SCARED to go back to work in fear of being infected by the deadly COVID-19? This is what is happening now in the White House after two people working close to President Donald Trump have tested positive for the virus this past week. Vice President Mike Pence’s press secretary Katie Miller — who is married…
DURA LEX, SED LEX. “The law is harsh, but it is the law” and should, therefore, be executed and followed. I have heard this principle more than a thousand times when I used to anchor the top rating legal education program “Compañero y Compañera” on DZMM with the late Senator and “Compañero ng Bayan” as…
IN THE TIME when the global community is attacked by the coronavirus pandemic — an invisible enemy that has killed more than 251,580 people and infected over 3,584,174 — we would think the leaders of the world would unite us all together. With the help and strength of different societal institutions, humankind could win over this…
WHAT is happening in Michigan is a microcosm of what is happening in our country, and perhaps, around the world, in this global war against the coronavirus pandemic. As of press time, it has claimed the lives of more than 235,290 people, with 3,303,296 confirmed cases and counting. Here in the United States, the number…
THE coronavirus pandemic has killed more than 213,824 people in the world, and has changed life as we knew it before its spread was initially reported in January 2020. In an effort to stop the spread of the virus, many governments around the world have enforced lockdowns, quarantines and shelter-in-place orders, forcing many businesses, schools,…
AMID the debate about continuing social distancing or re-opening the United States for business Amid the President of the United States Donald Trump undermining the advice of scientists and health officials on when will be the safe time to relax social distancing and stay-at-home safety measures; Amid the confusion brought about by the warning of…
WE are in a war against the coronavirus infection. After bragging he is a “wartime president,” we would think President Donald Trump would finally unite the country in leading us all, regardless of political affiliation, race, age, gender, income, and immigration status toward safety and to mitigate the spread of this pandemic. But instead, Trump…
ENOUGH! President Donald Trump has been abusing the daily coronavirus briefings, which are paid for using taxpayers’ money in lieu of his campaign rallies he laments he cannot hold because of social distancing safety measures. The briefing is supposed to be the American people’s way of knowing all the facts, information, and guidance they need…
TOTAL AUTHORITY is what President Donald Trump now claims in relaxing the social distancing and other safety measures in place and in pushing to reopen the United States for business on May 1, despite the statement of health officials that this is premature, and that the United States isn’t there yet. Why? Trump wants and…
FOR us Catholic Christians, Easter means the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ three days after His agony and death in the cross — the fulfillment of the prophecy in the scriptures that the Messiah will come and live among us — the Son of the living God who would be the savior of…
SEMANA SANTA. For the first time in my lifetime, my family will not be able to go to church for the mass of the palaspas, stations of the cross, washing of the feet, seven last words, retreats and recollections, salubong, confession, Visita Iglesia, Easter Sunday mass — traditions that we all share as Filipinos and…
THE WAR against the coronavirus pandemic that has caught the world by surprise in January has made us all feel like the normal, free, and vibrant life we lived just three months ago feel like ages ago. No matter how much we resist it, no matter how uncomfortable and vulnerable it makes us feel, this…
Experts warn of death toll could go up to 100,000-200,000 THE CORONAVIRUS pandemic the world is now fighting against is personal to me. My husband is a surgeon and is part of the pool of doctors called to assist in the care of coronavirus patients. My sister-in-law in Boston has just tested positive after taking…
POPE FRANCIS, on Friday evening, March 27, shared his meditation on the calming of the storm from the Gospel of Mark during the prayer service on the steps of St Peter’s Basilica to “urbi et orbi,” which means to the “city and the world”. This is such a timely message when the whole world is…
“THE cure is worse than the problem,” President Donald Trump has been echoing Fox News in his unbelievable call to scale down drastic efforts toward the containment of the coronavirus pandemic and open the U.S. for business by April 12. This cure, prescribed by Trump, is indeed worse than the problem because he will have…
