We beg to differ.
Most mainstream news reports and opinion pieces about University of the Philippines (UP) Manila student Jo Lapira who was among the dead following a clash between the Philippine military and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Batangas the other day report who she was to friends. Rappler, for one, cites how Lapira was “a tiny…
Read More “Jo Lapira: ‘tiny activist with big dreams’, or ENEMY casualty?” »
Now that the Philippine government will be in an “all-out” war against the New People’s Army (NPA), the terrorist arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines, it is worth exploring some lessones learnt from the recent war that liberated Marawi City from similar terrorist elements. To be sure, a war against the NPA will…
Insurgency, rebellion, and separatist movements (Note: I will use these three terms interchangeably.) have always been part and parcel of Philippine history. In this regard, it is no different from other countries and their histories. Successive Philippine governments have had to deal with several of these movements. In the spotlight are the Communist Party of…
Read More “Lessons from history about insurgency in the Philippines” »
“As of the twenty-third of this month, I signed Proclamation Number 1081 placing the entire Philippines under martial law” said President Ferdinand E. Marcos on that famous television broadcast 44 years ago today, September 23. Before the declaration of martial law, the country was in a state of upheaval. It was the middle of the…
Here is what the commie groups Gabriela and the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) should have advised the farmers in Kidapawan when they decided to air their grievances through a rally last Friday, the 1st of April. “Let’s organise a protest and attract attention to our cause. The police will come. If they disperse us, stand…
(Note: This post is actually meant to be just a comment to Mike Portes’s latest article. But since it is long, I opted to post is as an article. And I wrote the recollection parts purely from memory.) It was exactly 30 years ago. Allow me to share as an ordinary citizen how I viewed it and…
Read More “#EDSA30: What I’ve seen, heard and, now, think after 30 years” »
The return of former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte to the Philippines’ 2016 presidential election race says a lot about how little of a foothold real “democracy” has made in Philippine society. Democracy is not just about “freedom” and “elections”. It is also about justice and discipline. Duterte’s main value proposition to Filipino voters addresses…
Read More “Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to Filipinos in his bid for the presidency” »
The case of retired General Jovito Palparan who had recently been arrested on charges of grave human rights abuses against activists is an interesting one. On one hand, here is a highly-decorated officer admired by his comrades in the Philippine military for his consistent zeal in the battlefield and singular focus on crushing the enemy…
Read More “Retired General Jovito Palparan is a Filipino soldier” »