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Article: Lessons in humidity: The fight for power in rural Philippines. (Action).
- Article from:
- Colorlines Magazine
- Article date:
- December 22, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Color Lines Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The humidity makes my shirt stick like flypaper. It's high noon in the dead of summer, where even the water buffalo seeks shade from the heat of the sun. After one hour on the plane from Manila, and five on the bus across the island of Leyte, I finally arrive in the town of Bay-bay in my native Philippines. My good friend at the Freedom from Debt Coalition (FDC) based in Manila urged me to visit their Leyte chapter and witness first-hand how the effort of local townspeople is slowing down the pace of globalization. So I've come to meet those who choose to preserve their pristine forests over the construction of steel towers for electrical lines, and to ensure that their ...