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The Green Party has confirmed that Zack Polanski will not be standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection:

Excl: Zack Polanski will not stand as the Green Party candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election.

A Green Party source told @NewStatesman that whoever is chosen as the party’s candidate will be selected by the local party.

— megan kenyon (@meganekenyon) January 25, 2026

The update comes after we learned Labour has blocked Andy Burnham from running in the same byelection. As we’ll show, the party’s decision to block the ‘king in the north’ from returning to parliament is going down like a plate of cold sick.

Polanski — Local democracy

While Labour descends into chaos following the Burnham decision, Polanski is promoting the positive ground game that the Greens have in Gorton & Denton:

Delighted to see members of the Green Party hitting the doorsteps in Gorton & Denton already.

We offer a strong alternative to this failing Labour Govenrment – and just shuffling the deckchairs isn't going to cut it.

Join us: https://t.co/Q27Jy5eX7z https://t.co/qj5T9Q2MYh

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) January 24, 2026

Given that Labour has opted not to run Greater Manchester’s most popular politician, they’re clearly not serious about winning in Gorton & Denton. Polanski argues this means the Greens are the only real alternative to Reform:

It's clear that the Green Party are the way to keep Reform out of Manchester.

We are already on the ground in Gorton and Denton – and we are going to be campaigning for every single vote.

A new Green MP representing the community.

Let's go!https://t.co/0qbagSvIYp

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) January 25, 2026

Labour have blown it. This is it. Time to take on Reform.

Manchesters first Green MP is coming. Join us to help get them elected on Saturday.https://t.co/pTo5QEJ2Nj pic.twitter.com/5ILvtXd4iQ

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) January 25, 2026

Green Deputy leader Mothin Ali said:

Andy Burnham Blocked from Standing.

Starmer and McSweeney block democracy of the people so they can protect their friends and their interests.

Gorton & Denton deserves better than career politicians who play games while our communities struggle.

When working class people get pushed aside, it’s time for someone who actually understands our streets, our struggles, and our solidarity.

The people of Gorton & Denton know what’s at stake. And so do I.

As we reported on 24 January, Your Party are also planning to give local members a choice over who runs to be their MP. When announcing this, Zarah Sultana showed she has no love for Andy Burnham, who served in the neoliberal governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown:

Andy Burnham played a key role in privatising our NHS while serving as Health Secretary.

Andy Burnham voted for the 2003 Iraq War — an illegal invasion that led to the deaths of over a million Iraqis.

Andy Burnham was a member of Labour Friends of Israel, an apartheid state…

— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) January 24, 2026

Back to the Labour Party, the few left-wing politicians left are reacting as follows to Starmer’s Burnham stitch up:

Keir Starmer and his clique have shown they’re prepared to lose Gorton and Denton to Reform – just to protect narrow factional interests.

It's weak leadership – and will only deepen the crisis the party is in.

There should now be an emergency NEC meeting to resolve this mess.

— Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) January 25, 2026

In the most unsurprising turn of events, some Labour right apparatchiks care more about settling personal scores than winning elections after all.

Even if it means risking gifting Reform another seat in Parliament.

They’re destroying the only electoral vehicle currently capable…

— Nadia Whittome MP (@NadiaWhittomeMP) January 25, 2026

Blocking Andy Burnham from standing in Gorton and Denton is a serious political and democratic error.

Local Labour members should have the right to decide who represents them. Taking that decision out of their hands reinforces exactly the sense of distance and control that is… https://t.co/dNGhDMEyzW

— Clive Lewis MP (@labourlewis) January 25, 2026

Keir Starmer and his inner circle are prepared to gift Gorton and Denton to Reform if it means protecting their own factional interests.

That’s not leadership it’s weakness, and it’s an insult to Labour members and the working class communities we exist to serve.

This reckless…

— lan Byrne MP (@IanByrneMP) January 25, 2026

Labour in retreat

Clearly, Labour cares more about shielding Starmer from criticism than it does about stopping the growth of Reform. With that in mind, anyone who cares about the future of this country should rule out Labour as a serious contender in the Gorton & Denton byelection.

Featured image via Barold

By Willem Moore

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From Canary via This RSS Feed.

