THERE is no truth to the yarn woven by two columnists of the Manila Times that the Filipino masses are resisting “American efforts to get their candidate Leni Robredo to grab power.” We know it’s not true because, on the contrary, what most of us Filipinos are afraid of is the obvious
May 2, 2022
THIS writer entertains no doubt that the sudden withdrawal of Congressman Dante Marcoleta from the Senate race, contrary to his allegation, was not just a knee-jerk reaction to his tail-ending position in the surveys. “The fighter in me,” he said, “should be brave enough to read the writings on the wall.” While
April 29, 2022
THIS writer has repeatedly made his disbelief in paid political surveys, which have sprouted to the max. There are now at least six of them showing parallel results but with various numbers of alleged respondents ranging from 1,200 to 2,400. They appear to have succeeded in projecting the image of Ferdinand “Bongbong”
April 27, 2022
“HELLO, Garci.” Certainly, Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner Rey Bulay, 63, is not too old to forget the recorded telephone call made by the then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to Virgilio Garciliano, an election officer in Maguindanao who had been tasked to rig the 2004 presidential election in her favor. For that, Arroyo
April 25, 2022
DOES Ferdinand “BBM” Marcos fit the definition of a “Manchurian Candidate”? The dictionary defines the Manchurian candidate as “a person, especially a politician, being used as a puppet by an enemy power.” Considering his wish to be “anointed” as successor-candidate by President Rodrigo Duterte – a self-confessed ally of Chinese President Xi
April 22, 2022
PRESIDENTIAL candidate Isko Moreno Domagoso could have done that “supreme sacrifice” he would like opponent Leni Robredo to do. But he and two other contenders – Sen, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson and former Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales – only succeeded in boosting their image as “enablers” of the candidate who ranks No. 1
April 20, 2022
THE sad news that befell Metro Manila last week was the increase in the cost of electricity by the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to the tune of P9.65 per kilowatt-hour (kWh). Our good news here in Iloilo City, on the other hand, is that we still have the lowest power cost from
April 18, 2022
RAIN, rain, go away; come again another day. We have had more than enough of typhoon Agaton, with entire towns submerged in flood water. But with the Holy Week now “showing,” what better time than now to ask the Lord for divine mercy and forgiveness? After all, the Holy Week is that
April 13, 2022
THIS writer is convinced that the political pollsters – notably SWS, Pulse Asia, Octa Research, Laylo Research and Publicus – have a common goal, which is to concretize the “invincibility” of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Sara Duterte-Carpio as the winning combination for president and vice-president, respectively. Their surveys show the two
April 11, 2022
THERE was a time when we believed what we read, heard and saw in the print, radio and TV media. But now, with the headlines screaming dubious political surveys passed off as news, we tend to disbelieve. Take note of yesterday’s banner headline of a supposedly credible newspaper: “Marcos keeps lead, but
April 8, 2022
IF he had his way, MORE Power President Roel Z. Castro would not hike the price of electricity in Iloilo City. While that sounds ironic, coming from a corporate executive, Castro told us that the company treasures its reputation as distributor of the lowest-priced electricity in the Philippines, now at ₱6.70 per kilowatt-hour.
April 6, 2022
THIS WEEK’S thought-provoking news from Malacañang amplifies the online meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping scheduled on April 8. What for? For a favor from the Chinese dictator whom he flaunts as a “dear friend”? The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) may see the meeting as Xi’s reaction
April 4, 2022