Dear Editor, AS I read in your paper (Asian Journal – Nov. 8-14, 2013 issue) Greg Macabenta’s column, “A Closer Look at Corruption,” it’s a sad thing to note that we lay the blame on corruption [as] the root cause of poverty and hardships in the Philippines. He cited the premise: “Kung walang corrupt, walang…
THE PR temperature has cooled down a bit since Sonny Coloma took over as presidential spokesman. His explanations about happenings in Malacañang, that are not as laborious and convoluted as that of spokespersons Edwin Lacierda and Abigail Valte, have been printed by the press with much less sniping. While Coloma comes with impressive credentials as…
THE outspoken senator strikes again. While Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was busy grilling Janet Lim-Napoles at the senate hearing on Thursday, her quips were also trending in social media. Leaving her sickbed for the senate investigation on the P10-billion pork barrel scam, Santiago was merciless in her line of questioning, albeit in a more composed tone….
OUR beloved Philippines has once again been tested by the wrath of nature, with the landfall of Super Typhoon Yolanda (International name: Haiyan), which meteorologists say may be the strongest tropical cyclone to hit land anywhere in recorded history — even more intense and powerful than typhoon “Yoling” which caused massive death and destruction in…
THE fault of one man should not be taken as the fault of an entire nation. This was the point reiterated by President Benigno S. Aquino III, in stating his position over the apology demanded by the Hong Kong government from the Philippines. “Our position is the act of one individual who is probably mentally…
FUTURE LEADERS OF TOMORROW (I have a guest writer in this edition of my column. She is my 17-year-old daughter Katrina Relos, a senior high school student from San Mateo High School in California. Katrina delivered a powerful and inspiring speech before Filipina leaders from different parts of the world in the Filipina Women’s Network…
ALL Saints Day and All Souls’ Day, for many Filipinos who immigrated to America, are not so much about costume parties, nor trick or treating. It still holds the same sanctity and tradition — days to commemorate and remember family and friends who have passed on. This includes commiserating with families of kababayans, who have…
ACCORDING to a report from Inquirer.net, President Benigno S. Aquino III’s speech on Wednesday left “more questions than answers,” when it was intended to provide “clarity and focus” on the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and the pork barrel system instead. The president’s televised speech centered on denying that he was “a thief,” “when observers…
I have just gone over a qualitative research study that confirms what most of us believe – that corruption in government is the root cause of the hardships that the people endure. The current pork barrel scandal is certainly proof of that. Because of this Mother of All Thefts, we have been deprived of the…
WITH a number of high profile politicians entangled in controversies lately, political reform in the Philippines is hounded by higher public expectation. Because of such pressure, every vote (from 54 million registered Filipino voters) has become more precious than ever. Before we turn our attention to the 2016 presidential elections, let us focus on the…
I HAD the privilege of meeting so many high achieving kababayan and kabaro in the Filipina Women’s Network Gala honoring the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the World. It was held in San Francisco on October 26. Celebrating Pinay Power, I got to listen to the leadership keynote speech of Cora M. Tellez , who…
SOME mischievous social media folks have been using a rather funny-sarcastic term when talking about President Noynoy Aquino: Litography. No, they’re not referring to a printing process. They mean someone who is “nalilito” or confused. This is also how they describe themselves with respect to the situation in the Philippines. Their perceptions are not necessarily…
AS Filipino-American Heritage Month comes to a close, now is the best time for Filipino-Americans to extend a helping hand to their kababayans back home, especially to the victims of the Bohol 7.2 magnitude earthquake in the Philippines, as well as to those displaced by the recent Zamboanga crisis. The Philippine Disaster Recovery Foundation (PDRF)…
ANOTHER Fil-Am mom created a firestorm online and on television because of her Facebook page picture, which showed her with her three very young sons, wearing a skimpy two-piece workout outfit that highlighted her svelte figure. A caption was posted on top: “What’s your excuse?” The photo became viral. What was intended to be an…
THE stakes in uncovering the truth behind the controversial pork barrel scam just got higher. On November 7, the stage is set at a Senate public hearing, for a face off between the whistleblowers, who bore the truth in the misuse of Filipinos’ tax money and the alleged mastermind, who allegedly siphoned off P10 billion…