As hundreds of Minneapolis residents assembled in Whittier Park Saturday evening to demand once again that federal immigration agents leave Minnesota following the second fatal shooting of a legal observer in less than three weeks, one speaker demanded that the gathering must not simply be “another damn vigil.” “This is a turning point,” said Edwin Torres DeSantiago of the Immigrant Defense…

Source

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From Truthout via This RSS Feed.

Hotels across the country are housing ICE agents as they carry out violent raids, detention operations, and street abductions. Of course people are pushing back. Activists have been calling for boycotts of hotel chains like Marriott and Hilton that cooperate with ICE, arguing that businesses should not be providing material support for an enforcement regime built on mass detention…

Source

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From Truthout via This RSS Feed.

The Wall Street Journal has revealed what appears to be a hidden layer of Israel’s war on Gaza: an undeclared reliance on local armed militias acting as “field agents” to carry out tasks the Israeli army cannot openly perform under the ceasefire.

According to the newspaper, this is not a temporary arrangement. It is an alternative security architecture, managed from behind the scenes and implemented through Palestinian proxies rejected by their own communities. These groups operate in areas under Israeli control, but conduct operations inside zones supposedly off-limits to Israeli forces. The difference is largely cosmetic. Local gunmen act under intelligence cover, supported by drones and logistics, while Israel’s direct involvement remains obscured.

Israeli militias in Gaza

The façade collapsed when Hussam al-Astal—described by the Journal as a militia leader—boasted of assassinating a Khan Younis police official inside the Al-Mawasi area. In a phone interview, al-Astal called the killing “a solution to a problem” and threatened to murder anyone who replaced the victim.

In a video recording, he appeared brandishing an assault rifle, sending a clear message: access to targets is possible, and violence will continue.

Hamas quickly described these militias as “tools of the occupation” and warned that “the price of betrayal is high.” This view reflects broader sentiment in Gaza, where such groups are widely seen as illegitimate entities operating under Israeli protection.

Although al-Astal denies receiving direct military support—aside from food—testimony from Israeli military sources suggests close coordination. A former Gaza Division operations officer admitted: “We monitor them, we help with information, and if Hamas gets close, we intervene.”

The implication is clear. Israel makes the decisions, others execute them

The Wall Street Journal concludes that this system is not accidental, but a tactical response to ceasefire restrictions. When regular forces are constrained, irregular proxies are deployed. This allows Israel to operate in prohibited areas without the cost of direct exposure.

The report also details other militias, including so-called “popular forces,” used in complex operations such as luring Hamas fighters from tunnels in Rafah. Some killings were filmed and posted on social media. One Israeli reserve soldier described escorting “aid” convoys to a Rafah militia: food, water, cigarettes, and sealed boxes delivered by the Shin Bet. These details expose how proxy war economies are sustained.

The newspaper’s assessment is bleak. These militias have failed to gain legitimacy. Their unpopularity, involvement in looting and crime, and Hamas’s ability to reassert control keep them confined to temporary utility.

For Gaza’s residents, they are not a “third force.” They are an extension of the occupation with a local face—one that adds another layer of violence without delivering stability.

Featured image via the Canary

By Alaa Shamali

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From Canary via This RSS Feed.

The Shia political bloc voted for Maliki after Mohammad Shia al-Sudani chose to step down from the premiership

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From thecradle.co via This RSS Feed.

On the heels of mass protests demanding justice for those killed by federal agents and demanding ICE out of our communities, the capitalist state has escalated its assault with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) executing ICU nurse Jeffrey Pretti in broad daylight.

In response, Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller posted on X, “A would-be assassin tried to murder federal law enforcement and the official Democrat account sides with the terrorists.”

Meanwhile on Truth Social, Donald Trump called Pretti a gunman, justifying the killing and attacking various Democrats.

Republicans are digging in their heels, maintaining that these federal forces can kill anyone that protests them, even in legal ways, like filming. They’re showing the public how the state can commit whatever type of violence it likes, when it likes.

Democrats, meanwhile, have responded with assurances that the state, through government channels, will fight this murder. During his press conference, Minnesota governor Tim Walz tried to pacify the masses fighting back in the streets, urging peaceful protest — despite the fact that he saw the same video many others did, where Pretti was being peaceful, yet killed execution style after being beaten by a gang of CBP agents.

At the same time, Walz claimed that the way to “fight” ICE was to bring more armed forces — the National Guard — to a city already being violently occupied. Meanwhile, Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (AOC), self-described democratic socialist also called for activating the National Guard, stating, “we can and must stop this.”

