Category Archives: On Distant Shore

Impeachment galore

Only five years after the highly divisive impeachment trial of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona, the nation is again faced with the possibility of not just one, but three high-level government officials being impeached for alleged culpable violations of the Constitution. And this is not even counting the impeachment complaints against President Rodrigo Duterte that was dropped… Read More »

Let the bells ring

A day after Bulacan policemen killed 32 drug suspects in a single day, President Duterte commended them and told policemen all over the country to kill 32 more a day to reduce the country’s drug problem.   “Yung namatay daw sa Bulacan, 32 in a massive raid. Maganda yun,” the President said. “Pumatay tayo another 32 everyday, maybe we can reduce… Read More »

What happened to ‘never again’?

What ever happened to “Never again to martial law”? A phrase opt-repeated in many rallies long after the Filipino people ousted the dictatorship of the late Ferdinand Marcos in what is now known as “People Power,” it seems “never again” has lost its luster in the face of the emergence of another strongman that doesn’t hesitate to say… Read More »

Clothing tyranny with constitutionality

With the Supreme Court basically showing reluctance to review President Duterte’s martial law declaration and ceding its power to the President to determine the territorial scope of martial law, it now seems that the country’s slide to tyranny is coming to near certainty. Congress has earlier given up its power to review the bases for the martial law… Read More »

Trump just wouldn’t listen

In an apparent attempt to please his voter base, President Donald Trump pulled out the United States from the Paris Agreement on Climate Change and turned America from the leader of the free world to a potential pariah in the global community, particularly in the field of climate change.   Trump has been found lacking by many of… Read More »

Tyranny: The signs are clear

For the umpteenth time, Malacanang spokesmen had to explain and tone down what President Duterte had casually told soldiers just a few days after declaring martial law in Mindanao. The President said he would ignore the Supreme Court and Congress if they meddled with his decision to declare martial law in Mindanao.   “Until the police and the… Read More »

Napoles should not be spared

  THE tradeoff looks rather obvious. After Solicitor General Jose Calida appealed to the Court of Appeals to overturn the conviction of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles in January, the appellate court suddenly found no evidence establishing beyond reasonable doubt that Napoles abducted and kept hostage her cousin, Benhur Luy, and acquitted her.   That… Read More »

Stop flying the unfriendly skies

More than a half century after United Airlines launched its famous slogan “Fly the Friendly Skies,” the giant airliner has become a paradox on how to treat its passengers properly and in a friendly manner. After the brutal and bloody removal of Vietnamese doctor David Dao, a paying passenger who had confirmed booking and seat, last Monday to… Read More »

‘The rants of a petty tyrant’

In the past two weeks, President Duterte and his allies have been kept busy attacking the President’s critics, in particular Vice President Leni Robredo, the European Union and the media. If there’s anything certain in the Homeland these days, it’s that if you criticize the President, you should expect a torrent of curses and counter-attack from the tough-talking… Read More »

Rape on sovereignty: Relax and enjoy it?

Who was it who said about rape that “if it’s inevitable, relax and enjoy it?” This seems to sum up the policy of the Duterte administration with regards to China’s bullying in the South China Sea. We can’t afford to fight China, so let them do what they want to do in the South China Sea and let’s… Read More »