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[OPINYON] Ang unang SONA ni BBM vs People’s Agenda

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[OPINYON] Ang unang SONA ni BBM vs People’s Agenda

Jul 31, 2022 4:28 PM PHT

Tony La Viña, Bernardine de Belen

‘Nangingingibabaw pa rin ang paghahanap kung nasaan ang mamamayang Pilipino sa gobyernong ito’

Noong nakaraan, inilista namin ang mga dapat abangan at bantayan sa unang SONA ni Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Ngayong tapos na ang SONA, nararapat namang ikumpara ito sa 9-point People’s Agenda for Change na naglalayong ipahayag ang mga dapat pagtuunan ng pansin ni Marcos Jr. sa kanyang SONA. Nilikha ito ng People’s Summit kung saan bahagi ang IBON, Bayan, Makabayan Coalition, at iba pang mga progresibong grupo.

Una sa listahan ang ekonomiya. Sa People’s Agenda, sinasabing dapat nang tugunan ang inflation, suportahan ang national minimum wage, at wakasan ang kontraktwalisasyon. Binanggit din ang kakailanganan ng national industrialization upang mapalawig ang produksyon ng bansa. Sa SONA naman, nilatag ang pagbubuwis sa digital economy at pagpaparami sa tourism spots upang lumikha ng mga trabaho. Ang problema rito ay hindi agad mapapaginhawa ng buwis at turismo ang kamahalan ng bilihin. Kung iisipin, dagdag pa nga ang pagpataw ng buwis sa produkto sa kamahalan ng mga bilihin. Hindi rin mapatataas ng mga planong ito ang produksyon ng bansa.

Kasunod naman sa People’s Agenda ang agrikultura. Dinidiin dito ang pagsuporta sa agrikultura at food production ng bansa. Bahagi nito ang pagpapatigil ng land conversion, pagbibigay ng P15,000 subsidy sa mga magsasaka at mangingisda, at paglalaan ng 10% ng budget sa agrikultura. Kasama rin ang pagbawi ng Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) dahil lugi ang Pilipinong magsasaka sa nag-aangkat dito. Binanggit naman ni Marcos Jr. ang pagbibigay ng pinansyal at teknolohikal na tulong sa mga magsasaka pati na ang one-year moratorium sa pagbabayad ng lupaing sinasakahan. Sinabi ring magtatayo ng mga farm-to-market road para madala ang mga produkto sa merkado. Ngunit habang maayos ang mga planong ito, hindi binanggit ang RTL na direktang nagpapahirap sa mga magsasaka. Kailangan ding bantayan kung sino at gaano karaming magsasaka ang mararating ng tulong na sinasabi ng pangulo.

Susunod sa listahan ang proteksyon ng karapatang pantao. Ayon sa People’s Agenda, dapat nang itigil ang madugong drug war pati na ang NTF-ELCAC at ang Anti-Terror Law (ATL) na nandadahas sa oposisyon. Dapat ring palayain ang mga bilanggong politikal at bigyang katarungan ang mga biktima ng ng batas militar. Sa kabilang banda, binanggit sa SONA ang pagpapatibay ng Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act at pagbibigay ng counseling sa mga biktima. Walang ibang nabanggit ukol sa lantarang paglabag sa karapatang pantao sa drug war o ATL. Hindi rin humingi ng tawad si Marcos Jr. para sa karahasan ng batas militar ng sariling ama.

Isa pang mahalaga sa People’s Agenda ang pagtanggol sa freedom of expression at press freedom. Kasama rin dito ang paglaban sa disinformation na talamak noong kampanya. Bahagi rin nito ang pagbawi ng utos sa mga internet service provider na harangin ang ilang alternative media websites. Sa gitna ng paglaganap ng fake news at pag-atake sa malayang pamamahayag, walang binanggit ang pangulo na plano upang labanan ito.

Kasunod na hinihingi ang accountability sa pamahalaan. Dapat ay magkaroon ng zero-tolerance policy laban sa korupsyon pati na freedom of information. Ginagawa nitong accessible sa mga mamamayan ang mga operasyon ng gobyerno. Wala ring nabanggit tungkol sa accountability noong SONA.