Both politicians claim this is about maintaining order and safety, but it is actually about protecting the private property of capital and repressing protests as more individuals become moved to action, bearing witness to their community members being murdered by the state via livestream.

The National Guard is not going to protect anyone. One force that aims their guns at our class siblings isn’t going to be stopped by another force that aims their guns at us too.

Meanwhile, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office agreed with Waltz and AOC’s calls. They stated the National Guard is needed to “assist the Sheriff’s Office in protecting life, preserving property, and helping to ensure the safety of all community members.” They went on to emphasize the Guard’s presence will “create a secure environment where all Minnesotans can exercise their rights safely.”

But we cannot trust the National Guard to “protect” us in any way, shape, or form. Its history is one of repressing the working class and oppressed. It has been deployed to crush strikes, suppress Black uprisings like in Detroit and Newark in 1967, and has even murdered peaceful student protesters, like at Kent State in 1970. This is not some type of protective force as these politicians try to frame it; it is an occupying army for capital.

Whether it is the police or National Guard, liberal politicians are reiterating that more “training” and technocratic solutions will prevent these horrors from continuing. So all we need are the better-trained cops that have “learned” from the 2020 Black Lives Matter uprising or the better “trained” National Guard, along with maybe a few more body cameras — and crisis averted. Calls for better training have been around since the Civil Rights era, but training or body cameras won’t stop the fact that all of these forces are meant to impose themselves on the public through violence or the threat of violence in order to protect the system of capitalism and the status quo.

The response of Waltz and AOC makes it crystal clear that the Democrats have never been on our side in this fight. They have voted time and time again to increase ICE’s budget since its inception, they helped create this army that is now being weaponized against us. Hell, several recently voted to continue funding for DHS amidst the ongoing crisis around the country. It took two people being killed in cold blood in plain sight (along with countless others killed in detention centers) for Senate Democrats to finally oppose the bill that would continue funding ICE.

The fight against this violence falls to the working class, not the National Guard. We must build from the actions of January 23: unions must mobilize for a nationwide strike, and we must organize democratic assemblies in every workplace to broaden the struggle. We cannot wait for 2028, like some labor leaders suggest. The fight is up to us and the time now.

The post No, Tim Waltz and AOC, the National Guard Won’t Save Us appeared first on Left Voice.

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From Left Voice via This RSS Feed.

Contrary to the past few decades of party activism, a prominent Republican has warned Americans that authorities may shoot them dead if they choose to legally carry firearms:

If you approach law enforcement with a gun, there is a high likelihood they will be legally justified in shooting you.

Don’t do it! https://t.co/DNpyew6PMh

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) January 24, 2026

The above statement follows ICE agents shooting a disarmed man who had been legally carrying a permitted firearm.

He never brandished his gun he was legally permitted to carry. He was holding his phone. An officer beat him, disarmed him, and he was executed.

Alex touched many lives, including mine, as I sang in the Green Bay Boy Choir with him for years.

Alex Pretti was murdered today. pic.twitter.com/oSeQ9zmmIB

— Mark Becker (@markbecker26) January 24, 2026

And as we’ll see, Donald Trump himself has made a very similar comment to the one at the top.

Shooters

One thing to clarify up front for non-Americans is that US citizens aren’t simply allowed to own guns at home; they’re allowed to carry them around. This is what the BBC wrote in 2019:

In America, it’s not unusual for people to have a gun. Almost every adult can own or carry one.

It is seen as a person’s basic right to be allowed to do this.

That’s because when the country was founded, the right to buy and carry a gun was written into the constitution, which is a list of basic rules that a country is based on.

The only reasons that someone might not be allowed to have a gun would be if they are a convicted criminal, have a mental health illness or if they are not a US citizen.

Some activists have pushed for restrictions on gun ownership following the almost daily mass shootings. The Democrats have implemented some restrictions while mostly supporting the status quo; the Republicans have staunchly opposed any changes whatsoever. This is why the Republicans’ sudden flip flop is seen as a betrayal by American gun nuts.

One group speaking out is the notorious National Rifle Association (NRA):

This sentiment from the First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California is dangerous and wrong.

