Change is coming when...

WE JOIN the Filipino people in expressing goodwill to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte as he starts his tenure for six years with his first State of the Nation Address.

With power comes great responsibility and accountability. Our people's longing for change expressed through the ballot in the May 2016 elections gave him such mandate and now translates to people's high expectations for this administration to deliver on its promises.

We also welcome Pres. Duterte's affirmation of the rule of law as uncompromising in his first major policy pronouncement. But Akbayan believes that fighting inequality and defending democracy are equally important to the fight against criminality and the drug problem.

Dissecting an enigma

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Take time to reflect on Jesus' great sacrifice

"Green Spaces" must be protected, preserved and expanded

Akbayan Partylist Nominee Tom Villarin

Akbayan party-list today welcomed the veto of the proposed Davao City ordinance which would have weakened or removed the 10 percent green space requirement in all subdivisions and urbanized areas.

“Preserving the integrity of our environmental safeguards must be upheld even as we pursue development,” said Tom Villarin, Akbayan nominee and a long-time advocate of sustainable development. “Developers should not skirt on their long-term responsibility to protect the environment in exchange for short-term convenience and profitability.”

On top of the mayor’s veto, “the resolve of citizens to guard Davao City’s environmental health and keep the city council’s overreach in check is a triumph of accountability and people power,” added Villarin, a resident of Davao City.

Akbayan reiterated that the passage of the ordinance did not satisfy free and prior informed consent requirements, as the Save Davao Green Spaces (SDGS) coalition had earlier demanded an explanation why there were no public hearings and consultations on the said measure. All city councilors except Councilor Mabel Acosta, approved the passage of the ordinance.

The Builder from the Boundaries

Tom has always belonged to Mindanao.  He remembers songs of his favorite band Asin extolling Mindanao’s yearning for change. He remembers his geography teacher saying that Mindanao is our home that we should fight for and help build a future.

His father brought Tom to Davao city as a child where he came to know about how diverse the peoples of Mindanao were.  It was also a time when the Bangsamoro was at the height of its struggle under the dictator.

Tom’s awakening to fight injustice happened when he came face to face with violence at an early age when a soldier shot an older brother of a Muslim friend.  When he was a high school senior in his hometown, Bislig, Surigao del Sur,  his father was fired for siding with the cause of company workers who were demanding wage increases.  His father knew that the logging and paper company was getting rich at the expense of the workers --- and the environment. His father went to work abroad and became one of the first overseas Filipino workers (OFW) and had to move the family to Manila.

Tom went to a university in a far-away city knowing nothing about the place nor the language they speak. Later on Tom made friends, became a student activist, and was elected to the college student council and even had a stint as a campus journalist.