Kabilang rin ang libreng health care at social services. Sa panahon ng pandemya at inflation, malaking tulong kung paglalaanan ng budget ang kalusugan, edukasyon at pabahay. Sa SONA, binanggit naman ang patuloy na pagbabakuna, at pagpapatayo ng Center for Disease Control and Prevention at mga health center upang makatulong sa pandemya. Ngunit sa kabila nito, walang nabanggit tungkol sa ibang social services at konkretong plano para sa ligtas na pagbalik-eskwela. Hindi rin nabanggit ang health care workers at nananatili pa ring walang DOH Secretary.

Nilatag din sa People’s Agenda ang pagtindig para sa ating soberanya. Kasama rito ang paggiit ng ating pagkapanalo sa West Philippine Sea. Sinabi ng pangulo sa SONA na hindi niya iiwan sa kamay ng dayuhan ang ating teritoryo ngunit walang konkretong plano na kasama ang pahayag na ito.

Dapat ding siguraduhin ang proteksyon ng kalikasan sa pamamagitan ng rehabilitation at conservation ng ating likas na yaman. Kasama rin dito ang pagtigil ng mga mapanira na mining operations at reclamation projects. Kailangan ding protektahan ang ating indigenous peoples (IP) na pinangangalagaan ang kalikasan. Sa SONA, nabanggit ang produksyon ng renewable energy ngunit walang ibang nilatag na plano para sa mga IP, at sa pag-alaga sa kalikasan.

Sa pagsisiyasat na ito, hindi maikakailang may potensyal ang ibang proyekto gaya ng pagbibigay-tulong sa mga magsasaka at pagbibigay-pansin sa renewable energy. Ngunit hindi rin maitatanggi na kung ikukumpara sa People’s Agenda, hindi sapat ang inilahad ni Marcos Jr. sa unang SONA. Kulang ang inilatag na mga plano upang matugunan ang mga hamon at paghihirap na dinaranas ng ating bansa. Patuloy ang pagtaas ng mga bilihin, ang pandadahas sa oposisyon, ang kakulangan ng mga trabaho. Kaya naman nangingingibabaw pa rin ang paghahanap kung nasaan ang mamamayang Pilipino sa gobyernong ito. Sino ba ang kasama sa pag-unlad na pinaplano ng bagong administrasyon? Hindi sapat ang ibinigay sa unang SONA, pinapatunayan nito na mas kilala pa rin ng ordinaryong mamamayan ang ating mga pangangailangan bilang isang bayan. – Rappler.com

Tony La Viña teaches law and is former dean of the Ateneo School of Government.

Bernardine de Belen recently graduated from Ateneo de Manila University with a Creative Writing degree. She has just joined Manila Observatory as a research assistant.

Ang-See: I can’t just watch historical distortion

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Ang-See: I can’t just watch historical distortion

By: Dempsey Reyes – Reporter / @dempseyreyesINQ

Philippine Daily Inquirer / July 31, 2022

MANILA, Philippines — The film “Maid in Malacañang,” which supposedly depicts the last 72 hours of Ferdinand Marcos and his family in the presidential palace before they fled the country in disgrace in 1986 could be a top grosser, albeit through arm-twisting, if word about alleged forced ticket sales were true.

Chinese-Filipino civic leader Teresita Ang-See disclosed on Saturday that some business groups were called upon by Sen. Imee Marcos, the late ousted dictator’s daughter, to purchase millions of pesos worth of tickets for the movie for distribution to various schools.

Ang-See, an academician and social activist, said there were “many schools” that had been given the tickets. She said she knew of one business group that was allegedly tapped by the senator to buy 5,000 tickets worth P1.5 million.

Ang-See refused to identify the business group so as not to “single them out,” considering that many others had been approached to promote the movie.

In a statement that has been circulating on Facebook and other social media platforms since Friday, she said that the distribution of the tickets was “tantamount to asking these educational institutions to promote outright lies, falsehoods and historical distortion.”

‘Polarization’

“Creating more polarization by forcing untruths on the public just makes us citizens lose any remnant of respect that we have had for the current leadership of the country,” Ang-See said.

Senator Marcos refused to comment on the social media posts about the free tickets being given away. Her office referred the Inquirer to a statement by VinCentiments, a film outfit involved in the production of the movie, which denied the allegations.

The company statement said the distribution of free tickets was the handiwork of the “kakampinks,” referring to supporters of former Vice President Leni Robredo who lost the May 9 presidential election.

“The office of Senator Imee, Viva Films, and VinCentiments do not give out free tickets — that is the work of the kakampinks — and they are merely passing it on to us,” VinCentiments said.

It said business groups, local leaders, and Marcos loyalists booked the screening of the movie on their own.

