More than meets the eye
NOT a single cent from the proposed Philippine national budget for 2015 was allocated for plebiscites on Charter change (Cha-cha) and the Bangsamoro political entity, the Commission on Elections (Comelec)…

Group says world is losing battle against Ebola
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The international group Doctors Without Borders warned Tuesday that the world is losing the battle against Ebola and lamented that treatment centers in West Africa have…
Grandstanding
IT is business as usual for the second most powerful man in the country. While the controversy about the alleged overpriced Makati City Hall Building II heats up, Vice President…
Urgent concern
ON August 19, former president Fidel Ramos revealed in ANC’s Beyond Politics that there have been intelligence reports concerning the training of about 100 Filipino Muslims in Iraq to become…
Friend or foe?
PRESIDENT Benigno Aquino III has appointed Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court (SC), amidst allegations of the latter’s ‘disloyalty’ to the Philippines. Though he was…
Lasting legacy
“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone, but the things you do for others remain as your legacy.” – Ndukwe Dike Kalu, American football player…
Cold shoulder
FOR now, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario admits that resolving the case with China over the disputed South China Sea (West Philippines Sea) is far from reality. China’s refusal…
Relentless
DO not take Sen. Jinggoy Estrada out of the running just yet. As law would have it, he is innocent until proven guilty. Not only is he qualified to run…
Pernicious ‘fever’
A YEAR and nine months before the upcoming presidential elections, politicians are already creating their own buzzes, as if to catch the attention of the public – there are those…
Realization
IN his past State of the Nation Address (SONA), Pres. Benigno Aquino III enjoyed endless applause. He has been commended by his political peers and foreign observers for his ingenuity…
One too many
HAVING a consistent population count for years, the Philippines should now expect a new census update. Recent reports say that the Philippines is bound to have at least 100 million…
Jarring reminder
THE Philippines joins the international community in extending its sympathies to the families of the passengers on board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 that crashed in Ukraine on Thursday, July 17….
Double-whammy
WITH an average of 20 typhoons every year, there is no reason why the Philippines should not always be prepared for calamities. On Wednesday, July 16, Typhoon Glenda (international name…
Brotherhood
THE Philippines will not be a free and independent country that it is today if it wasn’t for the groundwork laid out by a valiant organization formed more than a…
Crime deterrence
THERE was never a better time to call this world a civilized society. Because of current laws existing, we are bound to live vicariously, based on respect for the sanctity…
The separation of Showbiz and State
IN the Philippines, politics and show business are no strange bedfellows. Through the years, the country has been (and still is) under the influence of different officials – be it…
Cliffhanger
WILL justice be truly be served? Only the aggrieved party can tell. When news broke out of the P10-billion Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork barrel scam in July…
Climate-proof
AT THE recent 3-day Asia-Europe Meeting(ASEM) conference on disaster risk and management, President Benigno S. Aquino III emphasized the need for countries to come together, to make the world climate-proof….
Constants and variables
ACCORDING to official data released on May 29, a succession of natural disasters (The 7.1-magnitude earthquake in Bohol and Super Typhoon Haiyan in 2013) has slowed down growth of the…
Greener pastures
Four weathermen from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) have decided to move on to greener pastures. Currently, PAGASA has 13 expert weather forecasters left. Three of…
Of miracles and scandals
FROM May 21 to 23, Metro Manila will be host to heads of state and business and civil society leaders from over 30 countries at the World Economic Forum (WEF)…