Recently a bill came out of the Philippine Congress granting a P2,000 increase in retirees’ social security pensions. President Benigno Aquino III vetoed it, angering the retirees. The pensioners are restive. But it was Mr. Aquino’s legislative allies who let him down in the pension mess. His non-allies put him in a tight spot, intentionally surely. Any legislation… Read More »
President Aquino was just being consistent when he vetoed House Bill No. 5842 that would provide a P2,000 across-the-board increase in the monthly pension of Social Security System (SSS) pensioners. After all, it was not the first time this scion of hacenderos has rejected relief for the millions of poor families in the country. In 2013, Aquino, who… Read More »
CHICAGO (JGL) – California was the site of the peace treaty at the end World War II – the Treaty of San Francisco, Peace Treaty with Japan. Perhaps, California could also be the site where Southeast Asian nations, including the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia, can mop up plans on how to counter the aggressive moves of their… Read More »
From Day One, President Aquino has always referred to the people as his “bosses.” During his inaugural address, he told the people: “Kayo ang boss ko.” And yet, how many times has he ignored the people in his decision-making? Just recently, despite the growing clamor for the ouster of Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya amid the… Read More »
MANILA The temperamental President Manuel L. Quezon famously said: “I prefer a government run like hell by Filipinos to a government run like heaven by Americans.” You know what they say, be careful what you wish for. Filipino politicians from Quezon’s time to today must have thought that his statement was a wish and they’ve been working… Read More »
It’s was Christmas Eve, the country was agog as it awaited the day Christ was born. The malls were still brimming with people, jampacked to the seams, on the last shopping day before Christmasday. The popular markets of Divisoria, Baclaran, Quiapo and all the smaller tiangges (Filipino flea markets) were wall-to-wall with shoppers. These places were so… Read More »
“Few in the conclave that elected Pius VII could have anticipated the severity of the struggle that awaited the pope and the Church in the coming decades, for the new Vicar of Christ spent the next 15 years in battle with the dictator openly cursed as an Antichrist and an enemy of civilization: Napoleon Bonaparte.” – The Pope… Read More »
Happy New Year! This is the greeting that we give to our family and friends this time of year. We look forward to a bright future. But recently I utter this goodwill hopes with trepidation. Will it be a happy new year? The year 2015 left us a deal to worry and be scared about. There were the… Read More »
As we are writing this, the Commission on Elections, sitting en banc, had just deferred its decision on the disqualification case against presidential candidate Sen. Grace Poe. The six poll commissioners, including Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista, were expected to deliberate again and make a decision the next day, Tuesday. We really can’t understand why the commissioners had… Read More »
Unlike other presidential candidates, with Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, you either like him or you don’t. There is not much gray area. It’s black or white, day or night. He is either the strong leader in the mold of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew who will reform the country the tough way, or the dangerous dictator who could… Read More »