“We never ordered this, but we will not stop them, and we are thankful for their initiative,” the statement said.

The group, however, appealed to ticket sellers especially those overseas not to resort to scalping.

“In Dubai, tickets there have been sold out for the past four days. We ask that they don’t increase ticket prices so that everyone gets to watch the movie,” it said.

The movie will be shown on Aug. 3 and another film to counter it, “Katips,” will also open on the same day.

“Katips” by multi-awarded director Vince Tañada tells the story of students and activists during the Marcos martial law regime.

It is based on the 2016 stage musical of the same title and has earned 17 nominations from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (Famas).

In a phone interview with the Inquirer, Ang-See said her social media message was directed at school principals “so that they don’t distribute the tickets.”

“Some of them have returned the tickets, but I told them that before returning, they should cut them in half so they will not be used,” she said.

Ang-See said knew that one “Jesuit school,” which she refused to identify, had received tickets for the movie.

Various posts on Facebook and Reddit showed tickets packed in a brown envelope addressed to Xavier School in San Juan City that allegedly came from the Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry Inc. The tickets were to be exchanged for “actual movie tickets” at cinemas at no cost.

The Inquirer could not immediately confirm this.

Tickets returned

Ang-See explained that the school she was referring to had already returned the tickets and that the school head, who informed her about the distribution, planned to “tell the others” to also return them all.

“I think some of the schools outrightly destroyed them and that they did not return them at all, based on what I was told,” she said.

Ang-See and her late husband, Chin Ben See, became part of the “xerox journalism” movement following the 1983 assassination of Benigno Aquino Jr., Marcos’ archrival.

They translated into Chinese the articles written by the “mosquito press” to tell the ethnic Chinese community in the country about the impact of the Marcos dictatorship on Filipinos and Chinese Filipinos.

The organization Pagkakaisa sa Pag-unlad was cofounded by her husband and lobbied for the jus soli citizenship and integration of local Chinese into mainstream Filipino society. The group shut down in 1976, or four years after martial law was declared, after the Marcos government tagged it as a “communist front.”

Ang-See told the Inquirer that she could not just simply watch efforts to distort history that she was a part of.

“They want to promote that [movie] not just to make it popular, but clearly as a campaign, as a first step in their campaign for historical distortion,” she said.

“It’s a concerted effort and a concerted campaign. It’s like, you already won [the election], we already conceded. We support the President because of his position, but we cannot support that you are distorting historical facts,” she said.

—WITH A REPORT FROM MELVIN GASCON

[Newspoint] Junior gives us our cake

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[Newspoint] Junior gives us our cake

Jul 30, 2022, Vergel O. Santos

Ask Junior how he’ll get us out of the grave we now lie in buried beneath more than P12 trillion of national debt

We wanted details, so he gives us details, largely represented by numbers, numbers splashed as icing on a cake of promises. He gives us big numbers where we wanted them big, small where we wanted them small. 

His magnanimity is unselective; some of us will get land to till whether we know how to till or not. Those who already have theirs and know how to work it and do work it, although still have not improved their lives, in fact ending up saddled with debt, will be forgiven their debts. 

With a wider sweep of the magic wand, all those languishing in privation all their lives will be lifted out of it within six years – well, nearly all. The number of the poor will have been cut to 9% by then.

That’s nothing short of miraculous. Poverty incidence has dawdled between the high sides of 20% and 50%. It came down to 21.6% when the economy grew at its highest average since the 1950s – 6.2%, for 2010-2016. That rare spell came in the frugal and comparatively, by far, corruption-free presidency of Benigno Aquino III, an achievement that takes on a further significance when viewed against a culture where incomes and opportunities are bestowed by patronage and political power rests in dynastic hands.

There’s still swooning going around over the State of the Nation Address President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. read last Monday to Congress in joint session, in person and from a teleprompter, and, through various media, to the nation at large. Actually, the state of the nation he described is not the state in which we find ourselves today, which is understandable. We’re all messed up – unemployment, prohibitive prices, hunger, disease, crime, corruption, frame-ups, repression, you name it, we’ve got it – but to touch on that is to betray his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, his vice president’s father and the rehabilitator of the memory of his own deservedly disgraced father. So he just gave us cake – but not to have and eat until after six years.

One thing going for him is he’s not a bad reader, better anytime than Duterte, and that, in the absence of substantial virtues, should account singularly for the general approbation. The reading and the numbers he dished out themselves came as a surprise. Unlike Duterte, who, as bad a reader as he is, is a lawyer, in fact a prosecutor once, Ferdinand Jr. even had to fake his educational record.

