Those islets and shoals west of the Philippines have again come to the limelight with Philippine and Chinese vessels engaging in a battle of nerves over what both the Philippines and China claim to be their territories. The standoff began on April 8 when a Philippine Navy surveillance aircraft monitored eight Chinese fishing vessels anchored inside the Bajo… Read More »
More than half a million students graduate from more than 2,000 colleges and universities in the Philippines every year. Only about 30 to 40 percent of them would find any kind of employment, and only about 5 to 10 percent would be employed in jobs that match their course, while close to 60 percent would join the growing… Read More »
When the “noynoying” concept went viral, Malacanang spokesmen pointed to President Noynoy Aquino’s high approval ratings to stress that those who were “noynoying” during protests and rallies do not reflect the sentiment of the Filipino people. Now that the latest Social Weather Station survey showed that his net approval rating has dropped by nine percentage points, the Palace… Read More »
If his mother’s yardstick were to be followed, President Noynoy Aquino’s economic program would get a failing grade. During the snap election campaign in 1986, opposition presidential candidate Corazon Aquino, in downplaying the economic achievements of then President Ferdinand Marcos, said that the price of “galunggong” has risen to P12 a kilo (about 80 US cents at the… Read More »
On Friday, March 2, another journalist was shot and wounded by two motorcycle-riding gunmen outside his home in Iloilo City in the latest attacks on media men in the country. The victim, Fernando Gabio, who hosts the “Mr. Expose” program on Radyo Mo Nationwide, was lucky he was hit only in the leg and survived. So far, 10… Read More »
President Aquino’s “Daang Matuwid” has taken another crooked turn with the implication of his friend and classmate, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. chief Cristino Naguiat Jr., in a bribery scandal that came to fore when Wynn Resorts filed a lawsuit accusing its former vice chairman Kazuo Okada of paying off Philippine gaming regulators and cheating the casino giant.… Read More »
The more President Aquino opens his mouth about the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, the more it becomes obvious that he is pursuing a personal vendetta rather than what he claims is a mission to remove roadblocks to his reform agenda. In another vicious attack on Corona, Aquino basically said the rise and fall of… Read More »
By deciding to respect the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court against disclosing the foreign currency deposits of Chief Justice Renato Corona, the Senate averted what could have been a constitutional crisis that can bring irreparable damage to the nation and its democratic institutions. The Supreme Court was not expected to stand still if the Senate… Read More »
While the nation remained riveted to the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona for the third week on Monday, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) reported that the Philippines’ economy grew by only 3.7 percent last year, less than half of the 7.6 percent growth registered last year. NSCB Secretary General Romulo Virola said the “relatively feeble”… Read More »
In the current hullabaloo over the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, it is good to know that the man who presides over the court that will judge the chief justice understands the consequences of the entire democratic process to the nation and to the institutions that are involved. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, in his remarks… Read More »