IN a past column, this writer wondered who could have “incentivized” 301 members of our House of Representatives – against only seven oppositionists — to pass a resolution to amend the Constitution through a constitutional convention (con-con). Although I suspected they could benefit from Chinese retirees buying land in the Philippines –
April 10, 2023
PROFESSING Christians don’t “sin” during the Holy Week. We know that thieves and robbers rest. Prostitutes stay at home. No job for hired killers, too. There are places where even convicted criminals walk the streets half-naked and barefooted while whipping their bleeding backs “to secure God’s forgiveness.” It’s as if it’s all
April 5, 2023
WHEN legislators act almost unanimously but without popular support from their constituents, there must be an “irresistible” force behind. Whether through the constitutional convention (con-con), as proposed by the House of Representatives, or the constituent assembly (con-ass) preferable to a few members of the Senate, charter change (cha-cha) promises no better life
April 3, 2023
PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. was obviously in a cover-up mood when he said he could not support the International Criminal Court (ICC) in its decision to move forward with its investigation into the drug-war killings under former President Rodrigo Duterte. “The Philippines is a sovereign nation,” he said, “and we are
March 31, 2023
THIS writer agrees with the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to go on with its investigation into the killings during the Duterte administration’s bloody “war on drugs”. Having already affirmed its jurisdiction despite the Philippine government’s arguments to the contrary, the ICC has no alternative but to junk the latest
March 29, 2023
WHILE attending the 92nd birthday celebration of my Auntie Flor in what used to be a sleepy barangay in Antique, I spent an hour talking to a seaman who had called it quits due to frustration. Let us call him Juan Matino. To cut his long story short, he was only in
March 27, 2023
THIS writer has lost track of the number of times that billionaire Enrique K. Razon Jr. visited Iloilo City. Each time he comes, however, there is always good news behind. No less than Mayor Jerry P. Treñas stressed this last Wednesday when he joined Razon for the inauguration of the new 30/36-MVA
March 24, 2023
The “octopus connection” has become so familiar that we all know it has nothing to do with the octopus. In electrical parlance, it refers to extension cords plugged into a single power outlet, thus creating an image of the octopus. It may cause overheating, which could trigger fire or any other electrical-related
March 22, 2023
HATS off to the “TnTrio”. Whatever it stands for, the moniker refers to three concerned citizens searching for the truth behind the 20 million votes that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had counted within one hour after closing time of the May 9, 2022 election. They are Eliseo Rio, former secretary of
March 20, 2023
THE dictionary defines the con man as “a man who cheats or tricks others by gaining their trust and persuading them to believe something that is not true.” Sorry for being brutally candid, but that’s how I see legislators pushing for charter change (cha-cha), whether through a constitutional convention (con-con) or a
March 17, 2023
IS ABS-CBN Corporation on the verge of regaining its congressional franchise as a free-TV network with the exit of Rodrigo Duterte and the entry of Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos as President of the Philippines? I had hoped so, believing that it was Duterte who had manipulated Congress into junking the renewal of its
March 15, 2023
AUSTRALIA, the “country down under,” has around three million of its residents addicted to prohibited drugs. But the police don’t shoot people for drug addiction. They deal with it as a disease calling for medical attention. Let me recall my conversation with a vacationing Filipino nurse who works in Sydney, Australia. Denmark
March 13, 2023