His mouthing may have come across to us prosaic-minded listeners as abstruse, but that must have been part of the strategy and, again, the fakery. Ahead of his public reading, tales were told of his painstaking preoccupation composing his speech. But his finance secretary, Ben Diokno, is suspected as the unseen academic hand that laid out the assumptions and, from those, proceeded to crunch out the numbers.

His readiness to explain and defend Junior reinforces the suspicion. He is listed as paid an annual salary of P16 million, and having made P41 million in 2021 all in all, as Duterte’s governor of the Central Bank, from where Junior has recycled him into finance. Now, it should not be hard to imagine what it’s worth to him to be so ready.  

But why get distracted from the speechmaker himself by the mere sound of his speech – which is all sound as it is, anyway? He happens to be the son himself, not to mention namesake, too, of the dictator who terrorized us and plundered our country for 14 years. Don’t you think the experience should form the most relevant and instructive part of the context in which to take any utterance by Ferdinand Jr.?

But even supposedly hard-nosed analysts appear distracted. They would not be caught dead, it seems, being thought less than objective by casting doubt upon Junior’s word, and would rather tell his disbelievers to give him a chance. Forget objectivity; the virtue is expected of scientists. Analysts, however informed or knowledgeable, are still mere surmisers; they are expected to be only fair. 

And to be fair, at the very least, is to take the people’s side, not Junior’s; it’s us the people who deserve the chance. Junior has had more, grotesquely more, criminally more, than the share of chances and fortunes he’s had. He grew up in wealth and power, both stolen, and, as a consequence of him and his family getting away with anything, acts with impunity.  

So don’t tell us. Tell Junior. Ask him what he’s going to do to sort for us the mess we’re in, not what he will have done after he’s done with us – once done with us, his own father left tens of thousands of us orphaned by murder or damaged by torture and our country bankrupt, while he and his family escaped richer by $10 billion of our wealth. Ask Junior how he’ll get us out of the grave we now lie in buried beneath more than P12 trillion of national debt. 

One simple litmus test: Ask Junior when he’ll pay the P203 billion he owes in taxes. – Rappler.com

7.0-magnitude earthquake hits Abra, rocks Metro Manila

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7.0-magnitude earthquake hits Abra, rocks Metro Manila

Philstar.com, July 27, 2022

MANILA, Philippines (Update 4, 1:01 p.m.) — A magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Abra province Wednesday morning, and was felt in Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology earlier measured the tectonic quake at 7.3 magnitude, but revised it to 7.0 magnitude. 

According to Phivolcs, the quake was recorded three kilometers west northwest of Tayum town at 8:43 a.m. That quake had a depth of 17 km. 

Phivolcs said instrumental intensities were recorded in the following areas:

  • Intensity VII (Destructive): Vigan City
  • Intensity V (Strong): Laoag City, Ilocos Norte; Peñablanca, Cagayan; Dagupan City, Pangasinan; Sinait, Ilocos Sur; Baguio City
  • Intensity IV (Moderately strong): Gonzaga, Cagayan; Baler, Aurora; Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya; Ramos, Tarlac; Ilagan, Isabela; Basista, Pangasinan; Claveria, Cagayan; San Jose, Palayan City and Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija; Madella, Quirino; Tabuk, Kalinga; Santiago City, Isabela 
  • Intensity III (Moderately strong): Quezon City; Iba, Zambales; Navotas City, Malabon City, Metro Manila; Magalang & Guagua Pampanga; Bolinao, Sison & Infanta, Pangasinan; Bulakan, San Ildefonso, Guiguinto, Plaridel, and Malolos City, Bulacan; Tarlac City, Tarlac
  • Intensity II (Slightly felt): Dona Remedios Trinidad, Angat & Santa Maria, Bulacan; Tagaytay City, Cavite; Pasig City Metro Manila; Polillo, Gumaca & Infanta, Quezon
  • Intensity I (Scarcely perceptible): Tanay, Taytay, Morong, Antipolo City, Rizal; Marilao,Bulacan; San Juan City, Las Piñas City, Metro Manila; Lucban, Quezon; Subic, Zambales; Mercedes,Camarines Norte; Olongapo City, Zambales; Carmona, Cavite

Meanwhile, reported intensities were the following: 

