Political Critique

Kapag ang “hustisya” ay naging selective, ang dating tagasuporta ay maaaring maging target kapag hindi na kapaki-pakinabang, at ang pansamantalang serbisyo ay nauuwi sa mas matagal na panganib, mahirap ipagwalang-bahala ang kontradiksyon sa pagitan ng retorika at realidad. Ang pahayag na “para sa masa” ay hindi dapat tanggapin bilang katotohanan dahil lamang ito ang deklaradong layunin. Dapat itong sukatin sa aktuwal na karanasan ng mga taong sinasabing ipinaglalaban nito—lal

I know what it means to be angry about poverty. As a former rebel, I also know how that anger can be used. The Filipino people are oppressed. The government has failed. The system is the problem. Therefore, revolution is the answer. I once believed that story and even fought for it. Now, I know Filipinos deserve better. The latest figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority show that poverty incidence fell from 15.5 percent in 2023 to 9.7 percent in 2025, equivalent t

Cumpio, Domequil and Abinguna may have performed real public work. That does not rule out the fact that they also served the CPP's underground structure.

Anakbayan Southern Mindanao’s latest statement against former member Jam Saguino once again avoids addressing the details of her experience in Anakbayan and the New People’s Army. Instead of directly refuting her claims, the group dismissed her as a red-tagger and attacked her credibility. On August 24, Anakbayan Southern Mindanao condemned Saguino after she spoke about her experience during an National Service Training Program orientation at the University of Southeastern

That history explains vigilance. The alert does not, however, establish what the two officers were doing at the canteen. It presented no evidence that they were conducting surveillance, intimidating students or carrying out an operation. These were suspicions attached to their presence, not facts established by the post.

Matapos ang dalawang fatal na insidente ng pamamaril sa mga paaralan sa loob lamang ng ilang buwan, mistulang itinutulak ng League of Filipino Students (LFS) ang sisi sa mga magulang at pamilya. May papel ang pamilya sa pagpapalaki at paggabay sa mga kabataan, ngunit hindi nito maaaring isantabi ang papel ng mga paaralan at iba pang institusyong may direktang access sa mga estudyante. Ayon sa National Chairperson ng LFS na si Gabriel Magtibay sa isang pahayag, “We should s

Tributes to fallen members of the New People’s Army have once again appeared on social media and on the platforms of open National Democratic organizations. They are called “martyrs,” “true heroes of the Filipino people,” and “revolutionary heroes.” Their lives are portrayed not simply as losses, but as noble sacrifices filled with love, art, and dedication to the masses. This kind of tribute is not simple mourning. It is a deliberate political act with a clear message: dea

Sinuportahan ng Buklod Kapayapaan Federation Inc. (BKFI) ang panukalang Terror Grooming and Radicalization Prevention Act, kasabay ng panawagang palakasin ang mga hakbang upang mapigilan ang pagkalantad ng kabataan sa karahasan at radikalisasyon. Sa pahayag nitong Agosto 19, binanggit ng grupo ang pamamaril sa San Jose National High School sa Tacloban City noong Hunyo 22, kung saan tatlong estudyante ang napatay at mahigit 20 ang nasugatan.

There was palpable distrust among some residents toward Kabataan Partylist, and a clearer discomfort with Rep. Renee Louise Co than with the presence of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. This was evident in online comments and public statements that circulated even before her Campus Tour and Konsultahang Kabataan at Kalinga State University on August 14. Long before the event began, voices online were already questioning the purpose of the visit. The dominant tone was n

Habang nagpapatuloy ang mga operasyong panseguridad, nananatiling bukas ang mas mahalagang tanong para sa mga nasa loob pa ng kilusan: maghihintay ba silang maging susunod na pangalan sa listahan ng mga “martir,” o pipiliing umuwi habang may pagkakataon pa? Gaya ng sinabi ni Ri Chard sa kanyang mga dating kasama: “May iba pang kaparaanan upang magsilbi sa mamamayan.”

