By Isabel Escoda
In contrast to the Philippines where the case of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre seems to be in limbo, India is fast-tracking its trial of the New Delhi gang rape. Like the massacre allegedly perpetrated by members of the powerful Ampatuan clan and their minions, the gang rape has drawn publicity and condemnation worldwide, especially since it exposed the long-entrenched patriarchal practice in India of viewing female members of society as second-class citizens. Females in the country known as the world’s largest democracy have traditionally been subjected to sexual abuse, with the perpetrators usually going scot-free.
Posted: February 7th, 2013 in Columnists,Columns,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Isabel Escoda
Filipino community leaders in Hong Kong leading the drive for Overseas Absentee Voting (OAV) have been finding more apathy than enthusiasm for the political exercise these days. Unlike in 2004 when the OAV was initiated, where registration and voting were enthusiastic, there is a general disillusionment today among overseas Filipino workers. The “walang nagbago(nothing has changed)” attitude prevails, with migrant workers feeling that their concerns have not been met by the Aquino administration, which most of them had backed.
Posted: December 18th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Isabel Escoda
“All Olympic athletes are winners … whether or not they get a medal,” declared Tsui Wing-hei in a letter to Hong Kong’s English-language newspaper South China Morning Post. He was referring to the recent London Games which one analyst called “arguably Britain’s greatest and most unifying moment since the end of [World War II].”
Posted: August 20th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Isabel Escoda
Who is Stanley Bing who declared he doesn’t like Facebook, repeating the statement three times? Does his recent Fortune magazine column titled “We’re Forever Blowing Bubbles” show he’s just contrarian, or a kind of dinosaur who hates the social media and their innovations? Wikipedia describes him as an American writer who “explores pathology and authority,” so how can he dismiss the fact that multitudes all over the world not only like but absolutely love FB?
Posted: August 13th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Isabel Escoda
Was that Beijing blogger who labeled the Philippines “a hoodlum country” serious when he urged his government to “use force” to settle the territorial dispute in the South China Sea? And wasn’t Manila entertainer Jim Paredes being facetious in saying that Filipinos should claim Hong Kong’s Statue Square?
Posted: May 29th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
