Once in an era an uncommon person comes along whose life bears the stamp of profound influence on the actions of others and on society. Such was the life of Francisco “Dodong” Alfafara Nemenzo who passed away at the age of 89 last Dec. 19. An unorthodox Marxist scholar of politics, an inspiring socialist leader-activist of...
Author: Eduardo C. Tadem (Eduardo C. Tadem)
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Floods, foreign funds and fiascos
At the House of Representatives’ deliberations on the proposed budget of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) last Aug. 30, legislators questioned Secretary Manuel Bonoan on why record flooding continues to be a problem despite P1.2 trillion having been spent by the department on flood control projects since 2009. Pinpointed were the Pasig...
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Transcending borders: alternative approaches to territorial disputes
The rapidly unfolding reconfiguration of societies in the world today brings into question long-held systems of thought and action with respect to international relations, state-citizen interactions, concepts of national identity, territoriality, and national sovereignty. States are becoming less and less able to assert their notions of national sovereignty in the face of globalizing actors and...
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James Taylor in my mind and live in Manila
When I told my research team of millennials at the University of the Philippines that Tesa and I were going to watch a concert by James Taylor, I was met with blank stares and polite smiles that seemed to say, “James who?” So, I asked Janus Nolasco to accompany me on guitar while I sang...
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The dimensions of inequality in the Philippines, by the numbers
Throughout Asia, the Philippines conspicuously stands out when it comes to social and economic inequalities. The latest World Bank calculations place the Philippines at the highest level of inequality in the region (see Table 1). In a grouping of 27 Asian countries monitored by the World Bank, the Philippines ranks No. 1 in inequality with...
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Detention, ‘town arrest’ under martial law
It was a comfortless humid night in July 1974 in Zamboanga City when agents of the National Intelligence Security Agency (Nisa) arrested me. I was then a philosophy undergraduate student and an activist at the University of the Philippines Diliman. I was visiting my mother’s hometown to attend the funeral of my maternal grandmother, Isabel...
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A new path for Southeast Asian civil society engagement with Asean
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) marks its 56th year in 2023 and holds its 43rd summit of leaders in September in Jakarta, the second such meeting of the year. Asean is guided by these principles drawn up in 1976: mutual respect for the independence, sovereignty, equality, territorial integrity, and national identity of all...
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Southeast Asia’s dismal social conditions
While Southeast Asian economies have been fast expanding in the last decade, better than most regions, wealth and income inequality—i.e., the gap between the rich and poor—has been equally growing. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN Escap) reports that “Southeast Asia has seen inequalities widen, a setback to...
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Southeast Asia’s economic perils
The easing of pandemic restrictions and the opening up of economies saw Southeast Asia’s growth for 2022 being calculated by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) at a higher 5.5% from an earlier estimate of 5.1% “on stronger-than-expected domestic consumption, exports and services, particularly tourism.” Downplaying the Philippines’ seemingly impressive 2022 growth of 7.6%, economist JC...
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Jaime Tadeo: the lessons of ‘Kampo ng Bayan’
EDITOR’S NOTE: Jaime “Ka Jimmy” Tadeo, farmer organizer and delegate to the 1986 constitutional convention, died on March 26, 2023. He was 84. (Second of two parts) It was decided that the Alyansa ng Magbubukid sa Gitnang Luzon (AMGL, Alliance of Farmers in Central Luzon) would spearhead a march from Meycauayan, Bulacan, just outside Metro...