Wat’tup Cuba: Thoughts on the Cuba, Revolutionary Socialism, and the Filipino Youth

By James Matthew Miraflor

Note: These are only a few chapters of an unfinished paper based on my presentation (of the same title) during the Philippines-Cuba Cultural and Friendship Association (PHILCUBA) of the Moncada Attack last July 26, 2008 in the University of the Philippines Manila, Little Theater.


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"The argument is this. The only way to know if the people genuinely chose socialism as a model of political and economic governance is on the presence of other modalities – other ideologies outlining other ways of organizing societies. If socialists are indeed confident of the superiority of their socialist model, as all socialists should be, and if they are confident that the masses also believe so, then they need not be afraid of contesting the democratic space from those with other ideologies, as organized through other parties."

Group wants debt moratorium, 6% GNP education spending

06/02/2008 | 10:56 AM

http://www.gmanews.tv/story/98619/Group-wants-debt-moratorium-6-GNP-education-spending

MANILA, Philippines - With one week to go before classes start, militant anti-debt youths demanded that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo follow the United Nations' benchmark to spend six percent of gross national product on education.



The Youth Against Debt (YAD) also reiterated the call for a moratorium on paying "illegitimate" debts, instead of having President Arroyo calling for a freeze in tuition hikes.

10 Reasons Why Electricity Bills Are High

By the Freedom from Debt Coalition
Sunday, 11 May 2008 12:05

A position paper submitted to the:
Joint Congressional Power Committee (JCPC)


For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV

May 12, 2008

After MERALCO, the country’s largest electricity distributor and supplier, announced last April an increase in its generation charges by 51.88 centavos per kilowatt hour (kWh), rumors of a brewing government takeover began spreading like wildfire. Signals are there, experts say, as shares of both the government and the Lopezes each jumped to more than 30%, with the Lopezes having a slight fractional advantage.

In the Shadow of Debt

by Walden Bello




By Walden Bello*

*President of Freedom from Debt Coalition, senior analyst at Focus on the Global South, and professor of sociology at the University of the Philippines. The author would like to thank James Matthew Miraflor and Bobby Diciembre of the Freedom from Debt Coalition for their assistance.

Assaulted on all sides owing to its entanglement in the ZTE-NBN corruption scandal, the administration has confronted its critics with the image of an economy that is purring along, that is doing just fine except for the rise in the price of rice, for which it says it is blameless.

Deconstructing "Growth" in 2007

But the state of the economy, even some of the administration's friends have pointed out, is a thin reed on which to rest. In a recent article, Peter Wallace, an influential consultant, deconstructed the 7.3 per cent growth rate recorded for the Philippines in 2007, showing that the figure is actually a statistical fluke that stems from the way the measure Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is computed. The figure actually masks something negative: the fall of imports by 5.4 per cent. "So because we had less imports, GDP looked good," Wallace says. "From where I sit, that does not indicate a strong, growing economy, the best in 31 years."i With no less irony, the World Bank agrees: "Remarkably, weaker import growth made the largest arithmetical contribution to the growth acceleration in 2000-07 compared to 1990-99." It added that this was not "consistent with sustained fast growth in the longer term."ii

ZTEwwww!

A Primer on the Anomalous National Broadband Network Project and other Disgusting Illegitimate Deals and Debts of the Philippines

by the Freedom from Debt Coalition

What is the ZTE NBN deal?


It is a $ 329 million loan from the China Export and Import Bank to finance the infrastructure project between the Philippine Government and the China-based Zhong XingTelecommunication Equipment Company Limited (ZTE). The said project aims to develop a telecommunications infrastructure that will deliver voice, data, and internet services to all government offices and municipalities nationwide.

An Empowered Argument for a People Power

by Joy Aceron



On an “Alternative” to People Power Proposal

There is an alternative to people power which is being proposed: “have Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as the president for the remainder of her term,” for her staying there “presents our nation with a golden opportunity to change in a deeper, more meaningful and more lasting manner.”

Let me say at the onset that at this point of the political crisis, this proposal is not anymore an alternative, a new or a middle proposal. The progression of the on-going debates and dynamics points to fact that this is the same solution being offered by Malacañang obviously to be able to survive yet again a formidable challenge to its authority. As stated rather eloquently by a pro-Gloria protester covered by the media (who was basically echoing the administration’ s line), the country should just wait for the 2010 elections since that is only about one year and eight months away. “Bring the case to the courts and let all those who are responsible be punished.”