Philippines
Philippines man killed by store security for alleged theft of sandals
By Dante Pastrana, 18 May 2013
The killing of a young man by security guards in one of the largest shopping centres in Cebu is a product of the vast social inequality in the Philippines.
President Aquino’s Liberal Party coalition consolidates power in Philippine election
By Joseph Santolan, 17 May 2013
The Liberal Party coalition won nine of the available twelve senatorial seats, further strengthening President Aquino’s grip on political power.
Philippine elections
15 May 2013
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Philippine coast guard kills Taiwanese fisherman in disputed waters
By Joseph Santolan, 14 May 2013
Relations between Taiwan and the Philippines soured dramatically over the weekend after Philippine forces shot and killed an unarmed Taiwanese fisherman.
Violence in the Philippines as election approaches
By Joseph Santolan, 4 May 2013
Elections in the Philippines are a spectacle of pomp, pageantry and bloody violence.
Suicide of Philippine college student sparks protests
By Dylan Lubao, 25 March 2013
Kristel Tejada took her own life after the University of the Philippines administration forced her to leave over the non-payment of fees.
Philippine typhoon victims storm government offices
By Dylan Lubao, 7 March 2013
The distribution of relief goods, under the control of the military, has been exploited to starve out supporters of the Maoist New Peoples Army.
Malaysian military bombs forces of Philippine sultan
By Joseph Santolan, 6 March 2013
The tense stand-off is the result of the Sultan of Sulu in the southern Philippines asserting a long-standing territorial claim to the Malaysian state of Sabah.
Fourteen killed in stand-off between Philippine sultan and Malaysia
By Joseph Santolan, 2 March 2013
The sultan sent forces to stake his claim to Sabah, a claim that has the longstanding endorsement of the Philippine government.
Philippine reproductive health bill continues to illegalize abortion
By Dante Pastrana, 22 February 2013
While various Stalinists and liberals present the legislation as a progressive step, it will do little to address the dire situation confronting millions of working class women.
Philippine performance artist jailed for “offending religious feelings”
By Joseph Santolan, 9 February 2013
It is impossible to overstate the pervasive reach of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, which is a key pillar of the country’s political establishment.
Fighting in Southern Philippines kills at least 22
By Joseph Santolan, 6 February 2013
The root cause of the violence is the power struggle between the MNLF and the rival MILF in the wake of a peace deal with the government biased towards the MILF.
The Philippines takes South China Sea dispute to UN tribunal
By Joseph Santolan, 31 January 2013
The case represents a further ratcheting up of tensions between China and other regional claimants to the South China Sea.
Behind the canonization of the second Philippine saint
By Dante Pastrana, 16 January 2013
Calungsod’s promotion to sainthood is not, of course, based on a miracle but is an intensely political act.
Japan, Philippines boost ties as tensions with China escalate
By Joseph Santolan, 12 January 2013
The meeting was calculated to defuse long-standing historical objections to Japanese expansionism throughout the South East Asian region.
Philippine government calls for the rearming of Japan
By Joseph Santolan, 14 December 2012
Amid tensions with China, the Philippine foreign secretary said the government supported Japanese remilitarization as “a balancing factor”.
Death toll from Philippine typhoon exceeds 600
By Joseph Santolan, 10 December 2012
At least 100 of the deaths were the result of collapsed or buried evacuation centers.
Scores dead as typhoon hits the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 5 December 2012
The deaths so far reported have resulted from landslides, flash floods and falling trees and power lines. But the underlying cause is poverty.
Philippine mayor calls for extrajudicial killing
By Dante Pastrana, 20 November 2012
The rise to power of Rodrigo Duterte as Davao City mayor implicates major political figures in the Philippines.
Philippine “left” quarrels over election
By Joseph Santolan, 13 November 2012
The dispute reveals the depth of the opportunism and charlatanry of both Akbayan and Anakbayan, as well as other CPP-front organizations.
Philippine “left” quarrels over election
By Joseph Santolan, 13 November 2012
The dispute reveals the depth of the opportunism and charlatanry of both Akbayan and Anakbayan, as well as other CPP-front organizations.
