Manila, Philippines — Nuclear power is not necessarily evil and dangerous; it is one solution to the energy woes of many countries. But the Philippine experience in building a nuclear plant during the oil crisis of the 1970s was a fiasco that should not be emulated. The plant didn’t generate a single watt of electricity.

Manila, Philippines — Australian author Oliver Feltham says that, in his country’s political discourse, “the indigenous peoples are always said to be either excessive or lacking.” This also applies to Philippine politics, where the poor are seen as making excessive demands while lacking education, skills, manners and gratitude.

Manila, Philippines — According to an online dictionary, the word fence comes from Middle English "fens," short for "defens" which means defense. Perhaps the best example of a fence constructed for defense is the Great Wall of China which protected the northern borders of the Chinese empire.

Manila, Philippines — Worldwide initiatives to combat global warming have failed to reverse this trend. They do not address the real roots of climate change - neoliberal globalization and the "mad pursuit" of transnational companies for profits. The People’s Protocol on Climate Change takes a new approach.

Manila, Philippines — When the Burmese junta refused international aid, the U.S. Air Force proposed food drops in the cyclone-ravaged regions of Myanmar. The U.S. military should have pushed through with its plan even without U.N. backing. It would have been symbolic if U.S. jets were dropping aid boxes instead of napalm bombs.

Manila, Philippines — More than 30,000 people were killed when a destructive cyclone hit Myanmar early this month. But the number of casualties is rising since aid is only slowly reaching the cyclone-ravaged regions. Clean water remains inaccessible. Cholera and other diseases are spreading fast in hundreds of communities. International groups estimate more than 1.5 million people are affected by the disaster.

Manila, Philippines — Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar last weekend, devastated several regions and claimed the lives of more than 20,000 people. The situation on the ground is heartbreaking. People are expressing anger over the ineptitude of the junta to minimize the damage.

Manila, Philippines — The global food price crisis has revived the population debate in the Philippines. Analysts insist the high population growth rate of the Philippines is not sustainable. Food production may be increasing over the years but the number of Filipinos is increasing at a faster rate.

Manila, Philippines — The Universal Periodic Review is an innovation established by the United Nations to assess the fulfillment of human rights obligations by all U.N. member states. Early this month, the Philippines participated in such a review, but its official report is full of inconsistencies and unfounded assertions.

Manila, Philippines — Rice is the staple food in Southeast Asia and in many parts of the world. The global rice crisis is an opportunity to review the food security programs of Southeast Asian nations. It is also time to minimize or even abandon the planting of biofuels or agrofuels.

Manila, Philippines — According to the Philippine government, there is no shortage of rice in the country, with rice production up and imports meeting local demand. But prices are high and still rising, and government measures to ensure adequate rice supplies are merely palliative.

Manila, Philippines — The price of rice is skyrocketing all over the world. This trend will continue until the end of the year, and it is causing panic in many Asian countries, including the Philippines. Rice is the staple food of Filipinos; remove it from the tables and there will be mass unrest.

Manila, Philippines — Six Asian countries claim the Spratly Islands -- China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei. Disputes among these six have led to minor military skirmishes, the detention of fisherfolk and diplomatic rows in the past three decades. A new approach is needed to resolve this dispute.

Manila, Philippines — Smuggling used to be confined to the Philippines' numerous private ports, but now it is prevalent even in the country's free ports. Smuggled products are shipped as ordinary goods and unloaded in broad daylight, flooding the markets and wiping out the earnings of small Filipino traders.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines is blessed with abundant natural resources. Food crops can easily grow in the country's fertile lands. But there are many Filipinos who are hungry today. Even farmers, who constitute a significant sector in Philippine society, are among the starving Filipinos.

Manila, Philippines — Last Friday about 80,000 people gathered in Manila's financial district to express disgust over the alleged involvement of the First Family in a scandal-ridden national broadband network deal. A people power movement is developing. This is bad news for the beleaguered Arroyo government.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippine government claims the number of people living below the poverty level has been decreasing. Yet some remain poorer than others. Some are more undernourished and hungry. Some have more body parts as desperate poor people are selling their kidneys to foreign buyers.

Manila, Philippines — Filipino politicians always boast that the Philippines' press is one of the freest in Asia. But local media practitioners insist the Philippines continues to be one of the most dangerous countries for journalists. Since President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo became chief executive seven years ago, 33 journalists have been murdered in the line of duty.

Manila, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is already the second longest-serving president of the Philippines since 1946. Only former dictator Ferdinand Marcos ruled for a longer period. With her current term half over, what has she accomplished thus far? And will she really step down in 2010?

Manila, Philippines — Texting first became popular in the Philippines during the late 1990s when Joseph Estrada was president. Cell phone users began sending text jokes about the incompetence of Estrada, which proved effective in undermining his credibility. The method has remained effective.

