Christmas wish
GIVEN the unsure situation the world is facing today, we are looking for some sort of a sign this Christmas—something that could calm our fears about what lies ahead. Times…
Category: Opinion & Editorial Columnists
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Duterte-Marcos is the new ‘AlDuB’
Labor groups and people supportive of the candidacy of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said they have repackaged the tandem as “Team AlDuB”….
The Presidentiables
The candidates for the 2016 Presidential race are all ready to rumble. The top contenders are Mar Roxas, Jejomar Binay, Grace Poe, Miriam Santiago and Rodrigo Duterte. Mar Roxas is…
Long Beach Filipinos support $15 minimum wage and protections against wage theft
WITH over 30,000 Filipinos living in Long Beach, conversations about raising the minimum wage and wage enforcement in the city are important issues to the Filipino community. Most Filipinos in…
Duterte, Trump, Hitler and Nardong Putik
“THE success of Donald Trump has so defied the conventional wisdom of political punditry that a new genre of analysis has come into being. Call it Trumpology. It consists of…
Understanding the spirit of the right to bear arms
FOLLOWING the San Bernardino massacre that claimed the lives of 14 people and injured 21 others, people ask: when will these senseless killings end? When will Congress pass sensible gun…
May angal, Circa 2015
IN April 2010, towards the end of the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, I wrote a biting piece entitled, “May Angal???” I wrote it out of sheer frustration over the…
Do you agree with Trump’s call to ban Muslims from entering the US?
Donald Trump once again shook the nation with yet another plan to purportedly keep America safe following the San Bernardino massacre that killed 14 people and injured 21 others. The…
Global commitment
RECENT climatic and environmental events warn that the world is doomed for disastrous consequences. The Philippines—who is among the countries that bear the brunt of this phenomenon—seeks adaptive measures that…
After San Bernardino mass shooting: more Fil-Ams want stricter gun control laws in the US
FOURTEEN people were killed and 21 others wounded when a couple opened fire in San Bernardino, California last Wednesday, Dec. 2. FBI Director James Comey said they uncovered “indications of…
You have a right to affordable and high quality health care
AS the Chair of the California State Assembly Health Committee, I believe that affordable, accessible, and high quality health care coverage is a right, not a privilege. Having true access…
Statement on the Affordable Care Act
Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted five years ago, thousands of Nevadans have gained access to the affordable health care they need and deserve. The health and wellbeing…
Searching for heroes? Here’s a compilation
Why aren’t enough movies like Heneral Luna being made? Because, as this book is titled, they’re “Stories Rarely Told.” Reader C. Soriano must have been so affected by Sat. late…
How the average Pinoys regard the Spratlys conflict
PRESIDENT Benigno S. Aquino III has been excoriated for his handling of the festering conflict with China over the Spratlys. From losing trading revenues to being pulverized in a shooting…
Roxas and Duterte tied as Fil-Ams’ top favorites for president
Will this change with the new Duterte controversies? AFTER previous denials of his intent to join the race to Malacañang, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has finally declared his candidacy…
Self-destructive
“THE people of the Philippines are not ready for my kind of style,” Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte warned in September when he turned down ardent calls by his supporters…
Quotes that remind us about the essence of Thanksgiving
More than Christmas, Thanksgiving Day is perhaps the holiday that compels many families to come home and spend time with their folks. There is no pressure about giving gifts —…
Senate Electoral Tribunal ruling: Tougher road ahead for Sen. Grace Poe
The 5-4 vote by the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) is not the resounding victory that many supporters of Grace Poe had hoped for. In fact, the close vote means that…
Noli Me Tangere and the APEC Summit
THE APEC summit, for which the Aquino government was willing to create horrible incoveniences and economic losses for the country, concluded amidst self-congratulatory applause and back-patting by its organizers. The…
Poll result: Fil-Ams do not want any more Syrian refugees in the US over terrorism fears
AFTER the coordinated terrorist attacks consisting of mass shootings, suicide bombings, and hostage-taking in Paris that killed 130 people and injured 389 on November 13, people all over the world…
Troubled water
OVER the weekend, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered for its annual summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The global leaders discussed some of the region’s most…
The other side of the immigration debate
Millions of undocumented immigrants are facing possible deportation. Some have proposed building a wall. States are threatening to close their borders to refugees. Amid the current divisive immigration rhetoric it’s…
Should the US abandon its plan to accept more Syrian refugees to keep the country safe?
AT least 129 people were killed and 352 wounded after three groups of terrorists staged coordinated attacks at six locations throughout Paris, France late Friday, Nov. 13. ISIS, a jihadist…
Pray for Paris
“ONCE again we’ve seen an outrageous attempt to terrorize innocent civilians. This is an attack not just on Paris, it’s an attack not just on the people of France, but…
Never again!
THOSE who continue to subscribe to the “Tuwid na Daan” of the Aquino administration should listen to the tales of woe of the Lumads. Numerous accounts say thousands of indigenous…
Former TSA employee exposes ‘Laglag Bala’ scam at NAIA
MANY victims of the alleged bullet planting scam (“laglag bala” or “tanim bala”) at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport have come forward to fight against airport personnel, including Rhed de…
Disruption
Hosting the APEC meeting in a crowded and disorganized metropolis like Manila is very likely a bad idea. The disruption will impose costs on everyone, costs far beyond the few…
What’s the end game in the US-China face-off over the Spratleys?
REMEMBER our boyhood days when a bully would place a chip on his shoulder and dare anyone to knock it off? If someone did, the bully had to fight the…
What to do when you get victimized by the ‘laglag bala’ scam at NAIA
MY husband and I are visiting the Philippines this December, as many kababayans plan to do as well, but the excitement of this year’s trip is dampened by the “laglag…