Philippine anti-mining activist arrested for Facebook posting
By Dante Pastrana, 6 November 2012
The Aquino government has extended the criminalization of libel onto the internet and other forms of electronic media.
Philippine government implements two-tier wages
By Dante Pastrana, 5 November 2012
Along with the expansion of contractualization and underemployment, the new wage system is a major assault on the living standards of Filipino workers.
Former Philippine president arrested on the charge of plunder
By Joseph Santolan, 16 October 2012
The charge filed against her is being used by President Aquino’s administration to hold former President Arroyo without bail.
Philippine politicians declare candidacy for the 2013 election
By Joseph Santolan, 13 October 2012
Two major political coalitions composed of family dynasties are competing for a share in the power and the coffers of the state
Philippine president to sign Mindanao peace accord
By Joseph Santolan, 11 October 2012
Backed by Washington, the Manila political and business elites have struck a bargain with a section of the Mindanao ruling class for the joint exploitation of the island.
Scores killed in Manila floods
By John Roberts, 10 August 2012
Urban planners have described the latest floods in the Philippines as a “man-made disaster.”
Paltry pay rise for workers in Philippine capital
By Dante Pastrana, 5 July 2012
Employers still oppose the 30-pesos daily increase, in sharp contrast to the stance of union leaders, who quickly dropped their original demand for a higher pay rise.
Philippine government presides over schools in crisis
By Dante Pastrana, 13 June 2012
The education system is grossly underfunded, dominated by private profit and geared to producing skilled cheap labor for business and export.
Philippine President Aquino in Washington boosts military ties
By Joseph Santolan, 11 June 2012
The Aquino visit further strengthens Obama’s “pivot” to the Asia Pacific and the calculated policy for the military containment of China.
The ouster of Philippine Chief Justice Renato Corona
By Joseph Santolan, 30 May 2012
The removal of Renato Corona was the culmination of a concerted campaign by President Aquino to undermine the judiciary and extend executive power.
Impeachment trial of Philippine chief justice nears end
By Joseph Santolan, 24 May 2012
The prosecution of Chief Justice Corona has dramatically undermined the separation of government powers and created a constitutional crisis.
Tensions ease temporarily between China and the Philippines
By John Chan, 22 May 2012
While the immediate danger appears to have been averted, none of the underlying issues have been resolved.
Philippine protests further escalate tensions with China
By Joseph Santolan, 11 May 2012
The provocative and well-funded protests against China today are part of a calculated campaign that has its origins in Washington.
Locked-in workers die in fire in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 10 May 2012
The practice of locking workers in is routine and any fire will almost certainly result in the loss of life.
Philippine Supreme Court issues decision on Hacienda Luisita
By Joseph Santolan, 7 May 2012
The decision by the Supreme Court is another skirmish in the on-going factional war between rival sections of the Philippine bourgeoisie.
Demonstrator shot dead in housing demolition in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 1 May 2012
The brutal event is part of President Aquino’s policy of forcibly relocating the urban poor onto the dismal floodplains outside the city.
US-Philippine military exercises directed against China
By Peter Symonds, 26 April 2012
The Balikatan exercises, provocatively staged adjacent to the South China Sea, can only heighten US tensions with China.
Power outages wrack southern Philippine island
By Dante Pastrana, 18 April 2012
Electricity rationing in Mindanao, the poorest island group in the Philippines, is now in its fourth month.
Tense naval stand-off in the South China Sea
By Joseph Santolan, 13 April 2012
Philippine naval vessels and Chinese marine surveillance ships continue to face off against each other in disputed waters near the Scarborough shoal.
South China Sea tensions mount as Manila prepares to drill for oil
By Joseph Santolan, 2 March 2012
The Philippine government announced it would proceed with plans to open several areas in the disputed waters to foreign oil companies.
Prosecution abruptly rests case in Philippine impeachment trial
By Joseph Santolan, 1 March 2012
The decision to cut the prosecution short reflects the rising tide of popular discontent with the trial.
Further US involvement in Philippine constitutional crisis
By Joseph Santolan, 24 February 2012
The vital role played by Washington is becoming ever more transparent, with Aquino appointing an American ‘anti-corruption’ consultant as an official advisor to his cabinet.
