TIME may not yet be ripe for another US president to set foot on Philippine soil. Philippine Ambassador Jose Cuisia Jr. said that the consulate in Washington, DC has not been advised by the US State Department of any change in Obama’s state visit. But because of adverse effects of an extended closure of federal…
PLEASE allow me to deviate from my usual commentaries and discussions about current issues. I want to use this opportunity to pay homage to my younger brother, David Santos. He died unexpectedly on Saturday, September 28, at the young age of 44. I just came back from a short trip to Manila, to say goodbye…
OPEN enrollment for Covered California begins on October 1st, with coverage beginning on January 1, 2014. Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace (created in congruence with the Affordable Care Act aka Obamacare, which was made into law in 2010), where Californians can shop around, compare and apply for health coverage plans. In its…
WHAT is supposed to be a common aspiration– to end corruption in the Philippines and seek justice in the pork barrel scam — has now divided Filipinos all over the world. At the center of the debate is the question of whether alleged mastermind of the P10-billion pork barrel scam should testify in the Senate…
ONCE described as a medieval institution, the Catholic Church (under the leadership of Pope Francis I) is no longer sitting on its laurels. The high prelate is encouraging the Church, along with its followers, to evolve and adapt to the changing world. “The church sometimes has locked itself up in small things, in small-minded rules….
WHAT is the role of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee in the quest for truth and justice in the ongoing investigations for the pork barrel scam? What mandate does it have to fulfill this mission? These are questions in mind of the general public, as the plot thickens in the continuing saga of the pork…
Aside from our inability, as a people, to sustain our anger, and our poor collective memory, we have one more trait that keeps us from exacting full retribution from public officials who have done us wrong. Awa. Pity. Compassion. That’s probably one of the qualities that make Filipinos so lovable. And why assorted hustlers, scam…
THE first batch of plunder charges may have been filed against lawmakers and other officials allegedly involved in the P10-Billion Pork Barrel Scam in the Philippines, but Filipinos around the world are not letting up. “Tuloy ang laban” remains to be their battlecry, demanding for the swift, fair and impartial investigation, and conviction of those…
It was an era in history that older generations of Filipinos would rather forget. But lessons from this tumultuous period has taught us to commemorate the past — if only to recount the nightmare that was martial law, and to make sure that it never happens again. On September 21, 1972, then President Ferdinand Edralin…
Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and Jinggoy Estrada. They are but three among lawmakers recommended to be charged for plunder, after the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) compiled evidence which proved that some legislators received kickbacks in the P10-billion pork barrel scam, devised and orchestrated by Napoles. In all, Department of Justice…
WHILE the standoff between Philippine military forces and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) continues in Zamboanga City, Vice President Jejomar Binay took his share of the spotlight, after his failed attempt to negotiate for a ceasefire. ate a peaceful settlement (through his connection with former MNLF chairman Nur Misuari), and to free the hostages. However,…
“Our ideals and principles, as well as our national security, are at stake in Syria, along with our leadership of a world where we seek to ensure that the worst weapons will never be used,” President Obama told the American people in a primetime televised speech last Tuesday. “America is not the world’s policeman. Terrible…
Starting October 1, open-access markets for subsidized coverage under Pres. Barack Obama’s healthcare overhaul may change your health insurance — and not necessarily for the better. According to the Associated Press (AP), there is a new “wild card” which could affect your coverage — your home address. This is because of “entrenched political divisions” over…
“WE will never forget.” These words are forever etched in the hearts and minds of people across the world, as we recall that fateful day when the World Trade twin towers crumbled into dust. Twelve years later, we are called to remember the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost on September 11, 2001. Who could…
After the Obama administration’s all-out push for a limited military strike against the Assad Regime for using chemical weapons to slaughter more than 1,400 of its own people to hold on to power, Syria now says that it will surrender all its stockpiles of chemical weapons to international control and destroy them. This surprising position…
It was during the presidency of Ronald Reagan that “deniability” became a buzz word in international media. The US Congress attempted to hold Reagan directly accountable for the Iran-Contra scandal, an under-the-table arms-for-hostage deal between the US and Iran, coursed through Israel, that involved a diversion of funds – also under-the-table – for the Contra…
“ENOUGH with politicians pocketing people’s taxes, while the rest of the country are suffering from the devastation of the floods,” Los Angeles- based Fil-Am community leader Art Garcia said in a press statement, voicing out the sentiments of many Filipinos all over the world about another scandal, which has rocked our kababayans’ confidence in public officials….