  • Intensity VII (Destructive): Bucloc and Manabo, Abra
  • Intensity VI (Very strong) Vigan City, Sinait, Bantay, San Esteban, Ilocos Sur; Laoac, Pangasinan; Baguio City;
  • Intensity V (Strong): Magsingal and San Juan, Ilocos Sur, Alaminos City and Labrador, Pangasinan; Bambang, Nueva Vizcaya; Mexico, Pampanga; Concepcion, and Tarlac City, Tarlac; City of Manila; City of Malabon
  • Intensity IV (Moderately strong): City of Marikina; Quezon City; City of Pasig; City of Valenzuela; City of Tabuk, Kalinga; Bautista and Malasiqui, Pangasinan; Bayombong and Diadi, Nueva Vizcaya; Guiguinto, Obando, and San Rafael, Bulacan; San Mateo, Rizal
  • Intensity III (Weak:  Bolinao, Pangasinan; Bulakan, Bulacan; Tanay, Rizal
  • Intensity II (Slightly felt): General Trias City, Cavite; Santa Rosa City, Laguna

The strong tremor badly damaged buildings—including old and culturally important ones—in Northern Luzon, triggered landslides, and prompted people to evacuate buildings. Authorities also halted the operations of rail services in the capital region. 

The US Geological Survey reported the quake was measured at magnitude 7.1 east southeast of Dolores town in Abra. It had a depth of 10 kilometers. 

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu, Hawaii said there is no tsunami threat following the earthquake.

Impact

In Dolores, which felt the full force of the quake, terrified people ran outside their buildings and windows of the local market were shattered, Police Major Edwin Sergio told AFP.

“The quake was very strong,” Sergio said, adding there were minor cracks in the police station building.

“Vegetables and fruits sold in the market were also disarranged after tables were toppled.”

A video posted on Facebook and verified by AFP showed cracks in the asphalt road and ground in the nearby town of Bangued, but there was no visible damage to shops or houses.

A number of people were injured in Bangued and taken to hospital for treatment, police chief Major Nazareno Emia told AFP. 
University student Mira Zapata was in her house in San Juan town when she felt “really strong shaking”.

“We started shouting and rushed outside,” she said, as aftershocks continued.

“Our house is ok but houses down the hill were damaged.” 

Aftershocks expected 

Philvocs director Renato Solidum said the earthquake was caused by the movement of the Abra River Fault. 

“Anything that is magnitude 7.0 is a major earthquake,” Solidum said. 

He warned that aftershocks can be felt for up to three days following the earthquake. 

“Definitely, we are expecting aftershocks. Typically, based on our experience, there are a lot of aftershocks in the first two days. The number of quakes will decreased on the third day,” Solidum added. 

He advised the public to refrain from using damaged houses and buildings. 

Ring of Fire

The Philippines is regularly rocked by quakes due to its location on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin.

Wednesday’s quake was the strongest recorded in the Philippines in years.  

In October 2013, a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck Bohol Island in the central Philippines, killing over 200 people and triggering landslides.

Old churches in the birthplace of Catholicism in the Philippines were badly damaged. Nearly 400,000 were displaced and tens of thousands of houses were damaged. 

The powerful quake altered the island’s landscape and a “ground rupture” pushed up a stretch of ground by up to three meters, creating a wall of rock above the epicentre. 

In 1990, a magnitude 7.8 earthquake in the northern Philippines created a ground rupture stretching over a hundred kilometres. 

Fatalities were estimated to reach over 1,200 and caused major damage to buildings in Manila.

The nation’s volcanology and seismology institute regularly holds quake drills, simulating scenarios in the nation’s active fault lines. 

During major earthquakes, the agency said people would find it difficult to stand on upper floors, trees could shake strongly, heavy objects and furniture may topple and large church bells may ring. — with report from Mikhael Flores of Agence France-Presse 

IN PHOTOS: Groups hold protest ahead of Marcos’ first SONA

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IN PHOTOS: Groups hold protest ahead of Marcos’ first SONA

Jul 25, 2022, Rappler.com

Protesters chant, ‘Marcos, Duterte, walang pinag-iba’

MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s first State of the Nation Address (SONA) was met with protests, with groups demanding the leader to immediately act on soaring prices, human rights, and other national issues.

MARCHING CROWD. Progressive groups march along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City to protest during the first State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 25, 2022. BAYAN

Protesters marched along Commonwealth in Quezon City and called for better working conditions, press freedom, and concrete economic recovery plan, among others. They were given permit to protest until 12 pm only.

