Politics and Technology Watch

Philippines: The Rice Crisis and the Politics Behind

Planting rice is never fun. So goes the Filipino folksong describing the hardships a farmer must face in producing the country's staple food. But even with the increasing prices of rice which supposedly will benefit the farmers, planting rice remains as miserable and gloomy economic activity as before. The reason: the poor attention being given by the Philippine Government to the rice industry.

With the issue of food shortage around the world, however, things changed almost instantaneously. The Philippine Government has now given special focus to the rice industry with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo immediately announcing a US$1.17 billion (PhP48.7 billion) farming budget allocation. But is the move a serious response or is it just another Rovian Tactic to shift the attention of the public from the scandals the administration is facing?

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FOOD CRISIS: ‘The greatest demonstration of the historical failure of the capitalist model’

By Ian Angus/Socialist Voice

“If the government cannot lower the cost of living it simply has to leave. If the police and UN troops want to shoot at us, that’s OK, because in the end, if we are not killed by bullets, we’ll die of hunger.” — A demonstrator in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

In Haiti, where most people get 22% fewer calories than the minimum needed for good health, some are staving off their hunger pangs by eating “mud biscuits” made by mixing clay and water with a bit of vegetable oil and salt.

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China Tops US for Internet Population Lead

China has proclaimed itself the world's largest Internet market, with 221 million Internet users, state media reported Thursday.

The Ministry of Information Industry (MII) cited statistics from the China Internet Network Information Centre (CNNIC), a quasi-government organization that reports to the MII. China reached the magic mark at the end of February, English-language newspaper China Daily reported. In March, Beijing-based telecommunications consultancy and research firm BDA China reported that China had overtaken the U.S. in total Internet users.

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The Politics of History and LGU Websites

While the Bicol Region is rich in culture, it is also poor in written history. The last written account was about some events of the second World War. After which, quoting Norman Owen, “Bikol history virtually came to an end”.

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The Price of Rice Protectionism

By V. BRUCE J. TOLENTINO
FROM TODAY'S WALL STREET JOURNAL ASIA
April 14, 2008

The global price of rice is soaring, and for the Philippines – the world's largest importer of rice annually – that's bad news. Food queues and fears of riots are real fears. But this is a problem of Manila's own making.

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Philippines: Addressing the Food Security Issue

When Filipino-born Eduardo San Juan developed the design for the lunar rover of Apollo 15, he was the one who got paid. But when the Philippines helped design the technology for producing rice, the Filipinos are the ones who have to pay a larger price. No, the problem is not with the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for the organization had been very supportive in helping develop and further improve the varieties of the country's staple food. The problem lies with the Philippine government for it wasted all the opportunities that could have made the lives of millions of Filipinos a lot easier.

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India most affected by US economic slowdown

By Swati Prasad, ZDNet Asia

When the United States sneezes, the world catches a cold--so the adage goes. That could prove particularly true for India's IT and IT-enabled services (IT-ITES) industry, where the United States accounts for the largest share--at over 50 percent--of the Indian software and outsourcing market.

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IBM denies re-entering PC market with Russian deal

By Peter Judge/ZDNet UK

IBM has said it is not getting back into the PC market, despite selling "Microsoft-free" PCs running Linux and OpenOffice in Eastern Europe.

"We're not getting back into the PC business," said an IBM spokesman, after the company announced deals with system integrators in two Eastern European countries last week.

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