Responsible public voices should be awaiting a full investigation, not making generalizations and demonizing law-abiding citizens. https://t.co/9fMz3CL29o

— NRA (@NRA) January 25, 2026

Wow. Even the NRA thinks Trump’s DOJ stooge in California has gone too far for claiming federal agents were “legally justified” to kill Alex Pretti. https://t.co/0ME1JrjH1S

— Governor Newsom Press Office (@GovPressOffice) January 25, 2026

Speaking of Trump, this is what he said on Truth Social alongside an image of the slain Alex Pretti’s gun:

This is the gunman’s gun, loaded (with two additional full magazines!), and ready to go – What is that all about? Where are the local Police?

‘What is that all about’ — you understand you live in America, right?

Obviously it’s fucking insane you’re all packing heat, but guess what; this is the hell you’ve made for yourselves.

They took his firearm and then killed him after. https://t.co/lUeQvfhokd

— Ryan Grim (@ryangrim) January 24, 2026

We should note that while Trump definitely said the above, the following screengrab is a fabrication:

Hey MAGA

Your president Donald Trump believes if you have a gun you’re a criminal.

Wonder what the @nra thinks about this pic.twitter.com/JNd0nDaaOm

— David Leavitt (@DavidLeavitt) January 25, 2026

We’re not sure why anyone chose to fabricate this when it’s so close to what he actually said, but hey, that’s the internet for you.

Republicans — it turns out guns do kill people

The following is a famous slogan used by the NRA and others:

I’ll give you my gun when you pry it from my cold, dead hands

In Trump’s America, the authorities will pry the gun from your hands and then shoot you.

And they’ll do so with full support from the top:

This level of engineered chaos is unique to Minneapolis. It is the direct consequence of far left agitators, working with local authorities.

— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 25, 2026

Stephen Miller just called Alex Pretti a "domestic terrorist" who wanted to "massacre law enforcement." Alex Pretti was a 37-year-old American. Legal gun owner. Permit to carry. No criminal record.He's dead. He can't speak. So they're writing the story for him.T his is what it… pic.twitter.com/DlwJtHwBBz

— Conflict Alarm (@ConflictAlarm) January 24, 2026

Featured image via Wikimedia

By Willem Moore

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From Canary via This RSS Feed.

This week, Donald Trump continued his streak of threatening tariffs against any country that opposes him, increasing the odds of an escalating trade war and further destabilising the global economic system. But according to this week’s guest, the system is in desperate need of reform. Indeed, she thinks without a complete structural overhaul, it will soon ‘blow itself up.’

On Downstream this week is Keynesian economist, Ann Pettifor, to discuss her latest book, ‘The Global Casino: How Wall Street Gambles with People and the Planet.’ In conversation with Ash Sarkar, they discuss the state of the global economy, and the ‘shadow’ banking system that holds $217 trillion in financial assets – beyond the control of any taxman. How did Ann predict, with precision and foresight, the global financial crisis of 2008? Will the AI bubble burst, triggering the next economic crisis? And is the Green New Deal – which Ann helped to create – dead in the water, or a transformative plan B that we can turn to when the next crisis invariably comes?

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From Novara Media via This RSS Feed.

As Jewish anti-Zionists gain visibility, there is a danger of viewing the Gaza genocide solely as the backdrop for a Jewish reckoning. Instead, we must center Palestinian history and demands, and Jewish anti-Zionists have an important role to play.

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From Mondoweiss via This RSS Feed.

Frenchie Mae Cumpio. Wala siyang kasalanan pero bakit siya nahatulan? Walang kasalanan sa iba pang kaso pero “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” sa pagbibigay ng pondo sa mga ‘di umanong terorista.

Hindi lang ito tungkol sa kanya kundi sa iba pang kasalukuyang nakakulong. Batay sa datos ng Karapatan, halos 700 na ang mga detenidong politikal. May matanda, kabataan, magsasaka, manggagawa at marami pang iba. Siyempre, huwag kalimutan ang peryodistang nakakulong.

At hindi basta-basta makalilimutan si Cumpio. Dahil sa epektibong diseminasyon ng sitwasyon niya, naging bahagi na siya ng pandaigdigang kampanya para sa kalayaan sa pamamahayag ng mga grupong tulad ng Reporters Without Borders at Committee to Protect Journalists. Napakarami na ring kinatawan ng mga embahadang bumisita sa Tacloban City Jail kung saan nakapiit si Frenchie. Pati ang United Nations (sa pamamagitan ng Special Rapporteurs), alam ang kanyang pinagdaraanan at kasama na sa panawagang palayain siya.

