September 2010 - Launch of the maiden issue of the Focus on the Global South Policy Review
September 19 - In Malaysia will be held the forum called "Regional
Strategy Meeting on Emerging Social and Cultural Concerns in ASEAN: Climate
Change, South East Asian Peoples’ Right to Information, Labor Migration and
Domestic Work and Platforms for Civil Society Engagement with the ASEAN." Focus Philippines will make a presentation on "Building
a Case for an ASEAN Protocol on Freedom of Information"
September 23 - 26 - Asean People's Forum in Hanoi, Vietnam. Fore more information, please send inquiries to the following: <apfhanoi-pc@aseanpeoplesforum.net>, <apfhanoi-ws@aseanpeoplesforum.net>. Ms Dorothy Guerrero, who is in the Bangkok office of Focus, seats in the Program Committee.
September 27 - October 1 - Freedom of Information Advocacy Week
September 23 - FOI Forum
September 27 - R2KRN will visit the Senate to renew the FOI campaign
September 28 - R2KRN will meet with Representatives of the Lower House
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FOP May 2010
Dear Readers,
Monday, May 10, 2010, can be
considered the beginning of the rest of our Gloria-less lives, the end of our
days in the ghetto of manual elections, the mark of a defining moment in our
history as a people. Yes, dearly beloved readers, contrary to the disgust and
frustration that news reports have been stirring up in all of us, there’s
always the half-full part of the glass, which prods us to suspend our sarcasm
and disbelief, to roll with the flaws of a system we are trying to transform,
and to recognize the openings provided by this monumental occasion. At the end
of the day, we should take comfort in the fact that our intervention does not
need to be confined to a single day or restricted to a specific act.
This month’s FOP tackles some of
these different dimensions and issues related to the elections. In this issue,
Joy Chavez looks beyond May 10 and discusses why candidates’ stance on
prosecuting GMA should be seen as an important criteria this elections, in Prosecuting GMA as Platform. Walden
Bello looks back and shares with us his review of the year that was,
contemplating the question Is Congress
Worth Running For? Carmina Flores-Obanil reviews Villar’s political ads and
propaganda blitz.This month’s FOP
also includes key analysis and recommendations pertaining to the 2010 Automated
Elections put forward by the civil society elections-monitor formation, HALALANG MARANGAL; as well as a copy of
COMELEC’s resolution on approved contingency measures. As HALAL reminds us,
there won’t be any shortage of ‘contingencies’, so it’s important that we read
up and pass on.
Focus on the Global South is also
very pleased to welcome Clarissa ‘Clark’ Militante, our new media and
communications associate. Clark is a writer and a knowledge management expert.
She will be on top of all Philippines programme publications and products.
Starting June, she will be taking over as editor of Focus on the Philippines.
Here, Clark shares with us her first FOP article, What’s their story?, which gives us a broadstrokes look at back
stories and side narratives associated with the top three presidentiables.
As always, and precisely because
elections isn’t just their story, we would love to hear yours. Please share
your insights, comments and suggestions by writing us at
With barely a week
before May 10, Filipinos everywhere would have seen and heard more than enough
of the elections – the muck, the dirt, the candidates’ profiles, the
agenda, the promises and the projections, all thrown into a sticky mix of hope,
propaganda and entertainment. Being this close to crunch time, the political
climate has been so polarized that it is difficult to say anything without
receiving an enthusiastic endorsement or an impassioned rebuttal. If the amount
of interest, especially among the youth and particularly the new voters, is any
indication, this political exercise at least draws out encouraging
participation – a prelude to active citizenship that can only be good for
the country. There are also signs that political gimmickry needs to be more
sophisticated to stick, and that media exposure alone does not guarantee
approval. There is the usual fare of partisan follies, the scare of failed
elections, and controversial survey ratings – all contested in this
season of the most popular contest of all. Behold an expression of formal
democracy, Philippine-style.
What makes this election
unique is the public clamour to bring closure to the many controversies and
scandals that smudged the nine-year administration of Mrs. Arroyo. There is a
strong sense of exacting accountability and demanding justice for all the
wrongs that were spawned by a much-maligned administration. It is a demand for
both catharsis and cure, something imperative as we dream of building this
nation again.
This April, FOP looks at water, essential services and climate issues. Mary Ann Manahan shares with us news from the 10th anniversary of the Feria del Agua (Water Wars) in Bolivia, commemorating the inspiring popular movement struggle waged to reclaim the Cochabamba water system from a private consortium, Aguas del Tunari, a subsidiary of Bechtel. Many water struggles epitomize the struggle for fundamental rights. Such struggles underscore our resistance to privatization, to corporate encroachment into our commons, to the tresspasses of transnational enterprises and the relentless pursuit of profit at the expense of communities and people. Back home, electricity is also another essential service that demonstrates the pitfalls of privatization and profit-driven service provision. While the recent MERALCO price hike triggered a virtual critical mass of angry consumers, it also shows how industry decisions, processes and related policies tend to skew in favor of corporate interest, hardly reflecting the interest and concerns of consumers. Similarly, debates and discussions surrounding climate change have been restricted to a few, leaving out the voices of sectors and communities, most of whom are most affected by the consequences of extreme weather conditions. Joseph Purugganan writes about the themes surrounding ‘Make-shift for Climate Justice,” a parallel, ‘solidarity’ activity to the World’s Peoples Conference on Climate Change and Mother Earth’s Rights, which hopes to amplify grassroots voices that have been muted in high level discussions such as the COPs or even national processes that tackle climate issues.
These events and developments highlight the need for more meaningful spaces for effective consumer and citizen intervention in affairs that affect them. The struggle to democratize these arenas still has a long way to go, but the discussion on the commons and essential services, and the debates on climate justice continue, paving the way, shaping our vision and realization of an alternative future, where the fundamental and the essential—water, electricity, justice and beyond-- are accessible to all.
