There is reason to believe that despite the two successive problems that confronted Philippine tourism in the last few months, the sector can become one of the biggest dollar earners for the country. For one, the new set of officials in the Department of Tourism (DOT) remains confident that the country will overcome the two major setbacks that… Read More »
It is tempting to comment on the botched hostage rescue operations last Aug. 23 when SWAT teams stormed a tourist bus where a dismissed police officer was holding hostage tourists from Hong Kong, resulting in the death of eight hostages and the hostage-taker. But with the joint investigation by Manila and Hong Kong forensic teams going on, I’d… Read More »
After a long layoff, the disputed Spratlys islands in the South China Sea are back in the news again. Last month, US State Secretary Hilary Clinton set the tone for the renewed interest in the group of mostly uninhabited islands and coral reefs, which are being disputed by six countries, including China and the Philippines, when she… Read More »
Last Monday, August 16, a federal appeals court extended a stay on same-sex marriages until it has ruled on the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which sought to ban such unions. The ruling of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit was just the latest turn of events of the tw0-year legal battle over California’s… Read More »
In the renewed debate on the proposal to allow divorce in the Philippines, it is almost certain that the fact that outside of the Vatican, the Philippines remains, along with tiny island-nation Malta, the only country in the world with no divorce law. Why is this so? The primary reason, of course, is the stubborn stand… Read More »
If there’s anything that stood out in Rep. Manny Pacquiao’s first privilege speech, it was his humility and his sincerity to serve the best way he can. The ever-humble Pacquiao immediately earned the respect of his colleagues in the House of Representatives when he admitted at the outset that he was awed by the fact that he is… Read More »
After nine years of lies and empty promises, we finally heard the true state of the nation and how the new administration plans to lift the nation from where it now stands to where it should be a year from now. While Gloria Macapagal Arroyo had to use props in the person of three little boys… Read More »
And we thought we’ve had enough of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Just when we thought she was ready to fade away and that we’ve heard the last of her administration’s shenanigans, another questionable disbursement that would dwarf the P728-million fertilizer fund scam was revealed last week. On July 14, just a day before Arroyo, her husband Mike… Read More »
There was a report from the Philippine Central Bank (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) last week that caught my attention. BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo warned that money sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) has peaked and may soon plateau. Guinigundo said remittances have breached a very large base, leading to a situation wherein the growth… Read More »
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is not done yet. Contrary to what she told the military during her farewell address, Arroyo is not just ready to fade away. After nine long years of near tyrannical power in Malacanang, this lady wants more. It became obvious a few years before she was to bow out of the presidency when she did… Read More »