Mula pa noong inaresto’t ikinulong si Cumpio, tuloy-tuloy na ang pangangampanya para sa kalayaan niya. Hindi ito hiwalay sa panawagang palayain ang tinaguriang “Tacloban 5.” Bukod sa kanya, inaresto noong Peb. 7, 2020 sa Tacloban sina Mariel Domequil, Alexander Philip Abinguña, Marissa Cabaljao at Mira Legion.

Tulad ng iba pang naging biktima ng “tanim-ebidensiya,” inaresto sila ala-una ng madaling araw. Tinutukan ng mga baril ang lima bago pinalabas. Hindi nila nakita ang mga ginawa. Nalaman na lang nila kinalaunan na may mga armas at bombang nakita raw sa kama. Aba, puwede palang ilagay sa ilalim ng unan ang granada, kung paniniwalaan ang mga nang-aresto!

Dahil sa walang pakundangang pag-abuso sa kapangyarihan para busalan ang mga batayang kalayaan, naging pandaigdigang kahihiyan na ang Pilipinas. Sa katunayan, mayroon nang nabuong Media Freedom Coalition Embassy Network in the Philippines na binubuo ng mga embahada ng Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine at United Kingdom. Tulad ng inaasahan, todo-suporta ito sa panawagang ipaglaban ang kalayaan sa pamamahayag at wakasan ang panggigipit sa mga peryodista’t manggagawa sa midya.

Maiuugat ang malawak na suporta kay Cumpio sa matiyagang pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga kasama niya sa iba’t ibang indibidwal at organisasyon sa loob at labas ng bansa. Kailangan ding idiin ang isang simpleng punto: Malinaw kasing walang batayan ang mga kaso. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit na-dismiss ang iba pa.

Sa kaso naman ng “terror financing,” nakabatay lang ito sa testimonya ng apat na ‘di umanong rebel returnees na nagsabing sina Cumpio at Domequil ay nasa isang bulubunduking lugar sa Catbalogan, Samar noong Marso 29, 2019. Kinuha raw nila ang P100,000 na pondo para sa New People’s Army (NPA).

Batay sa pahayag na ito laban sa kanila, nahatulan silang “guilty.” Nakapagtataka lang na noong 2025, nagdesisyon na ang Court of Appeals na pabor kina Cumpio at Domequil hinggil sa natagpuang P557,360 noong inaresto sila. Walang ebidensiyang para ito sa NPA, batay sa sinabi ng mga nagtestigong ang pondo ay nalikom para sa “Stand with Leyte and Samar” na tumutulong sa mga komunidad na apektado ng militarisasyon. Aba, kahit ang mismong Anti-Money Laundering Council ay nagsabing walang ebidensiyang ang mahigit kalahating milyong piso ay para sa NPA.

Hindi pa tapos ang laban kahit nagdesisyon na ang korte. Dapat lang na magsampa ng apela. Ituloy ang pangagampanya para sa kalayaan. Huwag hayaang mabulok sa bilangguan ang mga walang kasalanan.

Frenchie Mae Cumpio. Huwag kalimutan ang kanyang pangalan, kasama ng marami pa.

Para makipag-ugnayan sa awtor, pumunta sa https://risingsun.dannyarao.com/

The post Konteksto | Frenchie appeared first on Bulatlat.

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From Bulatlat via This RSS Feed.

ALBAY — Every few years, Mayon Volcano roars back to life, driving thousands of families from their homes. Relief trucks arrive, schools turn into evacuation centers, and the familiar rhythm of displacement begins again.

Behind this humanitarian challenge lies a quieter story: the numbers.

How much does Albay spend to keep its people safe, and why does the cycle repeat, eruption after eruption?

Adequacy of local disaster fund

In 2023, roughly 39,000 residents were affected as lava and ash threatened communities. Commission on Audit records show Albay spent P25.71 million ($435,000) from its Quick Response Fund for evacuation needs. Spread across 20,336 evacuees, that amounted to about P1,267 ($21.50) per person for food, water, medical supplies, and shelter.

National agencies stepped in: the Department of Social Welfare and Development released P64.5 million ($1.09 million) in emergency cash transfers, while the Department of Labor and Employment provided P50 million ($847,000) in emergency employment. The aid eased household expenses but was only a short?term fix, allotting equal amounts to families regardless of size.

