WITH bilateral relations between China and the Philippines blossoming in multiple fronts, the territorial dispute in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea is an issue the two countries cannot simply dance around anymore. Over the weekend, Beijing protested the visit by Manila’s defense and military chiefs to Pag-Asa, or Thitu Island, a disputed…
THE current deadly “game of chicken” being undertaken by the U.S., under President Donald Trump, and by North Korea, under its Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, isn’t the first time that the world has teetered on the brink of nuclear war. For 13 days, from October 16 to 28, 1962, U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and…
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has accused media, specifically the Philippine Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN, of being bastos and unfair and, in the process, he sounded just as foul as the objects of his ire. Perhaps it is too much to expect Duterte to change. But, with due respect to my media colleagues, I believe they –…
WARNING: If you are among the 7 million people, or 58 percent, of those who signed up for Obamacare coverage for 2017 and qualify for cost-sharing subsidies, then you may lose that help you are getting, thanks to President Donald Trump. Contrary to what he said about moving onto his other agenda, it seems Trump…
SOME years ago, I was asked to create an ad campaign to debunk the argument that a non-smoking section in restaurants and other public places could spare non-smokers from the hazards of second-hand smoke. I depicted a public swimming pool where someone urinated at one end of the pool, causing all the swimmers to jump…
Amid his historic 35 percent approval rating and an ongoing investigation into his alleged conspiracy with Russia to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, President Donald Trump ordered a missile strike on Friday, April 7 in Syria without seeking Congressional approval, following news reports about Syria dictator Bashar Al-Assad slaughtering innocent civilians using chemical…
“MAY the virtues of kindness and benevolence that Christ exemplified serve as our inspiration to aid in the plight of our less fortunate fellowmen. Let the story of crucifixion challenge us to remain persevering in our struggle for a better life and a stronger society,” said President Rodrigo Duterte in his Holy Week message to…
by Florencio Sunga Mallari, Sr. IN March 2008, my life took a big turn when I moved to the United States from the Philippines. I was full of hope as I stepped off the plane in Los Angeles. The warm air reminded me of home, but that familiarity quickly disappeared as I found myself in…
AFTER more than a year of contentious debate over who should succeed the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in the Supreme Court, the Senate on Friday, April 7 confirmed President Donald Trump’s nominee, Neil M. Gorsuch, with a vote of 54 to 45. The battle culminated in the Democrats’ filibuster of Gorsuch’s nomination, with Democrats…
After a very contentious election last year, I am hopeful that we can set aside the partisan bickering that has plagued the halls of government throughout our great nation. In order to stimulate and facilitate honest dialogue and discourse, we must continue to support trusted sources for news information, programming and entertainment that only public…
“SOME people in the Trump campaign may end up in jail,” revealed Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro in a CNN interview on Tuesday, April 4. The congressman’s declaration comes after more classified information was presented to the House Intelligence Committee’s investigation into the allegations that the Trump campaign and Russia conspired to meddle in the 2016…
FOR a country that has been branded with the “worst airport in the world” tag in 2011 and 2013, the last thing it needs is another reason to inconvenience its travelers. Last year, a survey released by “The Guide to Sleeping in Airports” ranked the Philippines’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in fifth place. Complaints…
MY late boss, Tony de Joya, chairman of Adverting & Marketing Associates, had a classic description of a condom: “It gives you a feeling of security while you are being screwed.” I was reminded of this upon reading about the results of President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit to China, as reported by the Philippine Star:…
PRESIDENT Donald Trump promised to make America great again but 71 days into his young presidency, his approval rating has been on a free fall across the board this week. In the latest Gallup Poll’s three-day rolling average poll, Trump’s approval slid to a historic 35 percent as of Tuesday, March 28, down from 36…
AS the news gets inundated with headlines about the failed Trumpcare and the ongoing muddled investigation on the alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, President Donald Trump signed a bill into law that will end Obama-era regulation that protects ordinary folks from unscrupulous employers from abusing and neglecting them. Under the Fair Pay…
