Can presidential candidate Grace Poe win her disqualification cases at the Philippine Supreme Court? It’s quite possible. But if she does win and allowed to run, the next battleground will move to another area. Not in another court of justice but in the court of the people. The battle will shift to her abandonment of our country… Read More »
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 »
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 »
Politicians here are a smart breed. They can rationalize anything under the sun. Look at the people running for the two highest offices of the land in the national elections on May 2016. Under normal circumstances the pairings would be seen as either ludicrous, impossible or plain silly. Under normal circumstances, the players themselves wouldn’t team up… Read More »
The Senate Electoral Tribunal here, stacked with more senators than justices, ruled that presidential candidate Grace Poe is a natural-born Filipino. A newspaper headline said Poe “jumped for joy” when she heard the news of the SET decision. When she lands back on earth, she should be scared, very scared. Several petitioners have questioned Poe’s citizenship status… Read More »
MANILA There are things we do as a people that indicate we’re not serious about nation-building. Many of these things are basic communal failings that include our cavalier attitude toward protecting our environment. Look at all the litter in public places and the vandalism of buildings and walls. We’re inconsiderate of other people’s safety, security and convenience. We cheat,… Read More »
MANILA After months of thinly disguised positioning for a run for higher office, Sen. Grace Poe has finally put her cards on the table, announcing her candidacy for the presidency. The way Poe kept President Aquino twisting in the wind as he tried to get her as Mar Roxas’ vice presidential running mate has left a bad taste… Read More »
Sure, he can. But it depends. President Benigno Aquino III has “anointed” his loyal party mate and Interior Secretary, Mar Roxas, as his chosen candidate for president in the 2016 elections here. But Roxas is way down in the surveys. He’s trailing one declared candidate, Vice Presidenr Jojo Binay, and two undeclared ones: Sen. Grace Poe and Mayor… Read More »
MANILA Despite all the bad news swirling around Vice President Jojo Binay, the crowds still turn out wherever he goes. Are those people just being polite, as is the Filipino custom, and warmly welcome any guest to their communities? Or maybe they’re the usual Filipino rubber-neckers who have nothing better to do than come out and gawk around… Read More »