The provincial government declared a state of calamity and requested P166.7 million ($2.83 million) in augmentation funds to sustain evacuees for 90 days. This raises the question: are local disaster budgets realistically sized for recurring hazards like Mayon’s eruptions?

Preparedness vs relief

The gap is clear when relief spending is compared with long-term preparedness.

In 2023, Albay spent P32.34 million ($548,000) on daily disaster operations but only P803,000 ($13,610) of the P43 million ($729,000) capital outlay for projects like evacuation centers and stronger housing. Of P348.30 million ($5.91 million) available, more than P225 million ($3.81 million) remained unutilized.

By law, 30 percent of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund (LDRRMF) goes to QRF, which can be spent upon declaration of state of calamity,  while 70 percent is meant for preparedness.

Across the Philippines, LGUs often prioritize immediate response because eruptions, typhoons, and floods demand urgent action. The consequence is a cycle of reactive spending: families return to vulnerable homes after each eruption, only to be evacuated again when Mayon stirs.

The unspent millions show that funding exists, but the problem seems to lie partly in the LGU’s short?sightedness.

LGUs can spend MOOE throughout the year for operations, and capital outlay once projects are ready for implementation. Yet most of the mitigation fund stayed untouched.

“Ideally, non-QRF should be utilized to lessen the impacts of any hazard. But that is not what’s happening in most provinces, including Albay,” Lei Talaguit, Tarabangan Bicol Early Warning and Anticipatory Action lead, told Bulatlat in a Zoom interview.

He said Albay’s utilization rates in 2018 and 2023 were only 0.8 to 1.9 percent, which are glaringly low.

Stuck in response mode

“Pre?emptive evacuations, camp coordination, and camp management are not even the bare minimum under the law,” Talaguit said. While necessary, their repeated use despite unutilized funds shows the country remains stuck in a response mindset instead of preparedness. This, he added, was why the national government in 2010 replaced the National Disaster Coordinating Council with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

The ongoing 2026 eruption again exposes the gap. Displaced families voiced fears of prolonged displacement. As BicoldotPH reported: “We sleep on cardboard and mats; it’s tough for seniors like us,” said Azucena Bolaños. Others described cramped spaces and the heartbreak of leaving behind crops and livestock. Schools doubling as shelters disrupted classes.

This pattern is not new. In 2014, Albay used P18.57 million ($315,000) from QRF while P78.34 million ($1.33 million) of its LDRRMF was left unused. In 2018, P27.58 million ($467,000) was spent, with P129.43 million ($2.19 million) unspent.

Bulatlat requested the LDRRMF Annual Investment Plan from the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (APSEMO) but has yet to release it pending approval.

Talaguit said unused funds could support localized early warning systems, evacuation centers, rescue equipment, risk?informed engineering structures, and even nature?based solutions that sustain livelihoods. Such measures, he added, would help farmers reduce losses through storage facilities for early harvests, while evacuees would feel safe and dignified in proper shelters.

Breaking the cycle

“Unspent resources should support relocation outside danger zones. But livelihoods can’t simply be uprooted, so authorities must guarantee access between new sites and work. Without that, people will return,” Talaguit said.

He noted that Albay benefited from a qualified DRRM head who established early warning and prevention systems. Yet these strengths have not translated into concrete mitigation across the province.

Mitigation takes time but is achievable, he said, especially if politicians move beyond short?term thinking and commit to continuous risk assessments and long?term gains. “The challenge now is in reshaping the mindsets of both communities and leaders.”

The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction’s latest Global Assessment Report finds disaster costs now reach $202 billion (P11.93 trillion) annually. It stresses that prevention is a far better investment, with studies showing every $1 spent on risk reduction averts about $15 in future recovery costs.

Each eruption forces massive reallocations, spikes in relief spending, and reliance on national augmentation, while COA audits record the cycle.

The question remains: will Albay, and the Philippines, keep paying the same recurring costs, or finally invest in breaking the cycle? (RTS, RVO)

Note: Local Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Fund (LDRRMF) are multi?hazard and not Mayon?specific, although this analysis selected years when Mayon eruptions were the province’s primary calamity.

The post Eruption after eruption, Albay’s disaster funding never breaks the cycle appeared first on Bulatlat.

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At least 23 Lebanese prisoners remain in Israel’s prisons, including people who were taken during the ceasefire

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From thecradle.co via This RSS Feed.