Seeing Red

Election period in the country usually draws out the heinous and sinister sides of Filipinos. Politicians desperate to win go an extra mile in asserting their competitiveness. The most appalling atrocities this country has seen usually happened in the lead-up to national polls: the Maguindanao massacre being the most prominent example with the Plaza Miranda […]

What’s ours is ours, what’s not is not

It is said that sovereignty lies at the forefront of every nation’s identity. Everything that is within the borders defined by the state’s constitution is part of their heritage, it is their patrimony which they are ordained to defend because they have sovereignty, or the moral responsibility, over this domain. In failing to safeguard their […]

The Red Flag is Rising

Not that long ago, a Philippine president made a bold statement to “beat the odds”. The plan included crushing extremists in the south, ending a decades-old communist rebellion, stabilizing food prices and providing millions of rural jobs. As we all know, none of those bullet-points can be justifiably ticked off the list albeit a peace agreement framework […]

Demoralization

The great Filipino hero Jose Rizal once said, “the youth is the hope of the future.” He acknowledges the youth of today will become the doctors, teachers, soldiers, public servants and other professionals of tomorrow. While this is entirely true, let us remember that they will not only be the bright professionals in the workforce […]

The Voice of a People

It was only last month when the Papal Nuncio to the Philippines, Archbishop Giussepe Pinto hailed the country as the ‘last bastion against divorce’. The envoy from the Vatican underscored the fact that aside from the Holy See, the Philippines is the only country not to have any form of divorce in the world. While […]

Diplomatic Bullying

It seems that the Philippines is finding itself on the wrong end of a diplomatic bullying. The island-nation of Taiwan, which calls itself the ‘Republic of China’, is apparently incensed at the Philippine government. This came as a result of the latter’s decision to deport 14 Taiwanese nationals, suspected of fraud, to the People’s Republic […]

The Real State of the Nation

Newly-sworn in President Noynoy Aquino delivered his first State of the Nation Address three days ago. In a speech the entire nation, as well as a number of overseas Filipinos looked forward to, Noynoy revealed anomalies that happened during the reign of his predecessor. A saga of extravagance and funds mismanagement, he explained how our […]

The Plague of Maoism

It has been over forty years since the New People’s Army (NPA) was formed. The group, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), was organized to topple the Marcos regime, and has well served its’ purpose. Democracy had been restored. Marcos is long gone. But four decades had passed and the guerrilla group still lives and could recruit […]

Gun Ban For All

As a necessary precaution for the upcoming national elections, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) gun ban was put into effect last night. And in a span of just a few hours, they have apprehended a total of eighteen violators. If this rate continues, we could hope for a peaceful election for once. But that dream […]

Voice Unheard

After delivering a speech that supposedly described to the world the serious need for aid of the people in Mindanao, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s speech before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly was met with massive discontent and was even ignored by some delegates. Now, we have to think if whether they ignored the country or […]