DAVAO City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte has vowed to stop crime and corruption if elected president of the Philippines in 2016. It seems that he will stop at nothing to get there. The no-nonsense presidential aspirant is on a mean streak lately and has been engaging his rivals in a political mudslinging. His first target was…
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 control laws to keep high-powered firearms out of the hands of people who are not fit to own guns? Republicans argue against this — contending…
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 abuses of the Arroyo administration that we, as citizens, could only helplessly protest. Here’s how that piece read: “If you grew up in the streets…
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 Republican presidential frontrunner wants a total shutdown of all Muslims entering America — whether they are immigrants or tourists. While Trump’s fans cheered when he…
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 would strengthen livelihoods, food security and ecosystems. In his trip to Paris, France last week, Pres. Benigno Aquino III called for significant actions to address…
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 radicalization” and possible “inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations.” Comey said the FBI does not have any clue that these killers are part of an organized…
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 to a doctor when you need one can improve, extend, and even save one’s life. California’s implementation of the Affordable Care Act brought us closer than ever to…
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 of Nevadans has always been one of my top priorities, which is why I proudly championed the passage of this landmark legislation. I am so…
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 night TV to email: “I wonder if you also were watching ANC’s ‘Meet the ‘Presidentiables’.’ Grace Poe was asked if she thought Mar Roxas was…
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 war, Aquino’s “belligerence” has been severely criticized, but the pundits have not offered any constructive and realistic suggestions on how we should handle the situation,…
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 for the presidency His supporters who’ve been waiting for this moment rejoiced, saying “the eagle has landed” and pinning hopes that Duterte is the leader…
“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 for him to run for the presidency. In a sudden twist of fate, Duterte made his presidential bid official on Friday, Nov. 27, as he…
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 — just a pure bonding moment over food and family memories. During this special Thanksgiving weekend, let me share with you some of my favorite quotes…
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 Poe might have an even harder time when the issue of her citizenship is finally brought up to the Supreme Court (SC). Complainant Rizalito David…
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 good news is that, in spite of the threat of a terrorist attack, in the wake of the massacre in Paris, the delegates clearly enjoyed…
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 have been debating about the possible security threat posed by the Syrian refugee program being shared by progressive countries in Europe and North America for…
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 pressing issues including economic integration, trade liberalization, sustainable growth and energy security. With some of its members embattled with China on the contested waters of…
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 important that we not forget another story: the nearly 9 million green card holders living lawfully in the U.S. who are eligible to become citizens,…
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 organization that has declared a self-styled “caliphate” across parts of Iraq and Syria, has claimed responsibility for the massacre, and warned that the United States…
“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 this is an attack on all of humanity and the universal values that we share.” – Pres. Barack Obama Sharing his sentiments over the multiple…
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 people from Mindanao have been victims of atrocities and yet, the administration hasn’t lifted a finger to address their plight. Hundreds have been killed, thousands…
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 Guzman, the Fil-Am caregiver from Los Angeles, who went to the Philippine Consulate to file her affidavit about her experience at NAIA. American missionary Lane…
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 billion pesos government is actually paying out for the event. As that meeting nears, the scale of the disruption in an urban center that contributes…
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 challenger or else lose face. By building artificial islands on sunken reefs in the Spratleys and claiming sovereignty over nearly all of the South China…
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 bala” scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila. This issue has become an international concern, having been reported by international media, and with…
WITH the rising number of alleged victims of the notorious “tanim bala” (bullet planting) scam at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), it is no surprise that this peculiar security threat has reached international headlines. Just this year, the Philippine National Police-Aviation Security Group (PNP-AVSeG) recorded 105 alleged “tanim bala” incidents, while the Manila International…
YOU can see and feel the “paranoia” among travelers even in the terminals here in the United States. On flights coming from the Philippines, luggage is plastic wrapped and locked and have signs that say there are no bullets inside, so extorters better take their hands off. These are some of the ways kababayans are…
Nevada would not be the state that it is today without the contributions made by the Filipino-American community. The hard work of our Filipino-American community continues to help move our state forward and makes our state stronger. I am proud to represent thousands Filipino-Americans in Nevada, and I am deeply grateful for what they have…
That’s according to the 2015 rankings by the “Global Peace Index” of 162 countries done annually since 2007 by a panel of international experts in the Institute for Economics and Peace. The Institute is considered to be the world’s leading think tank in developing metrics for analyzing peace and to quantify its economic benefits. The…
I HAVE just read, with extreme fascination, a discussion paper published by Norberto B. Gonzales, secretary of national defense and national security adviser under former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. It has a title that immediately grabs you: Revolution Now? After going through the piece, the question that immediately comes to mind is: Revolution? How? And who?…
