Nordis editorials, publishers’ notes
Social media was recently vibrant with spirited discourse on the “Igorot Attire”. The image of Cordillera People’s Alliance (CPA) Chairman Windel Bolinget in g-string delivering a speech against Marcos and Duterte fascism went viral, at the September 11 protest march to the Libingan ng mga Bayani, one of the many mobilizations in the National Lakbayan of National Minorities that converged in Metro Manila for self-determination and just peace.
October is indigenous peoples (IP) month and also is peasant’s month. It was a Presidential Proclamation #1906 of 2009 that designated October as the national indigenous peoples month, and the Catholic and Protestant churches have also declared it the Tribal Filipino month. On the other hand, according to independent think tank Ibon, October too is marked by the Philippine peasant movement as Peasant Month.
The President declared the anniversary date of the declaration of martial law by then president Ferdinand Marcos as the first national day of protest, as if to steal and take away the thunder from the legitimate protest and rage of the Filipino people against the oppressive fascist dictators’ rule of the country.
Duterte also greeted the Muslim population a Happy New Year. September 21 is also the Islamic New Year or Amun Jadid celebrated by all Muslims the world over. But he did not say anything about the immediate end of martial law over the Island of Mindanao where most of the Muslim population of the country are located.
Notwithstanding the demand of stakeholders for better services two, no three national governtment commissions were deprived of their budget for next year by the House of Congress and were appropriated only a measly P1,000 each for 2018.
Everbody is talking about Judy T. who left a very large empty shoe at the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary’s position that none of this admistration will ever be able to fill. No matter how many information officers, press releases and propaganda stints the bureaucracy pulls to prettify whoever takes the position, unlike Judy T. who was accepted by people, the next DSWD appointee is already suspect of being quite corrupt.
One elder traced their history as migrants or permanent and temporary residents in Baguio, many of whom have come to seek employment and livelihood, or to seek sanctuary from the militarization, displacement in their communities, and for better education facilities.
