Under fire
The land of 'People Power' has become a battleground. Peter Stalker begins a personal report on Cory Aquino's revolution.

Sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll
Olongapo - a city occupied by the US.

Terrace trek
The politics of rural development in the mountains of Ifugao.

Snap shots
A photographic view of the Philippines.

Sugarland
The cane cutters of Negros.

PHILIPPINES - THE FACTS

Basic Christianity
Liberation theology under attack.

Locked out
A British multinational fires Filipinos.

Locked in
Peasant leaders behind bars in Baguio.

Simply. a history of the Philippines

Law for the poor
A Mindanao lawyer struggles for human rights for farmers and trade unionists.

ACTION and Worth Reading

There hasn't yet been an issue of the NI entirely overtaken by events, but this one has been a strong contender.

We first planned to do an issue on the Philippines almost a year ago. But to construct a magazine from a series of news reports seemed at that stage unlikely to work - since there was nothing very dramatic happening. The solution chosen was to write a travelogue which wove together a series of interviews.

So I spent five weeks touring the country talking to anyone and everyone I could. It was tricky to organize. The Filipinos are extraordinarily friendly but very cagey. If they don't know who you are they can be very reluctant to talk at all - not surprising given the CIA's presence in a country of great importance to the US. But providing you can offer sufficient reassurances or letters of introduction, nothing is too much trouble. So I found myself being passed on from one person or organization to another like an (increasingly grubby) parcel.

By the time the picture on the left was taken the package was being hauled up the mountains of northern Luzon. My thanks to Linda Gano of the Philippines Rural Reconstruction Movement both for the haulage and the picture. This was by far the most peaceful part of an incredibly noisy country - largely because there was no chance of a motorcycle or 'jeepney' making it that far. Technology has an answer, though. The European Community is threatening an aid project that will string cable-cars across the hills.

While I was considering the significance of such economic progress the sixth coup attempt was launched against the Aquino government and it seemed that I might have to erase my floppy disk and start all over again. But I later realized that my intention of making this a report on the lives of ordinary people insulated this issue somewhat from immediate political dramas. Even a successful coup would be felt in many parts of the country merely as merely an increase in military activity rather than a sudden loss of democracy.

An important journalistic maxim is that you can be as abusive as you like, providing you spell names correctly. This is difficult in the Philippines since everyone has a real name and then a nickname which they use as well. Many of these are very anachronistic: there are quite a few mature 'Boys' and the occasional elderly 'Baby'. My apologies to anyone I mention for whom I made the wrong choice.

In the city of Baguio I wandered into a Chinese-style temple where I discovered that by lighting a few incense sticks, bowing several times and hurling pieces of wood around, I could get my fortune told. The written fortune I was handed explained that this was not a good time for travel (a bit late to discover that). But it did also add: 'A helper will always appear in the hard times to ease your way'. True enough. And just for the record I have a Chuchi, a Cha a Lily and a Bong to thank for a lot of 'easing' - as well as many others whose names, nick or otherwise, I have not managed to include in the magazine.

Letters
Letter from La Paz
Update
Endpiece: by Nick Malloni
Reviews: including Fritjof Capra classic
Country profile: India

COVER ILLUSTRATION: James Nachtwey / Magnum
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