Citizens of nowhere
After patiently waiting for more than 100 years for the government to provide them with automatic citizenship rights, the American Samoan community has filed suit against the US Government. Our…
Category: Opinion & Editorial Columnists
Read More
11 years after
THE tragedy of 9/11 will forever be etched in the memories of billions of people all over the world. On the morning of September 11, 2001, news of passenger planes…
Leaps and bounds
ACCORDING to the World Economic Forum (WEF), out of the 144 countries that were surveyed from April to June, the Philippines has improved significantly in terms of competitiveness, moving up…
Room for improvement
WITH a strong currency, an innovative and energetic economy, and an increase in remittances and tax revenues, the Philippines is keen in avoiding financial mistakes made in the past. With…
Chicken and egg
FOR the past few days, social media was replete with feedback on two issues from opposite ends of the spectrum: Sec. Robredo’s untimely death, and Sen. Tito Sotto alleged commission…
Mark Antony on Jesse Robredo
What else can one say about the late Jesse Robredo that hasn’t already been said? What praise can one give that has not already been given? In a society where…
Lady Justice
COMPLETING the Supreme Court of the Philippines as its 15th member, Filipinos welcome the entry of Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, as the country’s 24th Chief Justice. Sereno will preside over…
A WYSIWYG president
“What you see is what you get” or WYSIWYG may be an apt description of President Noynoy Aquino. The good part is that he says what he thinks. But it…
Disaster preparedness
BEING a monsoon country, the Philippines is visited by at least 20 typhoons in a year. Aside from that, even without an actual storm, rainfall can dump a month’s worth…
A roaring economy
ACCORDING to Drs. Tyler Cowen and John Nye (professors at George Mason University in Washington DC), under the leadership of President Benigno Aquino III, the Philippines has “the best chance…
Ah, those good old tabloid days
PRESIDENT Noynoy Aquino had ample praise for the Manila business daily, BusinessWorld, at its 25th anniversary reception last week. In contrast, and within the same week, he had harsh words…
Passing it on
WITH the olympic torch still fired up for the London 2012 Olympics, inspiring Filipino athletes (and an NBA champion coach) seem to come out of the woodwork. 2012 NBA champ…
Remembering Tita Cory
FILIPINOS, who are old enough to remember the Marcos regime, would clearly understand what kind of impact Corazon Cojuangco Aquino made in freeing the Philippines from the clutches of oppression…
The waiting game
AT HIS third State of the Nation Address, President Benigno Aquino III mentioned four priority measures, one of which is the controversial Reproductive Health Bill (which he referred to indirectly…
A true King
In the game of chess, the game is over when the king falls or is checkmated. It is a representation of accepting defeat, but what it signifies is that when…
Cha-cha for China?
EARLIER this week (in an interview with dzBB radio) Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile raised a question in jest: “Now that China has sent its own astronauts into space, would…
Searching for the best
After the dramatic impeachment trial of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, comes the big question: Who will be the 24th Chief Justice of the Philippines? Last July 2, the Judicial…
The Health Care Act remains unaffordable and therefore unattainable
Last week, a deeply divided US Supreme Court upheld President Obama’s health care initiative, the Affordable [Health] Care Act. But many are applauding this decision for the wrong reasons. LAST…
Fourth of July
ON this day, we are behooved to recall the history of how the United States of America came to be. The clarion call for independence is just as fundamental, and…
Why We Should Applaud Pew’s Study on Asian American Accomplishments
For more than 300 years, Asian Americans have been ignored and until recently, discriminated against. This includes the infamous incarceration of over 100,000 Japanese American citizens during the Second World…
Tribute to Pidol
ARE national honors, such as the title of National Artist, appropriate for a comedian? The French thought it was proper to confer the Legion of Honor on Jerry Lewis. Queen…
Turncoatism and opportunism
SENATORS Edgardo Angara and Jinggoy Estrada have filed a bill that would provide a subsidy to political parties involved in an election, with funds from government coffers, and would penalize…
Pacquiao-Bradley winners and losers
MANNY Pacquiao didn’t lose to Timothy Bradley. That much is clear, no matter what Bradley says. Like a recently impeached midnight appointee, Bradley has to rationalize wearing his corona. But…
Eye-opener
SATURDAY’S outcome of the Pacquiao-Bradley fight came as a shocker, not only to Filipinos across the globe, but even to former boxing champs, fierce critics and former Pacquiao opponents, boxing…
Business as usual
Now it’s time for some serious business. President Benigno Aquino III, who is now holding meetings with the dignitaries of the United States, has accumulated for the country a whopping…
The Ties That Bind
ON TUESDAY, the US Senate unanimously passed a resolution”calling for increased defense and security cooperation with the Philippines.” The US Senate said that “Washington is fully committed to honoring its…
Miriam Offensor-Santiago
How is Miriam Defensor-Santiago regarded by her colleagues in the Senate? No more than a sick joke. This was obvious in the way they were chuckling and exchanging mischievous whispers…
Justice delayed
AFTER 44 days of trial, the world witnessed the guilty verdict passed for Chief Justice Renato Corona, who is now impeached. Although it took five months to deliver, the conclusion…
Paradigm shift
AS THE convoluted chapter called the impeachment trial of now ex-Chief Justice Renato Corona comes to a close, yet another one opens — and with a lot at stake. The…