Photo Essay: Action Against Trade Liberalization Calls for Protection

Jong Pairez | July 23, 2008, Quezon City

A street protest broke out in the middle of day after a group of peasants, fisherfolks and workers informed us about the controversial trade deal that is taking place in Geneva this week. According to the information they shared to us, it says that WTO Director General Pascal Lamy wanted to pursue a trade deal under the shell of the old Doha Round. The aim of the deal of course is to force the local economy of poor countries to liberalize the industry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Services. The result is going to be an unthinkable tragedy to local peasants, fisherfolks and workers. Worst scenario to this would be a food crisis and sky rocketing prices in poor countries while rich countries still continue living in comfortable life.

No wonder even though it was hot and sunny that day, the group of peasants, fisherfolks and workers were unstoppable as they troop down to Department of Agriculture in Quezon City. They went there to hand-out their urgent demand to stop Sec. Favila (chief negotiator) in signing a deal in WTO.

Everybody were carrying placards bearing the words that say, “No Deal!”, expressing the desire to protect the local economy from WTO intrusion. Some of them carried also an enlarged copy of a Special Order document that clearly reads their urgent demand.

story and photos by jongpairez more...  0 Comments

ALB interviews the Cuban Libertarian Movement

Movimiento Libertario Cubano | * During mid-June 2008 the Iberian counter-information collective A Las Barricadas www.alasbarricadas.org posed several questions to the MLC www.mlc.acultura.org.ve, an affinity group of Cuban anarchism abroad. The complete text of this interview follows. more...  0 Comments

Citizens Press for Total Ban on Endosulfan to Put Off “Toxic Time Bomb”

EcoWaste Coalition | Quezon City. Over 50 citizens’ groups and coalitions working for public health, environmental justice and sustainable development joined forces to press for a total ban on endosulfan, stressing that its continued use is akin to a ticking “toxic time bomb.”

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Civil Society’s Choice at the G8 Summit

Walden Bello | The Group of Eight came into being in 1975 as the G7 at a time that the world was embroiled in deep economic crisis, much like today. Its main aim was to coordinate the macroeconomic policies of the rich countries at a time of stagflation as well as to forge a common strategy vis-a-vis the developing world, which had loosened its political and economic dependency on the First World during the heady days of decolonization, national liberation struggles, and the emergence of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) as an economic power.

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G-8 inaction on climate will hit coastal Asians hard

Greenpeace Southeast Asia | Activists from Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior unfurled a banner saying “G8 Stop Climate Change – Lead the Energy [R]evolution” at the popular mermaid monument on Samila beach of Songkhla,Thailand July 7, 2008. The impacts of sea-level rise due to climate are predicted to hit hard on coastal countries in Asia. Greenpeace called on G8 countries for decisive action against climate change, pointing that developing countries like Thailand face dire consequences of inaction by the world’s richest countries. more...  0 Comments

Aklas Laban Sa G8 Benefit Gig Photo Essay

Jong Pairez | June 29, 2008-- As the G8 summit in Japan progresses various groups of people and individuals around the world, critical to capitalism, continue to grow like wild flowers on a field- always ready to swarm the decadent world. This is how the benefit gig against G8 happened last Sunday night at the backstreets of Cubao in Metro Manila. The supposed dregs of society, stigmatised as incapable of upbringing the revolution, came together amidst the hot sweaty night to plot the resistance. A new way of resistance!

"The protests at the Toyako G8 Summit have the potei\ntial to mark the opening of a new cycle of struggles, the third in the era of blobalizarion. The most important events, of course, will not be those surrounding the Summit itself but will be the encounters among activists from Japan and other countries throughout the world. These encounters may open avenues toward new kind of actions and new form of organizing in the years ahead. In some respects this new cycle will have to revive some of the elements of the first cycle, which emerged in the mid-1990s with a series of actions in Mexico, Britain, and elesewhere, but was recognized fully by the mainstream media at the 1999 Seattle WTO meetings. It isi useful to remember now that those struggles were so exciting in large part because of their multipplicity and refusal of centralized organization.(...) In the third cycle of struggles we will need to recapture that multiplicity and expermentation in democratic organizing that characterized the first.(...) The protests at the Heilligendamm G8 in Germany last summer were a prelude, where a multitude was beggining to form through new experiments of organizing and new creative practices. May the actions at the Toyako G8 be the coming out parrty of the new cycle of struggles!" (Michael Hardt "A New Cycle of Struggles (2008)")

#Aklas Laban sa G8 Benefit gig is an initiative of NonCollective and AID for the upcoming series of local protests this week of July. more...  0 Comments

A Reply to Bayan Muna, Anakpawis and Gabriela

AKBAYAN | In a joint rejoinder, Bayan Muna, Gabriela, and Anakpawis dismissed AKBAYAN's statement on the 'synchronicity' in the position taken by landed lawmakers and proponents of the so-called Genuine Agrarian Reform Bill as malicious and irresponsible. They called it a "cheap shot at progressive party-list groups made to gain media mileage for the extension of the bogus Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program."

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Reading Marx's Capital (free course)

David Harvey | Announcing a new -free- open course
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Calling for the Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder!

Johnny 'the law man' America | It turns out the demon enemy DOCTORED the NIE to trick Congress
into a NEEDLESS conflict where American Teens die daily for
years as godless thieves! (Maybe a hundred!!) Who cares? more...  0 Comments

Attention: No!G8 Local Action in the Philippines

Jean Makisig | we call upon our brothers and sisters in the South (Mindanao and Cebu) to immediately transform our numerous fists in realizing the new world that grows in our hearts. Let that new world grow everyday as we struggle to end the old world that keeps G8 (capitalism, war and global warming) alive. Together with other beating hearts from around the Globe, we'll bring Babylon down to its knees! We will make that Another World possible Today with you, with them, with us and with everyone! more...  0 Comments

Greenpeace opens Climate Defenders Camp

Greenpeace Southeast Asia | Iloilo City, PHILIPPINES — Greenpeace has launched its Climate Defenders Camp in Iloilo City in central Philippines, the heart of new community opposition to coal plants in the country, as World Environment Day is celebrated today highlighted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon's speech deploring the world's addiction to fossil fuels like coal and oil. more...  0 Comments