[metaslider id=30618] FILIPINOS braved the crowds and the rain to visit the graves of deceased loved ones over the weekend. By night, cemeteries still buzzed with life. It was a common sight to see children during the day and on to the night scraping wax off candlesticks and the pavement. The collected wax gets sold by
By PATRICIA ISABEL GLORIA FACTORY worker Rodelio Naval was waiting in line for a check-up at the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC) in Quezon City when he was told he could not use his PhilHealth Insurance membership to have his legs treated. Naval, who is from San Pedro Laguna and worked for Esycon Industrial Trading, was
Text and photos by LITTLE WING LUNA VILLAMOR Air Base has become the first stop for Typhoon “Yolanda” victims fortunate enough to board the military’s C-130 planes from typhoon-ravaged Cebu and Tacloban. Friday was the third day that hundreds of hungry, weary and grieving souls landed at the Philippine Air Force hangar in Pasay City,
Text and photos by LUIS LIWANAG NATURAL disasters and extreme weather phenomena have become so routine lately that to hear the impending landfall of another supertyphoon failed to whet my appetite for another adrenaline-charged news coverage. Spending time with family and keeping my word on commitments to friends were at the top of my list
Text and photos by LUIS LIWANAG TACLOBAN CITY—The city government of Tacloban finally buried the dead in a shallow ditch that officials said was just a temporary resting place for those who perished from the wrath of Typhoon Yolanda. Cadavers wrapped in body bags, blankets, mats and even GI sheets collected from all over the
By VINCE NONATO THE Commission on Elections has finally signed the P100 million check to fund the honoraria and other expenses of police and army deputies tasked to maintain peace and order and carry out other election-related duties, Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. announced Friday. The funds, P60 million of which will go to the Philippine
Slideshow by MARIO IGNACIO IV The “Million People March” social media activists had been cooking up for weeks failed to produce the promised million. But no matter. The message from the almost 100,000 rallyists who descended on Rizal Park on a drizzling Monday morning was crystal clear: Enough of “pork.” From all indications, the motley throng
By JONATHAN DE SANTOS GOVERNMENT has been dragging its feet in implementing a law awarding financial compensation to victims of human rights abuses during the martial law years, despite the fact that their number is slowly dwindling. “Not a month passes without one of us dying,” Felix Dalisay, who spoke for Samahan ng Ex-Detainees Laban
By JONATHAN DE SANTOS THE widows wore red, and not the black of mourning. “This doesn’t mean we are happy,” they said. “This shows we are still brave.” The two were Cipriana Gatchalian and Ramonita Salaysay, both of whom lost their husbands in the infamous Maguindanao Massacre on November 23, 2009. Last Tuesday, they and
By MARIE GAY ALESSANDRA V. ORDENES HOW much is the government really getting from mining? How about other extractive industries such as gas and oil? How much is the industry actually paying the government? And, most important, do such payments comply with laws? Filipinos should be getting the answers to these and other questions about
