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Sep 22, 2024 | 
eco-business.com | Michael Beltran
On the mountainsides flanking the mighty Chico River in the northern Philippines’ Kalinga province, residents of once tight-knit villages have drifted apart in recent years. Hearty greetings between neighbours tending to farmlands have been replaced with avoidant looks or glowering stares. “We don’t talk much like before,” says Gohn Dangoy, a 59-year-old farmer of the Naneng tribe in Kalinga’s Tabuk city. “If we do, we argue.
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Sep 18, 2024 | 
aljazeera.com | Michael Beltran
Manila, Philippines – With the exception of a few pieces of hanging laundry, the first two floors of 65-year-old Veronica Castillo’s three-storey home are practically empty. “Our belongings are up top. We build our houses upwards here. Every year the floods will scrape the ceilings of the second floor,” Castillo told Al Jazeera, surveying her home in one of Marikina city’s slums, among the most flood-prone areas of Metro Manila.
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Sep 17, 2024 | 
news.mongabay.com | Michael Beltran
The Philippine government has approved 99 hydropower projects in the mountainous Cordillera region, part of a broader plan to rely on renewable energy sources for 35% of the country’s power by 2030. The planned projects are dividing rural communities between those who believe the dams will bring in jobs and money and those who fear damage to water sources and cultural sites. The Cordillera region, home to many Indigenous groups, has a deep history of activism against dams.
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Sep 8, 2024 | 
aljazeera.com | Michael Beltran
Borrowers say popular online lending platforms use intimidation tactics to recover debts. Manila, the Philippines – From the early morning hours to late at night, Lance receives hundreds of threatening texts and dozens of missed calls each day. When he answers the phone, the person on the other end of the line often immediately hangs up. Other times, a threatening voice tells him that his days are numbered if he does not pay the debts he has racked up using online lending platforms.
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Jul 21, 2024 | 
msn.com | Michael Beltran
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Jul 21, 2024 | 
aljazeera.com | Michael Beltran
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr to deliver his third state of the nation address, amid protests. Manila, Philippines – Over the last decade, the arrival of guests at the annual State of the Nation address in the Philippines has come to resemble a Hollywood premiere. Lawmakers and officials showcase flashy ensembles and gush over their designers as they head inside the halls of Congress to hear the president’s report.
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Jun 11, 2024 | 
international.thenewslens.com | Michael Beltran
What you need to know Activists and researchers from Filipino organizations released findings of a peace mission, alleging that US military forces in the Philippines are violating terms and operating without transparency. A collection of activists and researchers from Filipino and Filipino-American organizations released the findings of a peace mission that concluded last month.
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May 2, 2024 | 
ippmedia.com | Michael Beltran
DOMENG Laita, 64, stands on a mountain ledge outside his home, looking down with worry on his face. Below him stands the embankment of the San Roque dam, stretching more than a kilometer (0.6 miles) along the Agno River. In 2012, a spill from a gold mine upstream sent millions of tons of waste into the river system. With a looming increase in mining activity, Laita says he dreads a repeat of the incident. Laita looks back at his home, casting another shrug then grinding his teeth.
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Apr 30, 2024 | 
news.mongabay.com | Michael Beltran
Itogon-Suyoc Resources Inc. (ISRI), one of the Philippines’ oldest mining firms, is seeking permission to mine gold from the mountains of Itogon, a municipality in the mineral-rich, majority Indigenous north of the country. Mining on Indigenous land requires a consultation process, and Itogon communities rejected the company’s application in 2022, citing concerns including water contamination and loss of access for traditional mining activities.
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Apr 24, 2024 | 
international.thenewslens.com | Michael Beltran
What you need to know While the Armed Forces of the Philippines denies targeting any specific country, the exercises are situated near areas close to Taiwan and the South China Sea. Critics argue that Balikatan serves American interests and perpetuates tensions in the region. The Balikatan (shoulder to shoulder) joint military exercises between the Philippines and the United States kicked off last Monday, ushering in the 39th and largest iteration of the war games.
