‘Sorry bridges the gap’

When Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was caught in a storm of protests on June 27, 2005 following the Hello Garci scandal, wherein she was taped talking to Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano about election results in Mindanao, she addressed the people to say “I… am… sorry” in a melodramatic tone. Nobody probably believed she was indeed sorry for… Read More »

COURT CASE OF FAP VS MMDA OVER FILMFEST EARNINGS

Recently, Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) prexy Leo Dmonguez filed a mandamus petition for the Court to stop turnover of Amusement tax to Metro Manila Development Board of the earnings of the Metro Manila Film Festival 2013 earnings, directed to MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino. Leo stated, “aside from Film Academy of the Philippines, MOWELFUND, the other beneficiaries… Read More »

Gov’t must help ease poor’s burden

Already saddled by a sharp increase in the prices of basic goods and services, Filipinos will now have to face additional financial burdens mandated by the government starting January 1 this year. Most working Filipinos will find their paychecks reduced by a few hundred pesos starting this month because the Social Security System (SSS) and the Philippine Health… Read More »

‘Hell on earth’ for human trafficking victims

Human trafficking is another major problem that has plagued the country for decades. Despite increased resources given to the task force against human trafficking, the Philippines remains, according to the US State Department 2013 report, a major source country for sex-trafficking and forced labor, adding that “child sex tourism remained a serious problem” in the country. Just last… Read More »

The snail pace of justice in the Philippines

MANILA What’s frustrating to the average Filipino citizen like me is the unreliability of the meting of justice in our country. Cases take forever to resolve. And when they are resolved, they’re often dismissed in favor of the sued culprit. Prosecutors and the police make a big hoohah about apprehending suspects and throwing the book at them. The… Read More »

BENCHMARK FOR CRITICAL JOURNALISM Toronto’s Million-Dollar Stories in ‘Balita’ Newspaper

~ The benchmark for critical writing and news analysis has just been unwittingly and grudgingly highlighted in two million-dollar lawsuits against Balita, Toronto’s largest Filipino newspaper, and its publisher and a reporter. With the complaints, the publication has solidified its standing as a reliable and trusted confidant, an independent watcher beholden to no one but the truth. A… Read More »

Views from the Fence

Fire!!! And Ice!!! It was scary! It seemed unreal. The sky was lit by the gigantic flames. In four hours, that demonic inferno consumed a senior’s home, the residence of 52 vulnerable people in the sunset of their lives, mostly in their eighties and nineties, majority of whom had limited mobility. It was a home of the aged… Read More »