PROTEST. Activists destroy an effigy depicting Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during a protest ahead of Marcos’ first State of the Nation Address in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on July 25, 2022. Lisa Marie David/Reuters
CLENCHED FISTS. Student protesters raise their hands as they march to protest on President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s first State of the Nation Address. Lisa Marie David/Reuters
CEBU Protest. Members of progressive groups march to protest during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 1st State of the Nation Address along Osmeña Boulevard. Jacqueline Hernandez/Rappler
DEFEND PRESS FREEDOM. Progressive groups march along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City to protest ahead of the first State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 25, 2022. Alecs Ongcal/Rappler

Protesters gathered at Tandang Sora in Quezon City for a short program. They chanted, “Marcos, Duterte, walang pinag-iba (are one and the same).”

PROTEST ART. Progressive groups march along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City to protest ahead of the first State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 25, 2022. BAYAN
JUSTICE. A protester calls for justice to victims of Martial Law during a rally in Cebu City against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s 1st State of the Nation Address. Jacqueline Hernandez/Rappler
DRENCHED. Activists cover their heads during a rainfall as they protest before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 1st State of the Nation Address. Alecs Ongcal/Rappler

Meanwhile, Marcos’ supporters marched along IBP road ahead of Marcos’ first SONA.

His supporters also called for lower gas and rice prices.

‘Not ending with archives’: What’s next for Project Gunita?

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‘Not ending with archives’: What’s next for Project Gunita?

Jan Cuyco – Philstar.com, July 14, 2022

MANILA, Philippines — Following the launch of Project Gunita, a citizen-led online archive of Martial Law era materials, it seems as though the heavy task of memorializing a nation’s dark past is over for its 19-year-old project co-founder Karl Patrick Suyat. 

But archiving is only the beginning, Suyat said. 

The UP student urged the public to maximize their digitized repository of dozens of newspapers and books covering the 21-year dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. 

“It shouldn’t stop at archiving,” Suyat said. “It should extend to using the archive itself, kasi wala namang silbi ‘yung archives kung in-archive lang siya. So gamitin natin.” 

When Marcos Sr.’s only son and namesake won the May 9 presidential elections by a wide margin, the first thing that crossed Suyat’s mind were the Martial Law archives. 

As a son of an activist and grandson of a political detainee, Suyat made it his personal mission to preserve the memory of his family’s late patriarchs — both of whom exposed Suyat to the Martial Law atrocities at a young age of seven. 

But Suyat knew he wasn’t the only one who feared an imminent banning of Martial Law-related materials. A few days after the elections, Suyat and his friend crowdsourced for funds online, generating over P100,000 to purchase physical copies of newspapers and books as well as a book scanner. 

“People’s generosity and their affinity with the cause are the lifeblood of this project,” Suyat said. 

The digital archive displays PDF copies of martial law-related books such as Raymond Bonners’ “Waltzing with a Dictator”, Primitivo Mijares’ “The Conjugal Dictatorship” and Danilo Vizmanos’ “Martial Law Diary.”

It also provides scanned copies of old newspapers and magazines from the Marcos dictatorship, including WE Forum, Ang Pahayagang Malaya, Veritas, and The People’s Voice. 

A snapshot of old newspapers that covered the 1986 snap elections leading up to the People Power Revolution, which ended the decades-long rule of Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

Photo by Karl Patrick Suyat

Project Gunita’s collection were mostly sourced from Filipiniana booksellers or private citizens’ collections who donated their archival materials or sold them to the independent archiving team at a cheaper price.

“Andito sa atin ‘yung materyales. The only question is paano natin to miminahin isa-isa and how are we going to make content – memes, informative videos, explainers, articles. Every single thing we could make out of it,” he said. 

Although younger Filipino generations mostly read their news from social media nowadays, Suyat hopes to renew the public’s interest in the mosquito press – or the alternative media that were critical of the elder Marcos’ administration. 

Likened to mosquitoes, the publications were known to have a “small but stinging bite” amid the heavily-controlled press during the Martial Law period. 

“We want to open public access to these materials lalo na yung mga lumang dyaryo para makita ng mga tao na there were actually independent newspapers that covered this time and sila mismo nag-cover down to detail the abuses of the dictatorship habang nasa puwesto [siya],” Suyat said. 

According to Amnesty International, around 72,000 were imprisoned, 34,000 were tortured and 3,240 were killed under the martial law rule.

