Our nation faced many challenges and tragedies in 2018. Yet, it is human nature to find reason to stay optimistic. So, let me start off my first Beats & Bytes for 2019 on a positive note. Allow me to highlight the activities and events of the organizations I am involved in: the Kaisa Heritage Center, […]
I wanted my year-end column to end on a happier note, but I cannot leave two upsetting pieces of news unaddressed. The first is about former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte’s ridiculous but highly disturbing list of people allegedly planning the ouster of his father President Duterte. The second is about the project to […]
My friends, Tsinoys and native Filipinos alike, have been calling my attention to the deluge of negative comments about the influx of Chinese nationals, especially from the mainland, and other issues. They worry that the negativity may spill over to include Chinese-Filipinos. They said they can distinguish the Chinese who are newcomers from the Tsinoys […]
I have been in and out of circulation for the past three weeks. Backtracking news reports, I found, to my regret, a number of disturbing happenings that make me question where recent events are leading us. Shabu disappears Media reported that former Bureau of Customs (BOC) Commissioner Isidro Lapeña was promoted to Cabinet rank on […]
Philippine politics is primarily dominated by dynasties. But the 2019 midterm elections seem to have enlarged the problem, challenging the boundaries of legality and morality. It makes us really wonder about the state of democracy in the Philippines. It makes us admire even more candidates like public health advocate Dr. Willie Ong and broadcast journalist […]
In a country like the Philippines, nothing can be kept secret. At least not for long. Thus, it was imperative for President Duterte to stem rampant speculation about his state of health. Recently, he finally admitted to undergoing colonoscopy and endoscopy in Davao last month and a biopsy at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center on […]
China has intensified its crackdown against online gambling in the past months. Reported extensively only in Chinese media, China conducted several big raids and arrests of gambling operators with ties to the Philippines. Apparently, after illegal online gambling operators in the Philippines were arrested, the reports say, the Chinese government was able to gather data and […]
A president is elected to office with a mandate. He is handed stewardship of the nation’s welfare. People place in him their collective trust that he will do right by them. Yet, the specter of dictatorial rule hovers over the country ever more so. This makes even more poignant the memories of Sept. 21, 1972, […]
Aug. 21, 2018. We have just marked the 35th year since Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was assassinated. It is heartwarming to see Filipinos remember the event and how it changed the country. However, it also saddens me to watch the people-on-the-street interviews on television in which they were asked what they remember or know about […]
I tried to reread my Tom Clancy collection while trying to get through a dismal week. The rains and floods had not yet subsided as I was writing this, and I was battling a viral infection I couldn’t seem to shake off. There was a piece of good news, however. A Nueva Ecija court decided […]