More than the success of growing vegetables and crops, there is a bigger fight that Pandi women and the urban poor community in Bulacan are fighting for. They continue to struggle against discrimination and harassment from state agents and for basic human rights, decency and respect.
As a mother myself, I cannot begin to fathom how Andrea felt, and how Reina feels now. I have been struggling to find the right words. But there are, simply, no words enough to aptly describe the pain, the rage, the emptiness, and despair.
Eventually, the things we learn and write about lead us to ask the questions “So what?” and “For whom?” Without fail, genuine disciples of journalism would ask themselves the questions “If not for public good, what for? If not for the people, why?”
Naturally, Trump has elevated the discourse yet again. From distilling current events he is now creating it as US President. Now, he’s not just using the power of capitalism to wrestle; he’s the world’s champion of the global imperialist system.
In an increasingly impersonal world dominated by capital and profit margins, strikes shatter that illusion and remind us of the fundamental relations between people and things. Strikes are the tears shed at the sound of workers gaining their rights. They are the words “Lumalaban pa rin” said with the purest conviction, by workers who live, breathe, and have families to feed.
I understood that no matter how difficult the situation then, like the makeshift toilet and the few hours of sleep due to conventions, educational discussions as well as integration in picketlines, our parents had the best intentions.
Youth activists were stirred to chant louder as the rain fell harder: “Magpapatakot ba tayo sa ulan? Ang mga magsasaka nga, pinauulanan ng bala. Tubig lang ‘yan!”
How unfortunate, really, since there were only three journalists in the restaurant at that time – Marya, Zeng, and I. And all three of them happened to be holding a spoon on one hand and fork on the other and not a camera to capture the moment.
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO On the fringes Bulatlat.com MALOLOS, Bulacan – Having earned a reputation for being both loquacious and boisterous, my relatives, friends, colleagues, and even sources are very much curious on how I manage to keep a straight face whenever I cover issues of human rights violations, especially during hearings against a…
Truth was our weapon. Truth effected change.
The Lakbayan camp is like a river junction from where water rushes stronger towards a new direction.