The past few weeks have been eventful, with the usual ups and downs in our national life. President Rodrigo Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address on July 23 was overshadowed by the “coup” at the House of Representatives. Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez was ousted as Speaker and replaced by Rep. Gloria M. Arroyo. The maneuver […]
The 22-person Consultative Committee tasked by Malacañang to review the 1987 Constitution and propose a new Federal System charter submitted its draft to President Duterte July 9, its work finished in a mere five months. Why the undue haste? The 1971 and 1987 Constitutions were crafted after extensive and exhaustive public hearings and consultations. This […]
Last June 30, President Rodrigo Duterte marked his second year as president. On July 23, he will deliver his third state of the nation address and detail his accomplishments. Will he also candidly detail where he has failed and what he intends to do about them in his remaining four years in office? An informal […]
This year marks the 120th anniversary of Philippine Independence from Spain, the 147th birth anniversary of our national hero, Jose Rizal, and the 200th birth anniversary of his father Francisco Mercado Rizal. These memorable events highlight our nation’s rich history and heroic past. Ten years ago, on June 16, 2008, Abdullah Al-Maghlooth from Saudi Arabia […]
May 11, 2018 was truly a sad day. The Supreme Court allowed the rule of men to prevail over the rule of law. In a vote of 8-6, the nation’s highest court ousted Ma. Lourdes Sereno as Chief Justice. This historic decision, granting the quo warranto petition filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida, will have […]
They acted like criminals who could not work in broad daylight. The Department of Public Works and Highways, with orders – we learned much later – from senior government officials, illegally removed a seven-foot bronze sculpture under the cover of night on April 27. The comfort woman statue, a symbol of arrogance, brutality and shame […]
Are we still a democracy? Is there still respect for democratic institutions? As the nation’s highest court, the Supreme Court is supposed to be the vanguard in safeguarding our sacred and inviolable principles and institutions, among them the rule of law, the principle of separation of powers, the bill of rights, freedom of speech, government […]
(Statement of Teresita Ang See, founding president of Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran Inc., April 23, 2018) We urge our government to uphold the dignity of the Filipino people and not make our country the laughing stock of the world. Let us hold our head up high and not shame our people. No threats of unfriendly […]
The Presidential Electoral Tribunal on April 2 started the recount of ballots in connection with the electoral protest filed by defeated vice presidential candidate and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Vice President Leni Robredo beat Marcos by just 263,473 votes. The PET Revisor’s Guide says the revision will verify the physical count of the […]
The news that Department of Justice prosecutors dismissed the case against self-confessed illegal drug distributor Kerwin Espinosa and illegal drug kingpin Peter Lim alias “Jaguar” is distressing. But is it surprising? We already have a portent that the Duterte administration’s war on drugs is a sham when the investigation on the facilitated release of P6.4-billion […]