MANILA Sen. Bongbong Marcos makes the ludicrous claim that if his father Ferdinand hadn’t been deposed in 1986, we would now be another Singapore, prosperous and orderly. Many of us sneered at the young Marcos’ chutzpah, knowing that that possibility had long been made impossible by events. There was no way that turning the Philippines into another Singapore… Read More »
CHICAGO (JGL) – China’s aggressive reclamation of some of the choicest islands and islets in the Philippine Western Sea (South China Sea) that are within the territory of the Philippines will test the Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951 between the United States and the Philippines if it has a teeth or if it is a mere scrap of… Read More »
The satisfaction rating of President Aquino continued its free fall this week, hitting its lowest since he became president in 2010. And guess who is being blamed again? The media, of course. I’m not a bit surprised that Communications Secretary Sonny Coloma is blaming the media for the latest slide in his boss’ rating. After all, he is… Read More »
Two disturbing news reports came out over the weekend that could compromise our country’s claim to Sabah. One was written by the Vera Files that said the Philippines has offered to downgrade its claim to Sabah in exchange for Malaysia’s support for its case against China before the United Nations. The other, which appeared in the Manila Times,… Read More »
Novelist George Orwell once said, “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” In this context, we can say that the Board of Inquiry tasked to determine the facts about the botched operation to hunt two wanted terrorists in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last month that led to the death of 44 members of PNP’s Special… Read More »
CHICAGO (JGL) – When Laguna Governor George Estregan was unseated by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) last year for overspending, my friend former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada used his patriarchal influence to talk his nephew into leaving the capitol steps “for the sake of peace” while his nephew awaits the result of the decision… Read More »
I was in a gathering of close friends a few weeks ago. It was a relaxed quiet affair, comfortable and secure in the company of people I have known for years. We had a sumptuous dinner, full of laughter and banter. After the dinner, we retired in the spacious living room and chatted about our lives here in… Read More »
Mayor Junjun Binay of Makati City has been suspended for six months by the Ombuds(wo)man, the government’s arm that investigates wrongdoing by public officials. But he got a temporary restraining order from the Court of Appeals and thus escaped suspension. But before the TRO came down, Binay was defiant and didn’t want to obey the Ombuds(wo)man’s order. (The… Read More »
More than nine months after President Aquino certified the bill that would extend the life of the agrarian reform program by two more years, House Bill 4296 and a related measure, HB 4375, remain languishing in the House of Representatives apparently because of strong opposition from landlord members of the lower house. Without the extension, more than… Read More »
MANILA Where is our country going? Our current state of affairs indicate that we Filipinos haven’t learned the art of good governance. Our insularity makes us believe that we’re among the best in the world in many fields of endeavor. But, sad to say, that self-assessment is only in our minds. It’s like the delusional individual who’s a legend… Read More »