The Supreme Court has an uncanny way of commemorating the 28th anniversary of the People’s Power Revolution. On a day when the whole nation was celebrating the restoration of freedom in the country with the downfall of strongman Ferdinand Marcos following four days of massive protests on EDSA in February 1986, twelve justices of the Supreme Court opted… Read More »
More than three months after super typhoon Yolanda wrought havoc on Leyte, Samar and other provinces in Central Visayas, the devastated cities look just slightly better than when they were a few days after the calamity struck. The affected people, hundreds of thousands of them, remain homeless, without source of income, without adequate food and basic necessities, without… Read More »
After boasting that the country will be self-sufficient in rice by 2013 and a rice exporter by 2014, it appears the Aquino administration is admitting failure and is giving up on these lofty goals. Malacanang announced last week that it was shifting its focus from attaining rice self-sufficiency to the farming of alternative, high-value crops such as pineapple,… Read More »
When Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was caught in a storm of protests on June 27, 2005 following the Hello Garci scandal, wherein she was taped talking to Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano about election results in Mindanao, she addressed the people to say “I… am… sorry” in a melodramatic tone. Nobody probably believed she was indeed sorry for… Read More »
Already saddled by a sharp increase in the prices of basic goods and services, Filipinos will now have to face additional financial burdens mandated by the government starting January 1 this year. Most working Filipinos will find their paychecks reduced by a few hundred pesos starting this month because the Social Security System (SSS) and the Philippine Health… Read More »
Human trafficking is another major problem that has plagued the country for decades. Despite increased resources given to the task force against human trafficking, the Philippines remains, according to the US State Department 2013 report, a major source country for sex-trafficking and forced labor, adding that “child sex tourism remained a serious problem” in the country. Just last… Read More »
When President Aquino promptly rejected an offer by Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla to resign over a failed promise to restore power in the areas devastated by super typhoon Yolanda before Christmas, he simply proved he didn’t give a hoot about making and breaking promises. After all, the President has made and broken a lot of promises himself.… Read More »
It should not surprise us anymore that despite the difficulties and corruption scandals of the past year, the Filipinos would remain as optimistic as ever of the coming year. Year after year, hope springs eternal for Filipinos as shown by surveys in the last few years. The surveys last year by both Pulse Asia and the Social Weather… Read More »
For Filipinos who have been outside of the Philippines for years, Christmas is both a time for rejoicing and a time for remembering. Even as the Filipino in America begins to feel the holiday mood immediately after Thanksgiving when people start shopping for gifts and Christmas decors, he feels at the same time a longing for home. For… Read More »
Like a spoiled child who didn’t get what he wanted, President Aquino ranted again against the media, accusing newsmen of “too much negativism,” particularly in their coverage of super typhoon Yolanda and the fighting in Zamboanga City. “So often, when we read the newspaper, listen to the radio or watch TV, we still get a sense of too… Read More »