Manila, Philippines — The cost of medicines in the Philippines is among the highest in the world. There are more than 17,000 registered drugs in the local market, but a majority of the population cannot afford the prices charged by the multinational pharmaceutical companies that produce them.

Manila, Philippines — There are three seasons in the Philippines: the wet season, the dry season and election season. Election campaigning starts after politicians are sworn into office. While good leaders think of the next generation, Philippine politicians think of the next election.

Manila, Philippines — Philippines Environment Secretary Lito Atienza has appealed to the public to reduce the garbage they produce during the holiday season. Christmas is a time of gift-giving and merrymaking but also of conspicuous consumption and trash production.

Manila, Philippines — Last week, simultaneous protest actions against oil price hikes were held throughout the Philippines. Protesters had three demands: repeal the Oil Deregulation Law, remove the value-added tax on petroleum products and regulate oil prices in the country.

Manila, Philippines — In its year-end report on the Philippines, human rights watchdog Karapatan noted the decline in the number of human rights violations this year, with 68 victims of extrajudicial killings and 26 enforced disappearances compared to 185 killings and 93 disappearances in 2006.

Manila, Philippines — "Every minute, a child under 15 dies of an AIDS-related illness. Every minute, another child becomes HIV-positive.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines was a colony of Spain for more than 300 years. Religion was the main weapon used by the Spaniards to subjugate the local population.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines has a very young population. Adolescence is thought to be the healthiest stage of the life cycle, but in this country statistics defy this common observation.

Manila, Philippines — To understand the impeachment complaints filed against Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, it is necessary to review the political upheavals which rocked the nation last month. October is usually an uneventful month in Philippine politics.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines is a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Every administration has committed to building a child-friendly society where children are "nurtured and allowed to grow and develop in dignity."More than a decade ago, the gov

Manila, Philippines — The most important legislative measure passed by the Philippine Congress every year is the General Appropriations Act -- the national budget. Through the power of the purse, Congress can reward performing government agencies with higher funding and punish

Manila, Philippines — In March 2005 the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness was signed by 35 donor countries, 26 multilateral agencies and 57 partner country governments. Initiated by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Paris Declaration is an "un

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is one of the 189 nation states which signed the Millennium Declaration in September 2000. Member states of the United Nations adopted the Millennium Development Goals to affirm their commitment to "reducing poverty and the worst forms of

Manila, Philippines — Last week, the world marked the fiftieth anniversary of the launching of the Soviet-made satellite Sputnik into space. The Sputnik was the first successful attempt of mankind to fly an object into space.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines used to have a robust agricultural sector. About two-thirds of the population and three-fourths of the poor depend on agriculture.

Manila, Philippines — The Philippines is the 14th most populous country in the world and third in the Southeast Asian region. Young dependents comprise 34 percent of the population, 62 percent belong to the working-age group and 4 percent are categorized as elderly dependents.

Manila, Philippines — After a six-year trial, former Philippine president Joseph Estrada was found guilty of plunder by a special anti-graft court and sentenced to 40 years' imprisonment. It was a landmark decision since it was the first time a former head of state was convict

Manila, Philippines — Many foreigners are stunned to know that a communist rebellion is still raging in the Philippines. In other countries of the region, either the communist threat has been quelled or there are no more armed guerrillas fighting the government.

Manila, Philippines — The Senate is investigating a wiretapped conversation between two persons talking about rigging the 2004 presidential election results. Produced by a former intelligence agent, the audio recording allegedly contained a conversation between President Glori

Manila, Philippines — For a fresh college graduate who wants to earn more but prefers to stay in the Philippines, the most popular option is to work as a call center agent. Touted as the sunshine industry of the Philippines, the business process outsourcing, or BPO, industry h

Manila, Philippines — Every time the Philippine Congress is about to begin deliberations on the approval of the national budget, the military is suspiciously engaged in a fierce battle with rebels. Maybe it's just coincidence or maybe it is calculated to justify funding suppor

Manila, Philippines — A few weeks ago, the South Korean Embassy in the Philippines stopped issuing visas to protest the alleged extortion activities of some Philippine immigration agents. South Korean nationals had complained of being harassed by gun-wielding officials pretend

Manila, Philippines — The regional forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was held last week in Manila. The forum was attended by foreign ministers of member countries and representatives of Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, N

Manila, Philippines — The three biggest shopping malls in the world are located in Metro Manila. Malling (not to be confused with shopping) has become the national pastime.

Manila, Philippines — Depletion of human resources was once referred to as "brain drain." In the Philippines, it is now described as "brain haemorrhage" or "brain waste" to underscore the huge exodus of highly skilled and experienced Filipino workers and professionals.There

Manila, Philippines — Various groups are apprehensive over the composition of the Philippines' new Anti-terrorism Council. Most of the members of this council are accused of being architects of repressive policies of the government.