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 »
Hours after a lone gunman killed at least 59 people and injured 527 others in Las Vegas Sunday night, President Donald Trump called the attack “an act of pure evil,” adding that in moments of tragedy and horror, America comes together as one. He expressed grief and shock over the deadliest mass shooting in US history, praised… Read More »
MANILA Now the police here want to rehabilitate drug users in their “war” on drugs. That’s what they should have done in the first place. Here’s what the police did to start their war: They started rounding up drug users and pushers, killing thousands of them in the process. The international community was outraged, unbelieving that in this… Read More »
It was a pathetic sight, to say the least. Shameless would be a more appropriate word to describe the photo showing the administration congressmen posing with the clenched fists associated with President Duterte to celebrate an even more revolting and shameless move to reduce the budget of the Commission on Human Rights to a mere P1,000. It was… Read More »