THREE days before the scheduled ‘A Million People’s March’ of protest in Luneta [which calls for the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), more popularly known as “the pork barrel”] and solidarity rallies in key cities in the Philippines and the United States, President Benigno S. Aquino III finally decided that it was…
BEGINNING last weekend, new revelations on the pork barrel scam continues to pour, probably just as heavily as Typhoon Maring’s wrath , which has flooded Metro Manila. Most Filipinos expressed anger and disgust through social media. They feel betrayed, knowing that their hard-earned money has been blatantly misused by the people they put in power….
PRESIDENT Noynoy Aquino ran and won on his anti-corruption platform. While not all kababayans were happy about the way his administration pushed for plunder charges against his predecessor and now Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, and for the impeachment of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, a majority of Filipinos are still happy that the son of democracy…
Three weeks ago, the National Asian American Coalition (NAAC) was among the first, if not the very first minority organization in the nation, to protest the proposed merger of American Airlines and US Airways before the antitrust division of the U.S. Department of Justice. Last week, the Department of Justice employed many of our arguments…
EVER since a warrant was released by the Department of Justice for the arrest of businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and her brother Reynaldo Lim, social media has been inundated with feedback by netizens. Most were angry and appalled that Napoles was able to escape the clutches of justice so quickly. The Dept. of Justice, along with…
The California Supreme Court justices’ unanimous ruling last Wednesday tossed out a legal challenge by supporters of Proposition 8, a ballot measure passed by voters in 2008, which banned same-sex marriage. This means gay marriages in California are here to stay. Advocates against gay marriages, however, are not giving up just yet. According to the…
AFTER months of strained relations, the Philippines and Taiwan have settled their differences — letting diplomacy prevail. Tensions rose on May 9, when a standoff ignited between the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and a Taiwanese fishing vessel, boarded by alleged poachers, in waters where the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of both countries overlap. The incident…
How do we solve a problem like China, with its continued “bullying” and claim on a million square miles of the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea including some Philippine territories? As we reported on Balitang America, community leader Loida Nicolas Lewis and the US Pinoys for Good Governance have spearheaded the “boycott everything about China”…
What is it about Janet Lim-Napoles that reminds me of the Mafia? Oh, yes, Napoles sounds like Napoli or Naples in Italy, the original turf of The Mob, which subsequently took control of the rackets in such cities as Chicago and New York. The current showbiz spectacle on the alleged 10 billion peso PDAF scams…
Over 99 percent of all issues decided by the federal government that affect our nation’s 20 million Asian Americans are decided with little or no Asian American input. Largely, this exclusion is self-inflicted. We still think and act as if we are just temporary guests. Yet, we are citizens, have many Asian American legislators and…
MOVE over, teenagers! Lolos and lolas are now on Facebook and it seems that they are here to stay! According to a new report from Pew Internet & American Life project, 43 percent of internet users aged 65 and older say they use social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. This is a big leap, compared…
“Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika, daig pa ang hayop at malansang isda.” – Jose P. Rizal PURSUANT to Presidential Decree No. 1041(s. 1997), August has been declared as Buwan ng Wika (National Language Month) in the Philippines. The theme for this year is Wika Natin ang Daang Matuwid, with the Department of Education and…
Some years ago, when Manny Pacquiao was just beginning to make waves in the boxing world, he starred in a full length Tagalog movie. A special screening of the film was held in San Francisco, to which I was invited. After the screening, I was among those asked for our opinion on Pacquiao’s acting. My…