Philippine Supreme Court issues restraining order on impeachment trial
By Joseph Santolan, 14 February 2012
The order, an assertion of judicial control over the proceedings in the Senate, brought into sharper acuity the country’s emerging constitutional crisis.
Philippine impeachment trial creates constitutional crisis
By Joseph Santolan, 9 February 2012
The trial is an assault on a separate branch of government, which has proved unruly and unmanageable to Philippine President Aquino.
Philippine ex-left joins attack on Supreme Court
By Joseph Santolan, 3 February 2012
Walden Bello, who established an international reputation in anti-globalization circles for his critique of the World Bank, is now filing a court case in the Philippines on its behalf.
The “Workers Party” and the sell-out of Philippine Airlines workers
By Joseph Santolan and Dante Pastrana, 31 January 2012
The Partido ng Manggagawa, a pseudo-left organization composed of union bureaucrats and ex-Maoists, is carrying out the systematic betrayal of striking airline workers.
US tightens the military noose around China
By Joseph Santolan, 30 January 2012
Washington’s talks with Manila over an expanded US military presence in the Philippines are another step in Obama’s reckless strategy of containing China.
Washington to expand military presence in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 27 January 2012
The deployment of US vessels in the Philippines would be a further ratcheting up of the Obama administration’s confrontation with China.
US Senators escalate tensions in Southeast Asia
By Joseph Santolan, 24 January 2012
Every stop of the visit by McCain and Lieberman was a calculated escalation of US military and political machinations against China.
Twenty-five years since the Mendiola massacre in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 23 January 2012
On January 22, 1987, 17,000 peasants, workers and students marched across Mendiola Bridge in Manila when police opened fire on them.
Impeachment trial of chief justice opens in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 16 January 2012
This is the second impeachment trial in the country’s history and is part of a campaign by President Aquino to consolidate power.
Scores injured, arrested in housing demolition in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 13 January 2012
The demolition is part of the forcible relocation of the Manila poor and working class carried out on behalf of real estate developers.
Landslide in Philippine mining community kills at least 36
By Joseph Santolan, 10 January 2012
On January 4, a landslide of mud, clay, debris and tree roots buried fifty bunkhouses and many of the sleeping miners and their families.
US-China rivalry behind fresh corruption charges in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 9 January 2012
Behind the sordid allegations is a simple fact: Arroyo gave a massive infrastructural contract to a Chinese state corporation over a rival bid from a US firm.
Death toll in Philippines flooding over a thousand
By Oliver Campbell, 23 December 2011
It appears that the collapse of dams contributed to the severity of the floods, along with deforestation, silting of the rivers and lack of government planning.
The Philippine ‘left’ and the constitutional crisis
By Joseph Santolan, 20 December 2011
The ongoing constitutional crisis in the Philippines has revealed the bankrupt and unprincipled character of every section of the so-called ‘left.’
Constitutional crisis erupts in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 19 December 2011
President Aquino, employing sharply anti-democratic measures, has had Philippine Chief Justice Renato Corona impeached.
Philippines: Hundreds dead and missing in flash flooding
By Oliver Campbell, 19 December 2011
The severity of the floods, which hit residents without warning, was compounded by extensive deforestation and unplanned urbanisation.
Ex-Philippine President Arroyo arrested for electoral fraud
By Joseph Santolan, 21 November 2011
Aquino’s prosecution of Arroyo occurs in the context of rapidly mounting geopolitical tensions between the US and China, and is driven by the interests of US imperialism.
Twenty thousand displaced as Philippine government bombs Mindanao
By Joseph Santolan, 29 October 2011
The ‘lawless elements’ whom President Aquino has ordered attacked, are the primary hurdle to a US-backed ‘peace’ process in the southern Philippines.
Philippine gunboat rams Chinese fishing vessel in South China Sea
By Joseph Santolan, 25 October 2011
Behind the confrontation and escalating tensions in the South China Sea is the provocative role being played by Washington in the region.
Six workers die in Subic shipyard in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 10 October 2011
Keppel, the shipyard operator, has actively suppressed the release of information regarding the accident, denying government officials, investigators and journalists access to the site.
