Tag: English

Literature written in English.

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Indokumento Republished Translations

Social Revolution is the Solution

Written by Bas Umali in October 2011. Published in May 2020 by Alimpuyo Press. Translation into English and edits by the author with help from Maku Felix. (Basahin sa Filipino.)

This is a republished article written by anarchists in the archipelago known as the Philippines or its diaspora. We at Bandilang Itim wish to highlight and disseminate these works to better propagate the ideas of anarchism in the archipelago.

The political exercise that is taking place in the United States is a manifestation of the worsening crisis of capitalism, where one percent of the population of the world has the sole control of the labor, resources, facilities and tools that were supposed to develop and expand the potentials of the world populations’ 99 percent.

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Diaspora Republished

Notes on Autonomy & Anarchism

Written by Andrea Alakran, originally published at their blog.

This is a republished article written by anarchists in the archipelago known as the Philippines or its diaspora. We at Bandilang Itim wish to highlight and disseminate these works to better propagate the ideas of anarchism and libertarian socialism in the archipelago.

I identify as an autonomist leftist largely based on personal experience. Autonomist can be used somewhat synonymously with anarchist — I use the term because peoples’ conception of anarchy usually = total chaos, which more often than not derails any further conversation about it.

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Original Writing Statement

To a Free Press and Free Minds: An Anarchist Position on the Nullification of the ABS-CBN Franchise

A statement from the Bandilang Itim Collective.

Two Days from World Press Freedom Day

Two days after celebrating World Press Freedom Day the Philippine government in the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) ordered the broadcast network ABS-CBN to cease and desist their broadcasting operations. ((Neil Arwin Mercado, “BREAKING: NTC orders ABS-CBN to stop broadcast operations.” Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 05, 2020. https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/1270074/ntc-issues-cease-and-desist-order-vs-abs-cbn See also a timeline at Melissa Luz Lopez, “TIMELINE: ABS-CBN franchise.” CNN Philippines. February 13, 2020, (updated). https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/2/13/ABS-CBN-franchise-timeline.html )) The NTC ordered this because the legislative franchise that allows ABS-CBN to operate expired on May 4, 2020. Included in the cease-and-desist order are 42 television stations and 23 radio stations that are operated by the media conglomerate. ((ABS-CBN News, “NTC orders ABS-CBN to stop broadcasting.” ABS-CBN News. May 5, 2020. https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/05/20/ntc-orders-abs-cbn-to-stop-broadcasting )) Normally congress would renew such franchises before their expiry as it had done so in the past, but President Rodrigo Duterte has had a tirade against the ABS-CBN network since becoming president, accusing the network of “swindling” and for refusing to air his political ads during the 2016 presidential election. ((Pia Ranada, “Duterte to block renewal of ABS-CBN franchise.” Rappler. April 27, 2017. https://www.rappler.com/nation/168137-duterte-block-abs-cbn-franchise-renewal )) Just days after he signed into law the franchise renewal of the GMA (the rival of ABS-CBN) Duterte had gone on record saying he would even block the franchise renewal of ABS-CBN. ((Ibid.)) We do not doubt that the franchise was willfully allowed to expire without a renewal as Duterte’s allies dominate both houses of congress.

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Republished

In Solidarity With Comrades Imprisoned in Malang and Tangerang, Indonesia

Written and initially published by Safehouse Infoshop at their blog. This is also a statement from the Local Autonomous Network.

It seems that blame-game is a common tactic of different states during a pandemic. As petty violators in the local are blamed to cover up the late travel ban and late mass testing imposed by the government, the same is done by the Indonesian government by cracking down those who are critical to their incompetency.

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Republished

Survival of the Fittest in the Time of Pandemic

Photo by lev olson from FreeImages.

Written and initially published by Safehouse Infoshop on Facebook.

People often equate Charles Darwin’s notion of “survival of the fittest” with competition. People think that the natural way of the world requires some sort of battle. This is also often translated in how we deal with other people. “It’s either myself or others,” that’s how many people justify cruelty and domination. But if we think closely, survival of the fittest does not always mean competition.

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Original Writing

Fear and Favor: Freedom of the Press in the Archipelago

Photo by Jeremy Bishop from Pexels.

Written by Malaginoo of Bandilang Itim.

On May 3, the world observes the World Press Freedom Day, a day set aside by the United Nations to commemorate the valiant duties and efforts of the press. On this day, we reflect the role of journalism in our lives, and remember the journalists who are persecuted and killed for reporting the truth for the world to know. We are called to stand for “Journalism Without Fear or Favor” something that has been lacking in our country, especially under our current government.

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Original Writing

A Call to Arms

Written by APS for his personal blog,
and republished by Bandilang Itim.

I.

We are a circle of friends who have come to a realization that the world as it is has not only failed us but is also actively antagonistic towards Art as a form of individual expression and oppressive towards the Soul as the sum total of human experiences. We have come to a consensus that this toxic state of affairs is not the product of an individual, nor even a group of individuals, but a byproduct of how our society is organized. There are three main things which we consider to be the cause:

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Original Writing

A Libertarian Critique of Mao’s “Combat Liberalism”

Written by APS of Bandilang Itim.

One of the biggest criticisms of Anarchism, or specifically, Anarchist Communism, is how it is “ineffective,” lacks coherence and discipline, and use that to justify support for more authoritarian forms of organizing in leftist circles.

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Anarchipelago Kollective Diaspora

Solidarity from the Diaspora to those in the Philippines

Martin Luther King Day Demonstration in Seattle, WA. Scott Lum https://www.flickr.com/photos/scottlum/32243753092/

Those of us at Anarchipelago this May Day would like to extend our heartfelt solidarity to our autonomous and anarchist comrades in the so-called Philippines organizing in their neighborhoods for mutual aid and resisting authoritarian enforcement of COVID-19 measures.

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Original Writing

Detainment is Death in the Pandemic!

@PNPAbraBangued. Twitter Post. 11:48 AM, April 19, 2020. https://twitter.com/PNPAbraBangued/status/1251719226022170625

Written by Simoun Magsalin.

Umaapaw na raw ang kulungan. [The jails are overflowing.] Nearly 30,000 people were reportedly arrested under the quarantine in the Philippines, with more than 4,000 of these arrested detained, based on a report dated April 18, 2020. ((Eimor Santos, “Nearly 30,000 quarantine violators arrested nationwide in a month,” (CNN Philippines., April 18, 2020). https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2020/4/18/quarantine-violators-arrested-coronavirus-lockdowns.html (Retrieved on 2020-04-29) )) Doubtless, more have since been arrested and detained since then. The police even went on record saying there will no longer be any more warnings to the alleged “quarantine violators” and will arrest people as they see fit, ((Rambo Talabong, “PNP begins to arrest lockdown violators without warning,” (Rappler, April 21, 2020). https://www.rappler.com/nation/258570-pnp-begins-arrest-coronavirus-lockdown-violators-without-warning (Retrieved on 2020-04-29) )) likely straining the capacities of the already overstretched jails and prisons.

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