The ‘war on drugs’: Saying too much is saying nothing
Social media have been abuzz over a tweet attributed to Dr. Agnes Callamard, Special Rapporteur from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, who was recently…
Category: Features
Covering the week’s most noteworthy feature stories impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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The PDAF queen is back
AFTER managing to stay under the radar while being incarcerated for one of the biggest scandals in Philippine politics, pork barrel or Philippine Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) scam mastermind Janet…
A personal account of the 1992 Los Angeles riots
The Los Angeles riots of 1992 are among a few moments that are seared in my memory. It was mid afternoon on Wednesday April 29, when I got a call…
The Duterte and Marcos US trips, a case of déjà vu
President Rodrigo Duterte has been invited by President Donald Trump to the United States. I seem to have seen this scene before. A case of déjà vu. In September 1982,…
Infrastructure boom… or bust?
The usual skeptics have dismissed as pie-in-the-sky the recent announcement concerning the “infrastructure boom” that the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte plans to undertake. According to them, it is wishful…
Defusing the threat of nuclear war
THE current deadly “game of chicken” being undertaken by the U.S., under President Donald Trump, and by North Korea, under its Supreme Leader, Kim Jong-un, isn’t the first time that…
If Duterte can’t be expected to change, perhaps media should
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has accused media, specifically the Philippine Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN, of being bastos and unfair and, in the process, he sounded just as foul as the objects…
Trump wants to stop insurance payments for those subsidized by Obamacare
WARNING: If you are among the 7 million people, or 58 percent, of those who signed up for Obamacare coverage for 2017 and qualify for cost-sharing subsidies, then you may…
Cigarettes: The macho killers
SOME years ago, I was asked to create an ad campaign to debunk the argument that a non-smoking section in restaurants and other public places could spare non-smokers from the…
Reversing his long-held position, Trump strikes Syria: What changed?
Amid his historic 35 percent approval rating and an ongoing investigation into his alleged conspiracy with Russia to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, President Donald Trump ordered a…
A call for piety
“MAY the virtues of kindness and benevolence that Christ exemplified serve as our inspiration to aid in the plight of our less fortunate fellowmen. Let the story of crucifixion challenge…
Why I became a citizen at 79
by Florencio Sunga Mallari, Sr. IN March 2008, my life took a big turn when I moved to the United States from the Philippines. I was full of hope as…
Despite Democrats’ filibuster, Trump’s nominee for Supreme Court Neil Gorsuch now confirmed after Senate Republicans fire back with ‘nuclear option’
AFTER more than a year of contentious debate over who should succeed the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia in the Supreme Court, the Senate on Friday, April 7 confirmed President…
Supporting public media
After a very contentious election last year, I am hopeful that we can set aside the partisan bickering that has plagued the halls of government throughout our great nation. In…
Trump smoke and fire: Spies, lies, and the Russian ties
“SOME people in the Trump campaign may end up in jail,” revealed Texas Rep. Joaquin Castro in a CNN interview on Tuesday, April 4. The congressman’s declaration comes after more…
Airport woes
FOR a country that has been branded with the “worst airport in the world” tag in 2011 and 2013, the last thing it needs is another reason to inconvenience its…
Is China using a condom on Duterte?
MY late boss, Tony de Joya, chairman of Adverting & Marketing Associates, had a classic description of a condom: “It gives you a feeling of security while you are being…
A majority of Americans feel the country is headed in the wrong direction under Trump
PRESIDENT Donald Trump promised to make America great again but 71 days into his young presidency, his approval rating has been on a free fall across the board this week….
Trump, Republicans in Congress give companies that steal their workers’ wages a gift
AS the news gets inundated with headlines about the failed Trumpcare and the ongoing muddled investigation on the alleged collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia, President Donald Trump signed…
Critical time
Millions of people turned the lights off for at least an hour in some of the world’s most famous cities on Saturday, March 25, as they joined the global initiative…
A majority of Americans think Trump is not honest, disapprove of the job he is doing as president
DONALD J. TRUMP has been president for a little over 60 days and yet his approval and trust rating continues to plummet amid the controversies, scandals and failures he has…
Did Cayetano lose and then reacquire Philippine citizenship?
IN a stout rebuttal of assertions made in a Philippine Daily Inquirer column by Filipino-American lawyer, Rodel Rodis, concerning the US citizenship of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano and his subsequent…
Do honor and integrity still count?
TWO of the most common expressions that I hear from the tricycle drivers in our neighborhood in Parañaque are: “Lumilipas din ang kahihiyan!” (Shame passes!) and, “Nakakain ba ang dangal?”…
Pres. Trump lied to the American people and to the world
Faces investigation on possible collusion with Russia PRESIDENT Donald J. Trump lied. He lied to the American people. He lied to the world. And he is not owning up to…
Trading barbs
DESPITE a recent cordial encounter during the commencement exercises of the Philippine Military Academy Salaknib Class of 2017 in Baguio City last March 12, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte and Vice Pres….
Trump continues his unsubstantiated wiretapping accusations vs Obama, says British spies did it
PRESIDENT Donald Trump just will not stop. Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees have said they have not seen any evidence to substantiate Trump’s accusations of…
Robredo lies to world, shames the nation and herself in UN message
I WAS shocked at Vice President Leni Robredo’s video message sent to the UN Commission on Narcotics Drugs to be played at its 60th meeting today. Either this lady is…
Congressional Budget Office: Millions of Americans will lose insurance under Trumpcare
REPUBLICANS, including then candidate Donald Trump, ran on the campaign promise of repealing President Barack Obama’s signature legislative legacy — the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Republican party, a.k.a. the…