MANILA Vice President Jojo Binay’s worries are piling up. There are too many fires to put out and he doesn’t have enough, or the right, firefighters. The Senate investigation into alleged massive moneymaking during Binay’s turn as mayor in Makati City and now his son Junjun’s continues with new exposes at every new hearing. The Ombudsman is… Read More »
MANILA A recent fire in a factory in Valenzuela City in Metro Manila killed more than 70 people. Tragedies like that will continue to blight the nation as long as government monitoring of work conditions in our factories remains lax. The bigger tragedy is that these are avoidable and therefore need not happen. But they do. And with frightening… Read More »
MANILA The Filipino people’s exultation over the reprieve of Mary Jane Veloso from death by firing squad in Indonesia was brief. Ironically, it was cut short by her own family. Veloso was convicted of drug trafficking in Indonesia and sentenced to die. Before her scheduled execution in early May, her family visited her to say goodbye. She got… Read More »
MANILA How do the children of government officials suspected or convicted of stealing the people’s money feel about their accused parent(s)? Often children of public officials on the dock for corruption sit behind their accused parent during court hearings or at congressional inquiries to show support and solidarity for their elder. But how do they really feel? Are… Read More »
MANILA Sen. Bongbong Marcos makes the ludicrous claim that if his father Ferdinand hadn’t been deposed in 1986, we would now be another Singapore, prosperous and orderly. Many of us sneered at the young Marcos’ chutzpah, knowing that that possibility had long been made impossible by events. There was no way that turning the Philippines into another Singapore… Read More »
Mayor Junjun Binay of Makati City has been suspended for six months by the Ombuds(wo)man, the government’s arm that investigates wrongdoing by public officials. But he got a temporary restraining order from the Court of Appeals and thus escaped suspension. But before the TRO came down, Binay was defiant and didn’t want to obey the Ombuds(wo)man’s order. (The… Read More »
MANILA Where is our country going? Our current state of affairs indicate that we Filipinos haven’t learned the art of good governance. Our insularity makes us believe that we’re among the best in the world in many fields of endeavor. But, sad to say, that self-assessment is only in our minds. It’s like the delusional individual who’s a legend… Read More »
MANILA President Benigno Aquino III must be quaking in his loafers now that a prelate somewhere has demanded his resignation. The deadly encounter between police commandos and Muslim fighters in Mamasapano, Mindanao, last Jan. 25 has spawned a lot of noise calling for Aquino to resign or be impeached. The Roman Catholic archbishop of Batangas wants Mr. Aquino… Read More »
MANILA Actually, the conquest was mutual. Pope Francis charmed and conquered the Filipinos, while they overwhelmed him with their devoutness. He conquered our emotions as we conquered his admiration. The Pope, in the Philippines Jan. 15-19, will never again see anywhere in the world such multitude displaying their religious enthusiasm and fervor. The Pope’s visit was a much-needed opiate… Read More »
MANILA Actually, the conquest was mutual. Pope Francis charmed and conquered the Filipinos, while they overwhelmed him with their devoutness. He conquered our emotions as we conquered his admiration. The Pope, in the Philippines Jan. 15-19, will never again see anywhere in the world such multitude displaying their religious enthusiasm and fervor. The Pope’s visit was a much-needed opiate… Read More »