THE responses of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to the Covid-19 pandemic have been described by various observers as divisive, unclear, nonconsultative and impromptu, leading “member-states to combat the virus inde-pendently” and adopting “disparate policies.” The absence of a regional “high-level concerted effort … belies the regional grouping’s highly publicized and projected image of a unified and people-caring Asean.” It was every country for itself.

Asean’s delinquent responses to Covid-19

THE recent pronouncement by presidential candidate Leni Robredo of her preference for the continuation of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) strategy of development has raised eyebrows among civil society organizations and social movements. Introduced in the early nineties by the Ramos administration as the Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model, Philippine PPPs have since accounted for 116 projects, with 37 more in the pipeline.

The downside of public-private partnerships

Thirty-five years ago, on January 22, 1987, police and marine forces opened fire on a large gathering of peasant demonstrators at the foot of Mendiola Bridge, killing 13 and injuring dozens. The 1987 Mendiola Massacre tarnished the image of then President Cory Aquino and marked the beginning of a turning point in her 11-monthold administration.

The 1987 Mendiola Massacre in retrospect

THE United Nations declared 2019-2028 as the “Decade of Family Farming,” highlighting the important role that small rural producers play in addressing concerns on food security and sovereignty, climate change, social inequalities, and the oppressive structures that characterize the agrarian sector.

The seven ‘pandemics’ of PH agriculture

AS the 1980s began, the Philippines’ economic development strategy was in shambles, resulting in a crisis. The Marcos regime outlined a new policy for Philippine agriculture in a 1983 position paper sent to the World Bank, titled “The Agenda for Action in Agriculture: 1983 to 1987.”

From the Margins

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How Marcos Sr. crippled rural PH

The downside of public-private partnerships

Asean’s delinquent responses to Covid-19

The seven ‘pandemics’ of PH agriculture

The 1987 Mendiola Massacre in retrospect

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