DIGEST and follow this information if you hope and pray that you and your family will survive the coronavirus pandemic because your lives really depend on them. As of press time on Friday, March 20, COVID-19 has infected more than 258,000 people around the world and has killed more than 11,300. Here in the United…
Experts monitoring the coronavirus outbreak warn that if we, as a nation and as a people, do not implement and follow drastic measures and preparations for the inevitable surge in the number of those infected by the disease, then we may very well be on track to experience the chaos and tragedy that Italians are…
THE only thing worse than incompetence in governing is to have a president who is being driven by selfish, greedy, malicious intentions. This has been proven time and time again under the leadership of the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump. The coronavirus health emergency just highlights the failure in his leadership…
I HEAR YOU. As a mother of four millennials who have campaigned and voted for Senator Bernie Sanders since the 2016 presidential election, I feel your pain and understand your worries for your future. The facts have been so excruciatingly painful in the past decade as you transition to adulthood and have to take care…
CORONAVIRUS, specifically COVID-19, is the infectious disease caused by the most recently discovered coronavirus. This new virus and disease were unknown before the outbreak began in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Here are the symptoms, treatment options and warning from the World Health Organization (WHO): What are the symptoms of COVID-19? The most common symptoms…
KABABAYANS all over the world are among so many people now in a state of fear over the threats of coronavirus. We’ve seen madness over face masks, panic buying of canned goods, bottled water and other food supplies, scare over traveling either domestically or internationally, and paranoia over being with a person sneezing or coughing,…
DEMOCRACY WINS! The Filipino people have spoken loud and clear, demanding press freedom and the rule of law to prevail. The government listens. Pursuant to the rule of law and due process, ABS-CBN was finally given the formal legal platform to address accusations of franchise violations fueled by no less than President Rodrigo Duterte’s supporters….
PERJURY is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding. It is considered a serious offense, as it can be used to usurp the power of the courts, resulting in the miscarriages of justice. On…
THE light at the end of the tunnel: Democracy will win! The Supreme Court of the Philippines will uphold the rule of law and allow due process to take its course by junking the quo warranto case filed by Solicitor General Jose Calida to shutdown ABS-CBN and will defer to the authority vested in Congress,…
GAG ORDER. This is what the Office of the Solicitor General has asked the Supreme Court the Philippines to issue against ABS-CBN Corp. after Sol. Gen Jose Calida filed a quo warranto petition to forfeit the legislative franchises of the corporation and its subsidiary, ABS-CBN Convergence, Inc. The gag order is intended to silence ABS-CBN…
IN FRONT of the ABS-CBN Headquarters in Manila and virtually online around the world, Filipinos have stood with ABS-CBN and the right to free press, regardless of the broadcasting network, publication or web page they work for or subscribe to. They know that if the Duterte administration displays this harassment and vendetta using the power…
THE NEW YORK TIMES reported that “the Philippine government moved Monday to end the franchise of the country’s leading broadcast network, the latest push by the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte against media outlets that have been critical of his leadership”. Representing the Philippine government, Solicitor General Jose Calida filed a complaint before the Supreme…
“A truly free and independent press is a vital component of any healthy democratic society. […] the prime value of journalism is that it imposes transparency, and thus accountability, on those who wield the greatest governmental and corporate power.” — Glenn Greenwald, Laura Poitras and Jeremy Scahill. This is the vital role a free and…
TAAL Volcano – a volcano within a lake within a volcano. This spectacular dreamy view of Taal from Tagaytay is perhaps one of the most memorable sights of the Motherland that we Filipinos already living abroad always go back to. Being only 31 miles away from the nation’s capital, this picturesque destination is part of…
DEMAGOGUE: a leader championing the cause of the common people in ancient times. This is how the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines the word, which has evolved to “a leader who makes use of popular prejudices and false claims and promises in order to gain power.” The evolution of the meaning of the term “demagogue” comes from…