Ayon sa dating kadre na si Lady Desiree Miranda, nananatiling bulnerable ang kababaihan sa iba’t ibang anyo ng pang-aabuso sa loob ng CPP-NPA, sa kabila ng umiiral nitong mga patakaran tulad ng Tres Otso o Three Main Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention. Sa isang panayam na inilabas sa social media, isinalaysay ni Miranda ang matinding hirap, takot, panggigipit, at umano’y pamimilit sa kanya na humawak ng armas. Para sa kanya, inilalantad ng mga karanasang it

For a revolution is not sustained by the gun; it is sustained by belief, and belief cannot be extracted at gunpoint, at checkpoint, at the barrel pressed lightly against a sakada's ribs.

Marami tayo ngayong kinakaharap na mga lehitimong isyu: korapsyon, mataas na presyo ng bilihin, kawalan ng disenteng trabaho, mahinang serbisyong panlipunan, at patuloy na pagyurak ng ibang bansa sa ating soberanya. Tama at makatarungan naman talaga ang maging kritikal sa gobyerno. Tama ring maging passionate sa social justice at maging aktibista. Ang demokrasya ay hindi nangangahulugang tahimik na pagsang-ayon—ito ay espasyo para sa protesta, organisasyon, at pananagutan.

Ano ba talaga ang kinatatakutan ng Gabriela Women's Party? Noong Hulyo 16, naghain ng reklamo sa Commission on Human Rights (CHR) ang Gabriela Partylist-Marikina laban sa 12th Civil Military Operations Battalion ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Ang sentro ng kanilang reklamo ay ang umano'y panliligalig at ang sunod-sunod na community outreach activities ng militar sa isang komunidad sa Marikina—mga medical mission, feeding program, pamamahagi ng ayuda, at iba pang

In his speech at the Katungod Conference on July 15 at the University of the Philippines at Diliman, he declared that the AFP is a "threat to democracy and national security." That conclusion is too sweeping. And his treatment of the Talaingod 13 is also too politically convenient, if not downright lazy.

Muling sinusubukan ng mga grupong kaugnay ng National Democratic movement na buhayin ang usapin ng tinaguriang “Talaingod 13.” Noong Hulyo 16, pinangunahan ng Save Our Schools Network ang isang kumperensiyang pinamagatang “Annual State of Justice in Mindanao Conference: Justice for Talaingod 13 and Beyond.” Sa naturang pagtitipon, muling iniharap ang naratibong ang estado umano ang nang-api sa mga tinawag nilang “human rights advocates” na nagsagawa ng rescue mission para sa

Sa huli, ang totoong motibo ng NPA ay hindi ang pagprotekta sa kalikasan kundi ang pagkolekta ng “revolutionary tax.” Kapag tumangging magbayad ang isang kumpanya, doon sila nagiging target — hindi dahil sa kanilang pinsala sa kapaligiran, kundi dahil sa kanilang pagtanggi na sustentuhan ang armadong kilusan. Ito ang mapait na katotohanang kailangang malaman ng publiko upang hindi na sila malinlang ng magandang pakinggan pero huwad na propaganda. Ang tunay na pagtatanggol sa

On July 10, two men were found shot dead in Victorias City — Jerome Seballos, 59, and Alex Cunanan, 58. Two days later, the NPA's Roselyn Jean Pelle Command claimed responsibility, saying its "Special Partisan Unit" had carried out a "death penalty" against both, accusing Seballos of working as a military informant. Two men were executed in their own barangay, and the killers announced it publicly as a warning to everyone else. That is what spy-tagging is for. It is not, i

For years, I believed that genuine change in the Philippines could only come through armed revolution. Like many idealistic young people, I was drawn to the promise of a nation free from injustice, inequality, and corruption. I sincerely believed that taking up arms was not merely an option; it was the only path. I was wrong.

One line from Atom Araullo's graduation speech at UP Baguio this week hit me harder than I expected. "You don't have to kill your dreams in the name of service. Just make sure your dreams don't require you to kill your conscience."