Known as the City of Lights, Paris loves its nights. On Friday, tens of thousands of Parisians were out to enjoy the night – watching a friendly soccer game between Germany and France at the Stade de France, listening to an American band at the Bataclan concert hall, drinking their favorite cocktail at the La Belle Equipe Bar… Read More »
Last Sunday, I attended a concert presented by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines-USA chapter to commemorate the sixth year of the Maguindanao massacre and to raise funds for the education of the orphans of the 32 media men who were among 58 people killed in that brutal tragedy in 2009. Exactly six years have passed… Read More »
Last Friday, I took time out to register as an overseas voter at the Philippine consulate general in Los Angeles. Now, I can look forward to actually making my choice count for president, vice president and the 12 senators who will run the country for the next six years. If you bring with you the completed application form… Read More »
WITH the formal declaration of Senators Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero that they are running for president and vice president, respectively, under what they call Partidong Pilipinas, the presidential landscape for the May 2016 elections is finally taking shape. Three candidates — Vice President Jejomar Binay, Local Governments Secretary Mar Roxas and Senator Poe — have so far… Read More »
True to tradition, President Aquino gloated about his small accomplishments, ignored his unfulfilled promises, and placed the blame on the previous administration for some of his failures in his two-hour State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) last Monday. Among his few successes is the sustained economic growth during his five years in Malacanang. Even the opposition can’t deny the fact that… Read More »
I took a break last Sunday and watched a concert by the very popular REO Brothers in downtown Los Angeles, and was so awed by the group of youngsters from Tacloban City, I decided to take a break, too, from writing about politics and write about the band instead this week. The story of this young tribute band,… Read More »
Four legal luminaries confirmed what has been obvious all along – that the Aquino administration practices “selective justice” in dealing with corruption. It took Vice President Jojo Binay five years to state what many people, including this writer, have been saying from the very first year of this hypocritical administration that has been boasting of leading the nation… Read More »
With the deadline for the filing of candidacy for the May 2016 elections still about five months away, the presidential race is beginning to take shape. Based on recent actions and statements of the major players, it would seem the presidential race would be a five- or six-way contest at the very least just as it had been… Read More »
AFTER rising in rebellion nearly 30 years ago to oust a president who ruled with an iron fist, it would seem that many Filipinos are now willing to embrace a man who is known to go beyond the law to cleanse his city of criminals. Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, once called by the Time Magazine as “The… Read More »
The latest survey on presidential candidate preferences has left the door open for more candidates to join the race and for political parties to review alliances with other groups. Just a year earlier, it appeared that Vice President Jejomar Binay was a shoo-in to become the next president. But after a well-orchestrated and obviously successful demolition job, this… Read More »