Category Archives: reds

Fact or fiction: Lawbreakers, professional rallyists, blind followers and other labels about activists

By admin | July 26, 2019

Published by Bulatlat Vow of poverty. Activists are encouraged to live simply, but unlike priests, they don’t have a vow of poverty. They don’t fetishize poverty; instead, they work with the poor to fight the structures that engender oppression in society. Indeed, activists renounce material riches and the glorification of wealth but it doesn’t mean they […]

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Are you biased against activists?

By admin | June 15, 2019

Published by Bulatlat When you see a rally, you assume it is a hakot crowd. Maybe you think rallies are similar to the assemblies organized by trapos during campaign sorties. But only politicians pay people to attend events and their own self-serving rallies. Unfortunately, too, there are educated people who insist that urban poor rallyists get […]

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On becoming a full-time activist

By admin | February 1, 2019

Published by Bulatlat Beyond the instagrammable image of a fierce-looking activist with a clenched fist is someone rationalizing and constantly reaffirming his fidelity to radical politics. Activists are stereotyped as dogmatic simpletons who derive a perverse pleasure in organizing rallies. While it is true that public participation in a collective exercise is indeed a thrilling […]

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Book review: Lenin’s ‘Imperialism’ in the 21st century

By admin | November 22, 2018

Published by Bulatlat In 1917, Russian communist leader Vladimir Lenin published “Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism,” which provided the working class with a theoretical tool to understand the capitalist crisis, the great war in Europe, and socialism as a feasible alternative. Since then, the book has become a standard Marxist reference in analyzing the […]

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How Realtime Is Disrupting the Politics of Rural-Urban Dynamics in the Philippines

By admin | October 1, 2018

Published by Manila Today Time is an important currency. A farmer relies on weather patterns to plan the cultivation of his land, a worker’s monthly wage is calculated through the bundy clock, and a modern day speculator accumulates virtual cash by engaging in realtime trading. Based on the preceding, many would probably assume that the […]

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From the countryside to the city: Lakbayan and the Philippine revolution

By admin | July 25, 2018

Published by Bulatlat Some 2,600 Moros and indigenous peoples from across the Philippines joined the month-long lakbayan in the capital region to speak out and protest against the continuing oppression perpetrated by state and corporate powers. Through creative activities and militant assertion, the lakbayan headed by Sandugo succeeded in highlighting the precarious situation of national […]

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The ‘Occupy’ movement in the Philippines

By admin | June 11, 2018

Published by Bulatlat The global ‘Occupy’ movement emerged in the aftermath of the financial and housing crisis that destroyed jobs and displaced millions. It denounced the inequities of the present, the irrational decision to boost neoliberal policies, and the callous attitude towards the rising but preventable poverty in the world. In support of this trend, […]

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Political Struggle in the ‘Greater Capital Region’ of the Philippines

By admin | February 11, 2018

Published by Manila Today Is the ‘Greater Capital Region’ (GCR) the new National Capital Region (NCR) of the Philippines? This geopolitical category refers to Metro Manila, Southern Tagalog, and Central Luzon. Though it has yet to be officially acknowledged in the bureaucracy, some development planning institutions are already using the term GCR in their feasibility […]

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Duterte’s Unfinished Wars in the Philippines

By admin | December 24, 2017

Over the past few weeks, we have seen a number of bold announcements from the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte about the state of conflicts in the country that may in fact belie their actual status and broader significance. Last week, after five months, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte declared the “liberation” of Marawi City, […]

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Why do you insist that the Left and only the Left should rethink its politics

By admin | November 26, 2017

Published by Bulatlat It is common to hear some scholars complain about the Left’s lack of vigor and creativity. They follow this up with an unsolicited advice urging the Left to change its paradigms, replace its language, and overhaul its methods. These condescending but hopefully well-meaning suggestions have become formulaic and are often repeated by […]

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