MANILA Only the dullest observer would still be thinking Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was being honest when he promised to solve the country’s drug and crime problems, annihilate the state’s ideological enemies, and ride a jetski to the Spratly Islands to spite China, all in three months, during the 2016 election. He said all of those just to… Read More »
“God bless our beloved country.” Thus said Senate President Koko Pimentel, the head of the ruling party and son of the illustrious democratic icon former Senate President Nene Pimentel, as he called on the Supreme Court to reconsider its decision to oust Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno based on a quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose… Read More »
MANILA Where does President Rodrigo Duterte’s penchant to pick a fight come from? One of these days his temper will get him in real trouble. Before leaving for China recentlu Mr. Duterte threw a temper tantrum at Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. The latter had asked why the solicitor general himself had filed a quo warranto petition at… Read More »
Pat’s grandson just made a fearless forecast: “Winter will be back … after fall.” So it was said, so shall it be. Pat asked him back: “Now, why are penguins unafraid of walking barefoot on ice?” Without batting an eyelash, he said with conviction: “Because they have happy feet.” ***** No, Pat disagrees with the view that his… Read More »
“I need China.” This was how President Rodrigo Duterte explained his third visit to Beijing in less than two years in a pre-departure press conference early this month in Davao City, apparently the country’s new seat of power. “If you do not have money, you are not my friend. I go to China, plenty of money. That’s the truth.… Read More »
Across the border my latest comments on the US and China Trade controversy , etc I believe the future of America’s dominance of emerging technology is at stake in fight with Asian giant. China is “sticking it to America” and how America responds will determine the future. Depending on how China behaves in this matter, we’re gonna look… Read More »
I once asked a friend this oft-repeated somewhat-of-a-ridiculous question: “If you were given the chance to live your life anew, would you do it differently?” After panning his gaze at people doing their stuff at the crowded fast food section of the mall, he whispered “No!” and grinned. Whatever his “No!” and succeeding grin meant, I just clipped… Read More »
MANILA The quietude of this past Holy Week here made the mind wander, searching for something to think, muse and wonder about. It’s amazing how the mind can go places. A blank stare can produce images and remembrances of the many crossroads in one’s life, people who’ve crossed one’s path, here and in distant places. Remembered scenes are… Read More »
The recent appointment of a former Customs official, who was accused by a self-confessed fixer as among those taking bribes, to deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Customs puts an anti-climactic conclusion to the P6.4-billion shabu smuggling scandal, which started as a scorching drama that threatened to expose the underbelly of the supposedly corruption-free family of President Rodrigo… Read More »
‘Ika nga ng isang pasaway: Ang hindi lumingon sa pinanggalingan, may stiff neck. No, no to stiff neck. Not now, not ever! Thus so, I will always look back to the fond and great memories I have of the place – Barangay Balumpare in Sampaloc, Manila — where I was born and was raised, up to my mid-teens.… Read More »