He was in tears when he first surfaced in the Philippines’ national consciousness. It was 2 a.m. of Feb. 7, 2008 when Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada Jr. appeared in a hastily called press conference at the De La Salle Greenhills to reveal that he had been kidnapped at the airport upon his arrival from Hongkong by police officials, and… Read More »
I’m not sure if I even wanted to add my voice to the chorus of people from both sides of the political fence in denouncing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump for his bigotry and reckless demagoguery, but with his recent attack on the Philippines and Filipinos, I know I just have to. Trump touched the nerves of… Read More »
MANILA When Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was mayor of Davao City in southern Philippines he had successfully established himself as a feudal lord there for 20 years. Far from the scrutinizing eyes of what outsiders resentfully call “Imperial Manila,” he quietly ensconced himself in Davao as a feudal warlord. He scared the local people into submission. He told them… Read More »
Amid the relative silence that has met the deadly war against drugs launched by President Duterte since he assumed office on June 30, three female voices have stood to denounce the killings. “I must admit, the public reaction to these executions is not in favor of those who oppose it. A 91% approval rating for the President and… Read More »
MANILA Some here are starting to ask, why isn’t anyone bothered by the spate of summary killings taking place in our midst? Where is the outrage? Since President Duterte assumed office last June 30, close to 1,000 people have been summarily killed here. This number is as of this writing, it’s certain to rise when you get to… Read More »
The last issue’s cover of Balita created a lot of stir to some and we received a lot of phone calls, emails, facebook postings of support, for which I am really thankful. The more reason that we should not let a setback slow us down. You understand correctly that, all along, in this case, we are fighting for… Read More »
By Butch Galicia An FB friend posted a photo capture of a recent weather report in graphics that showed a reading of +32 degrees Celsius (feels like 41 degrees Celsius). Her ka-post retorted: Wait till the mercury drops to -32 degrees Celsius (feels like -41 degrees Celsius) in a few months. She replied: So, who’s complaining? ***** It… Read More »
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pennsylvania (JGL) – Vice President Leni G. Robredo told a press conference here Saturday that “extra-judicial killings” have got to stop, “pero (but) I’m just one voice even if I am vice president. I think media can do a lot as far as creating a mindset that this is not right. There have been few voices… Read More »
CHICAGO (JGL) – The United Nations Convention of the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) was described as “a monumental achievement of the international community, second only to the Charter of the UN” after its birth 34 years ago. When UNCLOS was ready for signature on Dec. 10, 1982, 119 countries signed the treaty on the very first day of… Read More »
The Filipino people met a different Rodrigo Duterte on his first day in Malacanang. No curses, no threats, none of those checkered Duterte shirts. Instead, he was described as “presidential, purposeful and persuasive” during his 15-minute inaugural speech following his swearing in as the 16th president of the Republic of the Philippines in Malacanang. And he was wearing… Read More »