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In Philippines, Political Prisoner Runs for Cebu Councilor

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He has been in jail for three years as a political prisoner. Now he wishes to spend the next three years as a public servant in his hometown. Behind bars since May 2004, Jigger Geverola, 30, a political prisoner detained in a prison facility in the Central Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Cebu, is officially the first political prisoner in this province to run for public office.

By Karen Papellero
Bulatlat

He has been in jail for three years as a political prisoner. Now he wishes to spend the next three years as a public servant in his hometown.

Behind bars since May 2004, Jigger Geverola, 30, a political prisoner detained in a prison facility in the Central Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in Cebu, is officially the first political prisoner in this province to run for public office.

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Back in Philippines, Workers from Iraq Tell of Woes

The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) has partially lifted the ban on the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Nigeria and Lebanon, after the hostage crisis and bombing incidents, respectively, in these countries.

And now, a new alarm was raised over the continued holding of the 15 British sailors in Iran. Although there are only about 200 Filipinos in Iran, the fear is for the estimated 1.5 to 1.8 million overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East if a region-wide tension escalates.

During times of conflict, it is the OFWs who suffer. Two OFWs, who worked in Iraq, proved that deployment bans are useless.

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As NAFLU Celebrates 50th Year, Workers in Philippines Honor Olalia

The National Federation of Labor Unions-Kilusang Mayo Uno (NAFLU-KMU, May First Movement) holds a tribute-dinner in honor of Felixberto Olalia, Sr. on April 16 in Quezon City, as part of activities in celebration of NAFLU-KMU?s turning 50 years old in May 2007. NAFLU-KMU?s founder Olalia Sr., a multi-awarded, highly popular labor leader in his time, a brave Huk guerrila commander and a timeless, shining example until now of what it means to champion genuine, militant and anti-imperialist unionism.

BY MARYA G. SALAMAT
Contributed to Bulatlat

Based on his own recollection, Felixberto Olalia, son of poor farmers from Pampanga, started working as an apprentice in a shoe factory at the age of 13. It?s a very young age for a boy to start working, but even before that, as a child, Olalia had actually worked for some time as a servant to a wealthy family in Tarlac, where he overheard his master saying that chili is bad for the poor because it increases their appetite and makes them eat more. That the poor have limited rights to having appetite and eating would be Olalia?s unforgettable first political lesson in life, a story he would narrate often.

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Bourgeois Journalism vs Alternative Journalism in the Philippines

There are two theories that define the state of the Philippine press today ? the bourgeois theory and the progressive theory. The bourgeois theory of the press retains its domination of the industry but with a new breed of owners and stockholders belonging to new wealthy families. The author read this paper at a conference of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) in Dumaguete City on April 14.

By Bobby Tuazon
Bulatlat

Any discussion about the theories of the press, to make them relevant to Philippine realities, should always be taken in the context of the social, economic and political conditions in a given historical period. Today, the continuing political crisis, armed conflict and even the state of rebellion are also manifested or mirrored in the state of the Philippine press.

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Three Front-Page Photos and a Plot for the Philippines?s Future

There are three pictures on the Philippine Daily Inquirer?s front page for March 17, 2007 that present an interesting insight on the state of the nation.

BY JPAUL MANZANILLA*
Contributed to Bulatlat

There are three pictures on the Philippine Daily Inquirer?s front page for March 17, 2007 that present an interesting insight on the state of the nation.

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