Just as the Aquino administration had expressed optimism for lasting peace in Mindanao following an agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on the establishment of a Bangsamoro entity, the Nur Misuari-led Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) raised the specter of war in the region. Misuari criticized the government’s failure to comply with the provisions of the… Read More »
The series of articles published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer on the pork barrel scam that has defrauded the Philippine government of an estimated P10 billion gave unassailable proof that the pork barrel program is one of the major sources of graft and corruption in government. They also exposed the loose implementation of funding processes in both the… Read More »
One thing stood out in President Aquino’s State-of-the-Nation Address on Monday. For the first time in four SONAs, Aquino did not blame the previous administration for the country’s current state of affairs. Finally, the President has decided to face the state of the nation sans his usual blame game. After three years in office, it just makes no… Read More »
Nearly every overseas Filipino who has visited the Philippines in the last several years has one common complaint – the horrendous traffic jams in Metro Manila. What normally takes 20 minutes to travel now takes from one hour to two hours depending on which road you are using and what time you are traveling. And rush hour in… Read More »
For decades, the Philippine government has been trying to find a lasting solution to the nagging problem of squatters in Metro Manila, far longer than the efforts to solve the equally and seemingly unsolvable communist and Muslim insurgency problems. These problems are like body itch. You scratch one area and the itch reappears in even more places in… Read More »
In 1941, America was faced with a dilemma. Adolf Hitler’s German troops had invaded virtually all of Europe and were laying siege on both England and Russia. The United States had followed an isolationist policy since the end of World War I and most Americans were against the US getting involved in the war in Europe. At the… Read More »
There is nothing wrong with dreaming. But at least one must dream realistically. Take the case of those education officials who insisted on implementing a K-12 program that added two extra years to the country’s 10-year basic education despite the strong objections of teachers, students, parents and progressive groups and despite the obvious lack of logistics to support… Read More »
On August 23, 2010, President Aquino had barely warmed his seat in Malacanang when a disgruntled police officer hijacked a tourist bus and took hostage several Hongkong tourists, touching off a crisis that tested Aquino’s mettle in leadership and diplomacy. Eight of the tourists were killed along with the hijacker in the bungled rescue operation that was witnessed… Read More »
AMID the escalating tensions in the South China Sea, the United States remains non-committal, emboldening China to intensify its aggressive behavior in the disputed waters and to continue its bullying tactics over its neighboring countries. The silence of the American government followed the intrusion early this month by a fleet of Chinese fishing vessels, two large civilian ships… Read More »
Looking north as you are driving on the South Luzon Expressway near the Alabang Exit, you’d think you are in a highly progressive country, with skyscrapers dotting the skyline of Metro Manila, from Manila on the left side through Pasig and Mandaluyong in the middle and Makati on the right side. Almost anywhere you go in Metro Manila,… Read More »