Category: Original Writing

Original writing published by Bandilang Itim

Abusing Resilience: The Filipino in the face of Disaster

Post author By Bandilang Itim
Post date 2020/02/28

Article by APS, originally published on his personal blog, revised for Bandilang Itim.

On the afternoon of January 12 the Taal Volcano began spewing ash and smoke from its ancient caldera. Within hours a massive evacuation effort was launched to get people out of harm’s way. A comrade was among the people fleeing the scene. Government offices and schools were understandably closed due to the disaster, but BPO centers around the areas most affected by the ensuing ashfall had the gall to call their workers back to work.

Tags Analysis, APS, Disaster, Philippines

Issue 1 Original Writing

“Di ka naman tunay na aktibista”

Post author By Bandilang Itim
Post date 2020/02/27

A student protest. Image licensed for reuse by Bro. Jeffrey Pioquinto, SJ.

Original article by Adrienne Onday.

Alternate title for republishing purposes: “You’re not radical enough”: Reflections on Philippine Leftist Exclusionism

When I was an undergrad, I had to fight so many people to allow my voice and opinions to be heard. The central point of my struggle as a young activist then was to get formally organized activists to realize that speaking up is a form of action, too; that not being part of any organization or not being as physically and publicly active in political struggles as they were didn’t mean you weren’t one; that just because someone isn’t doing activism and radicalism the exact same way the established Left does, doesn’t mean they aren’t activists or radicals.

Tags activism, Adrienne Onday, English

Issue 1 Original Writing

Blossoms of an Aborted Revolution

Post author By Bandilang Itim
Post date 2020/02/25

Original analysis by Malaginoo.

Let us not mince our words. The EDSA Revolution has failed.

If you look around at the state of society in our archipelago, you can see clear parallels to the horrors of 1972. A dictator, with the military and police in the palm of his hand, supported by sycophants blindly loyal to his person and by local and foreign capitalist interests, brutally murdering and terrorizing the poor, and the dissidents who fight for them.

It’s as if we never woke up from the nightmare.

Tags English, history, Malaginoo

Issue 1 Original Writing

Being forced to do anything, with anyone

Post author By Bandilang Itim
Post date 2020/02/25

Article by Ponkan. Originally published at mutualism.net in 2018 and revised for Bandilang Itim.

So anarchy’s all about doing whatever the hell we want, right?

Tags English, individualist anarchism, Ponkan

Original Writing

The Mind is a Battlefield too

Post author By Bandilang Itim
Post date 2020/02/18

A note from Coyote Bob.

How much of our negative self-talk is based on false ideals foisted upon us by Capitalism? Last night I caught a friend (who shall remain anonymous) using negative statements about themselves based on not having the “right” job, or living situation, or socioeconomic status. My friend is sort of an anarchist chaote type and regularly posts anti-capitalist stuff. But their self-talk was full of capitalist ideas of personal worth. It saddened me and I tried to do my best to snap them out of that kind of thinking.

Tags Coyote Bob, English, self-care