MANILA For the police here to now say there have not been any extrajudicial killings (EJKs) committed in the country since President Rodrigo Duterte took office is unmitigated gall. To have the audacity to say that shows they’re overconfident they can fool us. There is documentary evidence — videos, witness statements — that show police gunning down crime… Read More »
Amid uncertainties raised by President Duterte’s threats to declare a revolutionary government or a nationwide martial law, now comes another debate on a hot issue that would put the country’s future just as uncertain – the proposal to replace the current unitary form of government to that of a federal system of government. Early last month, the… Read More »
BlowHotBlowCold is a Canadian – American opinion-based column that premiered more than a decades ago in the Filipino-Canadian newspaper BALITA where I discussed the latest issues and controversies affecting Filipino-Canadians and Filipino-Americans. It was discontinued when I left Bell Canada in 2006 and accepted a consulting job at AT&T in NJ. I am now retired and Tess Cusipag… Read More »
MANILA For sheer bragging rights, US President Donald Trump was the only world leader who got President Duterte to sing at the gala night of the recent Asean Summit held here. Not Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, or Shinzo Abe was able to to that. Only Trump. We don’t really know if it’s true that Trump egged Duterte on… Read More »
It must be difficult being a journalist in the Philippines these days. Where before, Malacanang reporters only had to worry about being scooped by the few competing journalists in their beat, they now have to contend with bloggers who quarrel with them when they ask during a press conference a question that to these bloggers are not favorable… Read More »
Filipinos should watch with interest developments in Cambodia, a leading member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations that has in the last few years gravitated towards China. In a ruling on Thursday, the country’s Supreme Court dissolved the main opposition party and banned 118 of its members from politics for the next five years in what is… Read More »
MANILA Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte still gets good ratings in poll surveys. But, as I’ve surmised in more than one column, I doubt that the survey results reflect a true picture of the situation on the ground. Filipinos like to play things safe. We are a generally timid people, noisy only in neighborhood drinking sessions or small gatherings… Read More »
One thing that has stood out since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed the presidency in July last year is the fact that this former mayor of Davao City cannot handle criticism. And unable to handle criticism, he easily explodes and threatens just about anybody who dares oppose him. Just last week, Duterte exploded and berated the president of… Read More »
After five months of seemingly endless battles and bombings, the Philippine military finally was able to declare an end to the hostilities in Marawi, the bloodiest and costliest military operation against terrorists or secessionists ever, even dwarfing the Battle of Jolo in 1974. The Battle of Jolo, which started when militant forces from the Moro National Liberation… Read More »
On October 24, I received news that one of my most respected colleagues in the newswire profession has passed — silently and unknown to many of those he worked with back in the day — at his hometown in Digos, Davao del Sur on December 9, 2016. In another month, his wife Anita and his family will… Read More »