.”
Uncertain Waters | Laguna fishers face displacement, loss of livelihood over road construction
Can a road project be the residents’ highway to homelessness and joblessness?
Balik-Tanaw | Maintaining the balanced faith
Our gospel reading today made me recall one of the gymnastic events in the Olympics called pommel horse. This is a sport that requires balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and endurance. One of the top athletes of this sport is Krisztián Berki of Hungary.
At Ground Level | Efforts vs. Manila Bay reclamation push on
For many years, scientists and environmental advocates have cautioned the government against approving more proposals for land reclamation and coastal development projects in Manila Bay. The historic bay, they emphasize, is unsuitable for such projects because of the risks posed by floods, intensified typhoon-induced storm surges and other related consequences.