As we celebrate the 27th anniversary of the 1986 People Power Revolution that freed us from the shackles of a dictatorship, perhaps we should also start another revolt to free us from the shackles of greedy private corporations. I am referring to the utility companies, such as water, power, communications and toll road operators, which [...]
I write as an old member of Anakbayan, the group that has been pushing the limits of comfort and debate on the party-list system. It’s classic Anakbayan to bring the troops out as noisy and as opinionated as possible—many join this organization precisely for the passion and rage—but underneath it all is a solemn question: What is the meaning of “marginalized”?
It’s a road, a water catchment and a power generator all rolled into one. The proposed North Luzon East Expressway seeks to cut travel time from Quezon City to Nueva Ecija by a third, collect water that can provide a week of Metro Manila’s needs and generate electricity of up to 120 megawatts (MW).
In the news article titled “Chevron, APC plan to put up geothermal power plant in Kalinga” (Inquirer, 6/11/12), APC Group chair and president Willy Ocier proudly declared: “We’ve secured all IP [indigenous people] approvals for Kalinga.”
The recent nuclear talks in Istanbul between the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—plus Germany—and Iran have shifted the world’s focus to the possible terms of a deal when the sides meet again, probably in Baghdad on May 23. So what accounts for the new seeming willingness of Iran’s leaders to reach an agreement?
The government and a big player in the power industry attempted to replay an old script. Fortunately, the people of Mindanao didn’t buy it.
No, this article is not about public-private partnerships, a.k.a. build-operate-transfer (BOT) and similar schemes for infrastructure provision by the private sector—although that would be useful too. In a visit to Sulu last week in my work for economic development in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), I found out that the most critical needs in the island province could be summed up in three Ps. I discuss each one below.
The latest word on the furor surrounding President Aquino’s political adviser Ronald Llamas’ cache of firearms is that the license of his AK-47 assault rifle has been revoked by the Philippine National Police. This comes on top of the announced dismissal of Llamas’ two aides, which figured in the vehicular accident that unwittingly laid bare the portable armory.
THE BISHOPS are skeptical. “That’s a tall order,” says Bishop Carlito Cenzon about P-Noy’s vow to wipe out corruption by the end of his term. “First he must prove his competency.” “That’s not attainable,” says Bishop Dinualdo Gutierrez. “Maybe a 10-percent reduction in five years. But he must fire and not protect his friends if [...]
CONSIDER THIS—feeble or futile as it may be—as an endorsement of the letter of Benjamin B. Agunod “Monopoly tries comeback.” (Inquirer, 6/7/11) I wish to call attention, though, to a glaring omission in his letter—specifically, the non-mention of the regional monopolies existing in the power (generation, transmission and distribution) sector and in the highways transport [...]
