AQUINO’S STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS By MARYA SALAMAT MANILA – They did not really expect much but when Benigno Aquino III ran true to form and, in his first State of the Nation Address, “remained true to his class as a big modern landlord,” progressive Filipinos still felt “dismayed.” “We did not really expect ⇒

By ANNE MARXZE D. UMIL MANILA – . When typhoon Basyang (international name: Conson) hit Metro Manila and its neighboring provinces last Tuesday night, killing 26, people living in disaster prone areas traumatized by typhoon Ondoy last September 2009 were on their feet getting ready for another catastrophe. But Basyang had more wind than rain ⇒

By MARYA SALAMAT MANILA – Of all decisions Aquino made in his first week, it is “his cabinet appointments that raised more questions than hope,” said Renato Reyes Jr., secretary general of Bayan (New Patriotic Alliance). “The cabinet appointments are a reflection of the policy direction the new administration will take. Some of the appointments ⇒

Aquino’s SONA: With More Privatization By ARNOLD PADILLA MANILA — In his first State of the Nation Address (SONA), President Benigno Aquino III used the various cases of misuse of public funds by the Arroyo administration as a pretext to promote the so-called Public-Private Partnerships or PPPs. According to Aquino, PPPs will address the lack ⇒

IMPUNITY — OR exemption from punishment — has been correctly called a culture, a way of doing things to which a particular community has become accustomed. It is almost inevitably mentioned as the primary reason why journalists and political activists continue to be killed in the Philippines, where a culture of impunity has indeed taken ⇒

The controversy over the possible appointment of former Akbayan party list Representative Loretta Ann Rosales as Chair of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) merits closer scrutiny. Apart from the importance of appointing a new chairperson who can carry on the outstanding work left behind by Atty. Leila de Lima, it is as important to ⇒

Thousands of guests from various parts of Canada and even from the United States flocked the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, July 24 to witness the spectacular 2010 Mabuhay Festival. Sienna along with her two friends drove all the way from Buffalo to witness the celebration of culture and to taste the Filipino foods. ⇒

On Saturday, July 24, Filipino-Canadians showed their vigilance in support for the Morong 43 through a fundraiser barbeque and they presented their own people’s version of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) with a talk and discussion led by Dr. Chandu Claver, Chairperson of Bayan Canada. The Morong 43 are health care workers whose ⇒

Jul 26, 2010 The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) was shocked to hear that three teachers, including Mark Francisco of the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT), were assassinated earlier in July. Antonio Tinio, National Chairperson of ACT and newly elected ACT representative in the Philippine Congress, reported to CUPE that the killings are linked ⇒

Filipino-Canadian youth are enabling and inspiring the creative expressions of other young artists, as showcased in two events in Toronto this July, the “Kultura” festival held at the Kapisanan Centre for Arts and Culture, and “Roots, Rhymes and Resistance” held on the University of Toronto Campus. “Kultura” included musical performances, installations, visual arts exhibits, a ⇒