Union abandons Philippine Airlines ground employees
By Dante Pastrana, 5 October 2011
The PALEA leaders betrayed a September 27 sit-down strike, continuing their protracted sell-out of 2,600 workers being replaced by contract labourers.
Death toll mounts in the wake of typhoon in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 1 October 2011
The tragedy of Typhoon Nesat was caused by staggering levels of class inequality and by the pursuit of profit in complete disregard for its effects upon human lives.
Philippine Airlines to sack 2,600 ground staff
By Dante Pastrana, 27 September 2011
The job cuts are part of the ongoing restructuring of the airline that began in 1998 when the airline sacked 5,000 pilots, flight attendants and ground staff.
Philippine economy decelerating amid global turmoil
By Dante Pastrana, 19 September 2011
The economic slowdown will only widen the gulf between rich and poor, with the Stratbase Research Institute reporting that the Philippines was already the most unequal among Southeast Asian countries.
US-China rivalry drives corruption scandal in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 29 July 2011
Former Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has been charged on five counts of plundering the economy during her tenure as president and with election fraud.
Hacienda Luisita and the farce of Philippine land reform
By Joseph Santolan, 7 July 2011
What hides behind the opaque language and convoluted logic of the Supreme Court decision is the final scrapping of even the most limited land reform in the Philippines.
Washington boosts military ties with the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 4 July 2011
The Philippine administration has, since the election of President Benigno Aquino last year, aligned its foreign policy more and more closely to the United States.
Washington continues to escalate tensions in South China Sea
By Joseph Santolan, 30 June 2011
A US Senate resolution passed this week deploring China’s use of force and supporting continued US military operations heightens the danger of a confrontation in the South China Sea.
South China Sea disputes heighten danger of conflict
By Joseph Santolan, 15 June 2011
Tensions have intensified as Vietnam and the Philippines, tacitly backed by the US, assert their claims in the contested waters of the South China Sea.
Gates outlines aggressive agenda for US imperialism in Asia
By Joseph Santolan, 7 June 2011
The US Defense Secretary’s speech came amid rapidly mounting tensions between China and other claimants to the South China Sea.
A revealing prison “escape” in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 28 May 2011
The living conditions of wealthy prisoners in New Bilibid Prison are much better than those of the people who live on the edges of the prison grounds.
US and the Philippines: naval ships and ‘historical ties’
By Joseph Santolan, 21 May 2011
With US backing, the Philippines has been playing an increasingly provocative role in the South China Sea in asserting its stake in the disputed waters, especially against China.
Philippine president proposes to evict 500,000 slum residents from Manila
By Joseph Santolan, 12 May 2011
Aquino’s plan aims to simultaneously clear urban land for private developers and to stem the mounting threat of a food crisis.
The Pacquiao phenomenon in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 9 May 2011
Like almost every boxing figure before him, Manny Pacquiao came from a life of grinding poverty. It is this history—the intimate shared reality of suffering and struggle—that the vast majority Filipinos identify with.
Tensions escalate over the South China Sea
By Joseph Santolan, 3 May 2011
China, Taiwan and the Philippines have each stepped up their rhetoric regarding the contested oil-rich Spratly Islands and deployed troops to the region.
Good Friday crucifixions in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 22 April 2011
The spectacle is an annual celebration of gore and obscurantism, an international media circus, and a tourist bonanza.
Fears of a looming Philippine rice crisis
By Joseph Santolan, 15 April 2011
The public furor over possible rice shortages has exposed the precarious position in which Aquino administration’s policies have left the country’s food supply.
China’s execution of Filipino drug couriers highlights mounting regional tensions
By Joseph Santolan, 5 April 2011
The three prisoners became pawns in a vast geopolitical game involving the China, the Philippines, the US and the Association of South East Asian Nations.
US plays key role in Philippine corruption scandal
By Joseph Santolan, 8 March 2011
US-instigated charges of corruption in the Philippine military have become a weapon in the hands of President Benigno Aquino III as he strives to consolidate his hold on power.