Millions of people turned the lights off for at least an hour in some of the world’s most famous cities on Saturday, March 25, as they joined the global initiative to raise awareness and take action against climate change. Now in its 10th year, the Earth Hour called for the world to collectively act together…
DONALD J. TRUMP has been president for a little over 60 days and yet his approval and trust rating continues to plummet amid the controversies, scandals and failures he has caused upon himself. Amid the growing list of issues against Trump: inability to close the deal among Republicans to pass Trumpcare that would have repealed…
IN a stout rebuttal of assertions made in a Philippine Daily Inquirer column by Filipino-American lawyer, Rodel Rodis, concerning the US citizenship of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and his subsequent renunciation of it, the following news item came out: “Senator Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday blasted an opinion piece questioning his citizenship, calling it ‘fake…
TWO of the most common expressions that I hear from the tricycle drivers in our neighborhood in Parañaque are: “Lumilipas din ang kahihiyan!” (Shame passes!) and, “Nakakain ba ang dangal?” (Can you eat honor?). These expressions reflect a very cynical attitude that is probably understandable if one were to consider the harsh lives that the…
Faces investigation on possible collusion with Russia PRESIDENT Donald J. Trump lied. He lied to the American people. He lied to the world. And he is not owning up to it. He is not apologizing about it. In four rants on Twitter in the early morning of March 4, Trump accused President Barack Obama of…
DESPITE a recent cordial encounter during the commencement exercises of the Philippine Military Academy Salaknib Class of 2017 in Baguio City last March 12, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and Vice Pres. Leni Robredo find themselves at odds once again over the interests of the country. On one side is the president who remains unshaken despite receiving…
PRESIDENT Donald Trump just will not stop. Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees have said they have not seen any evidence to substantiate Trump’s accusations of wiretapping/surveillance against Pres. Barack Obama before, during and after the 2016 presidential election. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director James Comey has said it…
I WAS shocked at Vice President Leni Robredo’s video message sent to the UN Commission on Narcotics Drugs to be played at its 60th meeting today. Either this lady is so naïve, or so stupid, that she doesn’t really know the gravity of her message, which I suspect she doesn’t, since she was reading the…
REPUBLICANS, including then candidate Donald Trump, ran on the campaign promise of repealing President Barack Obama’s signature legislative legacy — the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Republican party, a.k.a. the Grand Old Party (GOP), had been fixated on demonizing the ACA, also known as “Obamacare,” since Obama started pushing for its passing to provide health…
BILATERAL ties between the Philippines and China have begun to warm up as soon as President Rodrigo Duterte stepped into office. Following his early anti-American outbursts, Duterte vowed to carry out an independent foreign policy, one that seeks to distance Manila from Washington, but makes overtures toward Beijing. True enough, Chinese investors are lining up…
I have been elated about the recent appointments of Filipino Americans — Ninio Joseph Fetalvo as assistant press secretary, Kelly Ilagan as deputy associate director for presidential personnel, and Joyce Meyer as deputy assistant to the president and House deputy director of legislative affairs — into the administration of President Donald J. Trump. I am…
So, it appears that Donald J. Trump has selected Noel Francisco as the new solicitor general, and apparently, Mr. Francisco is Filipino American. If he is confirmed, he would become the highest-ranking Filipino American in the U.S. government. Some Filipino Americans might view this is as a win, but here is the thing. A Filipino…
To Kababayans who are undocumented immigrants or those who have been overstaying and working illegally in the United States, please beware. I know many of you have been experiencing sleepless nights worrying about deportation and having the Trump administration tear your families apart with the new guidelines. However, know that there are unscrupulous people out…
IN January 2017, The New Republic, a liberal US magazine, ran an article by journalist Sean Williams entitled, “Rodrigo Duterte’s Army of Online Trolls”: “Since Rodrigo Duterte was elected president of the Philippines last June, he has waged a brutal crackdown on drug dealers and addicts. Nearly 4,000 people have been killed by government forces…Duterte’s authoritarian rhetoric has elicited…
AMID the growing support for a bipartisan and independent investigation to find out if there was/is collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign before, during and after the 2016 presidential elections, President Donald Trump woke up on the early morning of Saturday, March 4 to fire a barrage of tweets to accuse his predecessor, President…
