Bird Feed

Multi-layered prison walls, then and now

September 13, 2022

Political detention today is indeed very much a continuation and symptom of social and economic deterioration accelerated by Marcos’ elitist neoliberal governance in the ’70s and ’80s. The struggle of various people’s organizations and advocates then continues today in battles on the streets and legislative halls and in the cities and the countryside.

Wow high-end!

August 16, 2022

Sa ginawang pagbili ng DepEd sa mga Celeron laptop, mistulang kinukutya at pinagmukhang kaawa-awa ang mga guro dahil halos hindi na nila ito mapapakinabangan dahil sa bagal nito at kalumaan ng processor na ginagamit nito.

Tales of Tinang and our worsening agricultural crisis

July 5, 2022

The incident in Hacienda Tinang, considered as one of the biggest illegal mass arrests in Philippine history, has shattered the illusion of peaceful transition from Duterte to Marcos Jr.

Discerning Bongbonomics from the Inaugural Address

July 4, 2022

Imagine if the inaugural address had mentioned – big fiscal stimulus from more ayuda and support to MSMEs to spur aggregate demand, prioritizing social spending over infrastructure and debt service in the 2023 budget, expanding fiscal space with a billionaire wealth tax, higher wages, arresting environmental destruction by corporations, financial regulation, public ownership, protecting and supporting domestic agriculture, and a comprehensive plan for national industrialization.

Is it time to move on?
The resiliency myth

June 29, 2022

The Philippines recently ranked as one of the five worst places to be as the ripples of COVID-19 continue. This is contrary to the outgoing Duterte administration’s repeatedly built narrative – that it did well on the pandemic and is leaving behind an economy that is on a quick rebound.

Pressure point

May 30, 2022

The government’s trademark has been to obscure the truth, peddle its own version of reality, and go on ahead with its most-often carefully thought-out programs that make the local and foreign super-rich happy. The newly-proclaimed leaders of the land made it clear that they’re not changing that.

Is memory the enemy?

May 29, 2022

Filipinos are known for being ‘resilient’ that once we ‘move on’ from bad experiences we also forgive and forget over time. Or do we just tend to do this as defense mechanism in order to survive as a people who have gone through really bad times?

PH isn’t Sri Lanka… yet

May 25, 2022

The Philippines isn’t going the way of Sri Lanka yet in defaulting on its foreign debt payments anytime soon. Which is not to say that there are no lessons to be learned from the first canary to die in the coal mine of growing global debt distress.

A legacy of killing farmers?

May 24, 2022

Before Rodrigo Duterte concludes his presidency and paints a rosy legacy, let us not forget his bloody record as a relentless attacker of people’s rights to land, food security and social justice even amid a pandemic and crisis exacerbated by worship of neoliberal policies.