Philippine planes confront China in disputed South China Sea
By Joseph Santolan, 5 March 2011
Two Philippine military planes chased Chinese patrol boats from disputed waters in the South China Sea on March 2.
Ten workers die in construction accident in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 1 February 2011
These workers died because the enforcement of even minimal safety standards would have hampered their employers’ rapacious pursuit of profit.
Stranded migrant workers protest in Saudi Arabia
By Joseph Santolan, 26 January 2011
The plight of the Filipino contract workers demonstrating outside Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh is typical of the plight of thousands of migrant workers from numerous countries who are trapped in Saudi Arabia.
President Aquino imposes strike ban on Philippines Airlines workers
By Dante Pastrana, 3 January 2011
Philippine President Aquino has by-passed his labor secretary, Rosalinda Baldoz, and assumed jurisdiction over a long-running industrial dispute at Philippine Airlines.
Aquino government blocks strike at Philippine Airlines
By Dante Pastrana, 30 October 2010
President Benigno Noynoy Aquino’s administration has issued a labor department order barring Philippine Airlines employees from striking in support of a pay agreement.
Hunger in the Philippines as President Aquino cuts food subsidies
By Joseph Santolan, 20 October 2010
The budget for the National Food Authority, the agency responsible for the purchase and sale of rice at subsidized prices, has been slashed to meet IMF demands for budget cuts.
Philippine budget: Austerity for the poor, subsidies for the rich
By Dante Pastrana, 29 September 2010
President Aquino’s pro-poor posturing is a sham. Like government leaders worldwide, he is under pressure from global financial capital to rein in public expenditure at the expense of working people.
Philippine president visits US amid rising regional tensions
By Joseph Santolan, 23 September 2010
Like other countries throughout Asia, Aquino is faced with balancing between his country’s growing economic dependence on China and its longstanding ties with the US, the former colonial power.
Manila’s water crisis exposes impact of privatisation
By Dante Pastrana, 7 September 2010
July’s week-long rationing of water highlighted the reality: millions of people are denied the basic right to potable water and sanitation while private firms rake in profits at their expense.
Philippine hostage tragedy exposes tense international relations
By Joseph Santolan, 27 August 2010
These events simultaneously exposed the rot at the core of the new Philippine government, the empty bluster of the news-as-entertainment media, and the taut and tenuous nature of relations between the Philippines and China.
Aquino installed as Philippine president
By Joseph Santolan, 1 July 2010
Lurking behind Aquino’s insipid rhetoric of change and an end to corruption is a continuation of the anti-working class policies of his predecessor.
Noynoy Aquino wins Philippine presidency
By Joseph Santolan, 12 May 2010
The one-term senator and scion of the Cojuangco dynasty is set to enter office facing a 4.358 trillion peso national debt.
Fear of election failure in the Philippines dominates lead up to Monday’s voting
By Joseph Santolan, 8 May 2010
From the disputes in ruling circles and the press, it is clear that the bourgeoisie is terrified of an election that fails to give the stamp of legitimacy to the victor.
Hacienda Luisita haunts Philippine presidential candidate Aquino
By Dante Pastrana, 7 May 2010
With the Philippine elections taking place next Monday, leading candidate Senator Benigno Aquino III continues to be plagued by controversy over his family’s huge sugar plantation.
Charges dropped over Philippine political killings
By John Braddock, 28 April 2010
The Philippine government has dropped charges against two members of a prominent political family accused of conspiracy in last year’s massacre of 57 people in southern Mindanao.
Philippine port workers sold out by unions
By Dante Pastrana, 14 April 2010
The trade unions paved the way for the privatisation of Manila North Harbour by signing a sell-out agreement with the new port operator on March 30 that will lead to major cutbacks in jobs and conditions.
Philippine presidential candidates to cut budget deficit
By Dante Pastrana, 30 March 2010
While all the presidential candidates in the May elections are making empty promises to help working people, the next administration will quickly launch a further assault on living standards.
A tense election campaign in the Philippines
By Joseph Santolan, 26 March 2010
A worsening economic crisis is fuelling sharp rivalry between the various factions of the ruling elite, which also reflect the international tensions between Beijing and Washington.
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