Facing disinformation head on 

In a span of two months, what used to be a team of two expanded to over 30 youth volunteers, whom Suyat said were not only concerned about preserving history but also fighting against the rampant disinformation online. 

In a nation deeply divided by electoral dis- and mis-information, Suyat said their digital archive hopes to democratize martial law-related facts to the public in a matter of a few clicks. 

As they nearly complete digitizing their martial law materials, Suyat emphasized the need to ramp up online efforts of debunking lies with facts. 

“You use every single part of the archive, kasi that’s when we take back the narrative. That’s when we take back social media,” he added. 

In doing so, Project Gunita is targeting to launch its website and social media pages to the public before Marcos Jr. makes his first state of the nation address at the end of July. 

There is also much left to be done in fighting disinformation offline, Suyat said. He encouraged more educators to utilize their online archive in teaching students truthful accounts that transpired during martial law. 

“The truth is on our side. Nasa atin yung mga ebidensya, gamitin na natin,” Suyat said. “We will never concede a single page of history.”

[OPINION] The problem with the NGO-ization of resistance

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[OPINION] The problem with the NGO-ization of resistance

Jul 13, 2022, Michelle Lado

‘Are real problems going to be solved at their root if only the NGOs come to them?’

Aklatan Sa Bawat Eskwelahan was born in March 2015. It was a small initiative with the big dream of donating books to public school libraries. I’ve always been a literacy advocate and thought that books should not be restricted to those who could only afford them.

Aklatan was a solo project that took me to various public schools, made me meet different teachers, and sparked collaborations with universities and student councils (for the drop-off venues of book donations). It even landed on a news website once. It started with just a Facebook page, but it grew into a community. School officials would message the page, requesting books for their libraries, while book donations would come in from various individuals and organizations. It was a handful to manage, but it was well worth the effort.

Aklatan was short-lived. After bringing the last batch of donated books to a public elementary school in Baclaran in November 2016, no more activity followed. Life happened, and my perspective shifted. Dissatisfaction set in. While Aklatan did well, I also felt that there was more that could be done.

(​​I had also been working for two years for a well-known community development foundation in the country at that time. As a volunteer coordinator for the foundation, I became inactive around the same time Aklatan ended.

I started to ask a lot of questions.

Where is the problem coming from if public schools need “others” to help them with their libraries? Where do local government funds go? How come our leaders do not see education as an investment in our country’s future? Are real problems going to be solved at their root if only the NGOs come to them? Can a deep wound be cured by covering it with a Band-Aid rather than treating it from the inside?

Concrete action

Aid projects are urgent. All venues where we could help other people in need of basic services are encouraged. However, if we want to provide the people with long-term sustenance, we must acknowledge that the problem is political. Donation drives and motivational slogans will not be enough to bring about fundamental change.

We have institutions mandated with meeting people’s needs. The people themselves pay taxes to keep these institutions running, in fact. In short, charity is not a substitute for the government’s responsibilities.

Poverty necessitates more than philanthropy; it demands a break from feel-goodism in order to forge a fair and just world. When we approach society’s lingering illnesses from a position of neutrality, we only become accomplices to those who cause them. We dilute the accountability of those who are truly liable when we only sing about the people’s resiliency and seek to create heroes in the midst of state-sponsored crises.

Critical

Charity has the effect of making us feel good about ourselves. It gives us a sense of righteousness and heroism. This overlooks the fact that the people’s cyclical suffering is deliberate and needs a more radical people’s movement.

However, It is our duty as citizens of this country to be critical. We should do more than spread toxic positivity in the way we approach nation-building. The fact is, the people are already being persecuted for simply asserting what rightfully belongs to them, with them being deliberately subjected to hunger, massive disinformation, unemployment, and poor social services. Extrajudicial killings continue to rise, and the police are the primary perpetrators of violations of the people’s right to organize. And our response should be good-natured? That “we should not turn into monsters ourselves?” That is not good manners. That is complicity.

The number of Filipinos in poverty has risen to over 26 million. If we still pretend not to know why, we only need to look again at the incompetence and corruption of those we elect to power, and how our non-action tolerates them. Katamaran is not the cause of poverty, contrary to the myth of the rich.

The argument that “each of us is unanswerable” so “we should all do our part” and “we should not rely solely on politicians” misses the point. The status quo is calling us to identify the sources of our injustices and inequalities. Actions that are not grounded in the country’s political situation are counterproductive and a disservice to those who are already suffering.