IN the past, the epitome of the Filipina lola has been painted as an old woman in a rocking chair, gray hair in a bun (pusod), wearing eye glasses, a bit on the heavier side, holding a rosary and praying. Although loved and appreciated for doting on her grandchildren, the Filipina lola has been deemed…
MARK Twain is said to have quipped, “A cat who sits on a hot stove will never sit on a hot stove again. But he won’t sit on a cold stove, either.” Of course people are supposed to be more intelligent than cats. But we’re seeing the same cat-and-the-hot-stove attitude currently taking hold in our…
THE magnitude-7.2 earthquake that struck central Philippines last Tuesday, October 15, has claimed 161 lives according to authorities. About 400 people were reported injured and some are still missing as of press time. Landslides were reported in some areas. Nearly 3,000 houses were destroyed and another 16,000 were damaged in Bohol and Cebu, officials reported…
WHEN is a woman too old to rock? When a Filipina becomes a lola, should she stop taking care of her self as she used to in her younger years when to look good and feel good? Is there a new “life” that awaits a woman when she becomes old and gray, and has earned…
ASKED what he would miss most about his home for more than three years, outgoing US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas recently told Inquirer.net that it would be “Its people (Filipinos).” In previous interviews, Thomas said the Filipinos are the number one asset of the country and is the reason why the economy…
BEGINNING October 21, same-sex couples in New Jersey will be able to wed. This, after a New Jersey judge rejected the state’s appeal to halt same-sex marriages. Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson cited the US Supreme Court’s June rejection of part of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, a move that ensured that same-sex spouses…
Jinggoy Estrada has apparently succeeded in diverting the attention of both mainstream and social media, from the P10-billion pork scandal to alleged anomalies involving Noynoy Aquino’s Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) and the Malampaya fund. As I write this, the lead stories in the Manila dailies (excluding Business World which focuses on business and economic news)…
RECENTLY, the Filipino community was abuzz as news spread about a 63-year old woman who was allegedly detained and harassed by US immigration officers for six hours at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The traveler, retired Asian Development Bank employee Cariza Yonzon Grande, was on her 13th trip to the United States in a span of…
FOR many kababayans visiting the United States, the most dreaded part of the trip is going through the immigration inspection. The recent news about a 63-year old Filipina being harassed and intimidated by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers in the point of entry in Seattle, Washington just validated the fear and apprehension of such…
Innuendos concerning his association with alleged Queen of Pork Barrel Scams, Janet Lim-Napoles, his insistence on retaining his humongous presidential pork barrel-in-disguise, and recent allegations of bribery to ensure the impeachment by the Senate of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, have raised doubts about the avowed incorruptibility of Benigo S. Aquino III. His vaunted Daang…
WITH the theme “Towards Resilience and Growth: Reshaping Priorities for the Global Economy,” this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit gathered prominent heads of state and business leaders from the 21-member nations and territories in Bali, Indonesia. Held last October 5-7, the global leaders discussed some of the region’s most pressing issues including economic integration,…
YOU’VE got your US visa, excited to visit and tour around the United States, only to be subjected to harassing interrogation and threat of airport-to-airport deportation at the US immigration port of the entry. What can you do? What should have been a happy and memorable visit to attend her daughter’s wedding turned out to…
Innuendos concerning his association with alleged Queen of Pork Barrel Scams, Janet Lim-Napoles, his insistence on retaining his humongous presidential pork barrel-in-disguise, and recent allegations of bribery to ensure the impeachment by the Senate of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, have raised doubts about the avowed incorruptibility of Benigo S. Aquino III. His vaunted Daang…
WHEN President Benigno S. Aquino III (PNoy) dared the general public to file an impeachment case against him on Wednesday, “if they think it’s the right thing to do,” social media was inundated with mixed feedback. Some netizens were very vocal about their opinions in ousting the president; others opined that it’s the system that…
IT WAS a three-day visit to the Philippines I wish I never had to take. I had to come back to my homeland for a reason most Filipinos living abroad dread and fear the most — the death of a loved one. My younger brother David died unexpectedly on September 28, 2013 at the young…
