On being a Filipino in Mexico
For sure it will take more than a day’s visit to truly understand the culture, the nature and the essence of a nation, but there is something about Mexico and…
Category: Opinion & Editorial Columnists
Read More
Court ordered Trump to pay $2 million for using charity foundation to benefit his political campaign in 2016
WIN. Win. Win. No matter what the cost. No matter what the laws are. No matter what the truth is. Just to win. Win. Win. This appears to be the…
Trump threatens to cut off federal aid to California wildfires after offering Putin help with Siberia’s forest fire
PRESIDENT Donald Trump has threatened to cut off federal aid to California, home to the biggest population of Filipinos in the United States. Almost 100,000 acres of wildfires have been…
Missing the Filipino tradition of ‘undas’ in America
PICTURES and videos of friends in costumes partying and kids trick or treating on Halloween flood my newsfeed on social media. I must admit, my husband and I never got…
In demanding delicadeza, accountability, justice from public officials, there’s NO gray area: Either you call them out OR you enable them
BREAKING NEWS: PBS reported, “The U.S. House of Representatives plans to hold a formal vote Thursday, October 31, on the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump over his alleged abuses…
Obama eulogizes Rep. Elijah Cummings’ legacy: ‘Our children are the living messengers we send to a future we will never see’
ONE of the pillars of true public service who made his light shine upon others has been called back to heaven by our Creator. His life’s purpose has always been…
Rogue cops – What else is new?
Remember that sick joke about how fast the cops arrived at a crime scene? Cops in other countries were said to arrive in just a few minutes. But Pinoy police…
Trump’s actions impeach himself with his betrayal of presidential oath and defiance of the Constitution
KABABAYANS who are loyal fans of President Donald J. Trump have been contending that the launching of an impeachment inquiry into him is doing the country a disservice because it…
Vice President Leni Robredo maintains victory over Bongbong Marcos after electoral protest recount
LENI ROBREDO was sworn in as vice president of the Philippines after winning in the 2016 elections, defeating her political rival Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. by just 263,473 votes. This prompted…
France, Qatar to Pangasinan and engagements in Asia and the U.S.
We had a hectic month-long journey to France including Lourdes where we visited once more the shrine of our Blessed Virgin Mary, then to Qatar in the Middle East, and…
Chirac and the Muslim mosque in the south; brief Qatar visit and tension in Persian Gulf
(Part 2 of 2) We were then a young aggressive entrepreneur, and decided to bid as prime contractor for the Port of Jeddah, the largest then in the Arab world,…
New Fox News and other polls show a majority of Americans now say Trump should be impeached, removed from office
“HOAX” and “witch hunt” — that’s how President Donald Trump has always called any investigation into him. He has gone further by instructing officials and staff in his administration NOT…
‘Kept: Six Decades of Servitude’ puts a spotlight on the servitude many Filipinos endure in the US
IT HAS BEEN a part of the Filipino culture to think not only of one’s self, but what will be good for the family. This is also a very Asian…
Chirac and the Muslim mosque in the south; brief Qatar visit and tension in Persian Gulf
(Part 1 of 2) We were in Paris with wife Gina when former French President Jacques Chirac passed away. He was 86 years old. World leaders including German Chancellor Angela…
Tipping point?: A majority of Americans now support opening of impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump
DESPITE impeachment fatigue reflected in previous polls, it looks like the recent Ukraine scandal has pushed the American people to a tipping point. President Donald Trump effectively confessed to the…
Why impeach Trump? Let the Founding Fathers and framers of the US Constitution count the whys and the ways
AS NEWS HEADLINES banner the contentious dealings President Donald Trump had with foreign countries to dig dirt against his political opponents for his personal gains just to win elections and…
The power, privileges and accountability of a communications man
Having recently launched my book, “Confusions of a Communications Man” (recounting my experiences in over half a century as a communications practitioner) I was invited to speak before students of Mass Communications…
The beginning of the end: Trump impeachment hearing could begin this week
NO ONE is above the law. Not even the president of the United States. The impeachment hearing that may lead to the ouster of Donald J. Trump will begin as…
Cost of living and cost of dying
The Philippines is where my wife and I would love to retire in, but I decided to check out other so-called retirement havens for comparison. An interesting source of information…
Sen. Cortez Masto: For Congress to address climate change, we must recognize its impact on Asian American and Pacific Islander communities
Having been born and raised in Las Vegas, I’m so thrilled to see our community’s growing diversity. I’ve watched an engaged and thriving Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community…
The youth takes charge of the adults’ denial, apathy and inaction on the climate crisis threatening life on earth
HISTORY has again and again documented how the youth has been the driving force of change in society through many generations in different parts of the world. The youth and…
How to help others who may be at risk based on social media posts
SEPTEMBER is National Suicide Prevention Month in the United States. In my effort to help spread awareness on this health crisis that is now the 10th cause of death in…
Helping make the Pasig River commuter system succeed
It’s remarkable, what a long-unopened filing cabinet can yield. On this trip to Manila, we found a faded document with the ambitious heading: “CONCEPT PAPER: A PASIG-BASED COMMUTER TRANSPORT SYSTEM…
What we need to know about suicide, the 10th cause of death in the US
SUICIDE — the act of taking one’s own life. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that in 2017, the 10th cause of death in the United States…
Readers react to proposal to bring back life skills classes
KABABAYANS are fired up after reading my article pushing for the government, in the Philippines and the United States, to bring back life skills subjects that have unfortunately been taken…
In the winter of our lives
IN September 2011, for the Global Summit of Filipinos in the Diaspora convened by the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, then CFO Chair Imelda Nicolas, asked me to write a poem,…
Home economics, house repairs and child care: Schools should bring back survival skill classes for ALL students
STUDENTS of today’s generation are so well trained and proficient in a lot of high-tech skills like computer and internet use, camera techniques, music mixing, editing, online publishing and social…
Amid the growing gun violence in America, do you agree that the NRA is a ‘domestic terrorist’ organization?
TERRORISM, as defined by Britannica, is the systematic use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective….
The hazards of misreading the news
WHEN I read the post in social media that Senator-boxer Manny Pacquiao had proposed crucifixion as a method of imposing the death penalty, my automatic response was to suggest, “Crucify…
Gratitude and giving back to Filipinos from the University of the Philippines’ ‘Mga Iskolar ng Bayan’
I AM proud to be one of these scholars, having graduated cum laude from the UP College of Mass Communication in 1984, and continued on with my Master’s Degree in…