(To clarify, this is not meant to pit volunteerism against political actions. We simply need to distinguish between a temporary solution and a permanent solution. We must contextualize our battles.)

NGOs should use their capacities to pave the way for discussions on larger socio-political issues. Because they attract volunteers with limited political awareness, they should use this as an opportunity to educate and awaken them. In a time when our civic space is shrinking and threats to our lives are increasing, we must focus our efforts not only on mounting soup kitchens, but also on abolishing the tyrannical schemes that cause our suffering in the first place.

“The NGO-ization of politics threatens to turn resistance into a well-mannered, reasonable, salaried, 9-to-5 job. With a few perks thrown in. Real resistance has real consequences. And no salary.”
– Arundhati Roy

To be honest, I’m not abandoning volunteer work entirely. Even when we extend our hands in small ways, it can still make a big difference. But, once again, our common enemy is big. We need to be bigger, collectively. – Rappler.com

Michelle Lado is a writer and an activist based in the Philippines.

LA judge issues protective order for Fil-Am family, assailant remains in jail

Pinoy Abrod
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LA judge issues protective order for Fil-Am family, assailant remains in jail

Jul 12, 2022, Xenia Tupas

In arguing for the protection order, LA County Deputy District Attorney Paul Kim notes the accused Nicholas Weber’s sobriety issues and pending hearings on three probation violations in unrelated criminal cases

LOS ANGELES, USA – Judge John H. Reed of the Los Angeles superior court in California on Monday, on July 11, granted a Filipino-American family’s request for a protective order as their assailant in a parking lot attack pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor battery and felony aggravated battery with hate crime enhancements.

Nicholas Weber remains in custody at the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail unless he posts a $150,000 bail. 

Weber attacked Nerissa Roque and her daughter Patricia, and later Nerissa’s husband, Gabriel, in a North Hollywood parking lot on May 13. He refused to attend the first few hearings on his case even after his arrest on June 13.

The protection order, issued despite opposition from the public defender representing Weber, covers a five-block perimeter around the Roque family residence to ensure their safety in case Weber is released on bail.

Speaking to journalists and advocates after the hearing, Nerissa and Patricia  said they were pleased by the outcome.

“The legal team expected the judge might release him or significantly lower the bail,” Nerissa said. 

If not for the video evidence taken by her daughter, Patricia, and other bystanders, some of whom helped free her from Weber’s chokehold, Nerissa said they might not be around to seek justice for Weber’s crimes.

“Community pressure helps in continuing seeking justice. But it continues to be an open case and we invite more community members, more Filipino organizations, more Asian and multi-racial organizations to continue to stand with us,” Nerissa added.

LA judge issues protective order for Fil-Am family, assailant remains in jail

LA County Deputy District Attorney Paul Kim argued in court that there was reasonable ground for the protective order because of Weber’s sobriety issues.

Weber also has pending hearings of three probation violations of unrelated criminal cases, Kim pointed out.

The court will also hear Weber’s probation violations.

Upon Kim’s request, the order by Judge Reed was served in open court to Weber, who was behind locked doors not visible to those in the half-full courtroom.

Kim earlier assured the Roques that he would oppose reduction of bail and release of the suspect in recognizance because Weber failed to appear in the Van Nuys court for the hearing of the case.

Despite Weber’s arrest for a municipal offense in Orange country and transfer to Los Angeles, an extraction order had to be issued to compel him in court, the prosecutor noted.

The judge added $3,000 bail for Weber’s three probation violations apart from Kim’s motion during the August 19 hearing on the battery cases to add another $30,000 bail for the hate crime enhancements. 

Kim is also exploring the possibility of amending into felony battery the choking of Nerissa after the family said the misdemeanor charge did not reflect their trauma and the near-death assault, with bystanders having to pull Weber off his victim.

Weber’s team had opposed allowing cameras in court. Judge Reed granted their motion only for the July 11 morning hearing, but said the media could file a separate motion for the upcoming hearing.

Members of the National Alliance for Filipino Concerns, Nikkei Collective, Progressive Asians for Neighborhood Action, Anakbayan-LA, Gabriela, Migrante-Los Angeles, and the neighborhood association in San Fernando Valley came to support the Roque family with brief programs before entering the courtroom and after the hearing.

“The hurt inflicted upon the Roque family also hurt us. The pain that hurt the Roque family also hurt us,” said a message from Migrante-Los Angeles read by a representative. The group stressed that migrants in the US consider themselves as one big family. – Rappler.com

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