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- Raul C. Pangalangan
By Raul C. Pangalangan
One more not rise to a standing ovation for a trailer even before the movie is made, lest unrealistic expectations spoil the actual viewing. Similarly, the Framework Agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is a milestone for sure, but unrestrained hype may well derail peace in the end. The Framework says little but the public has been conditioned to believe it says everything. What will happen when our people check under the hood and discover what’s not there?
Posted: October 18th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
The so-called Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro uses words to conceal rather than reveal. For instance, it grandly declares: “The relationship of the Central Government with the Bangsamoro Government shall be asymmetric.”
Posted: October 11th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
Critics of the Cybercrime Law (RA 10175) err when they target its punishment of defamation. Libel has been punished in the Revised Penal Code since 1930, and presumably before that in the Spanish-era Codigo Penal. The Cybercrime Law didn’t invent it. That is completely understandable. After all, libel is defined as “a crime against honor,” [...]
Posted: October 4th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
Recent debates on mining allow us to go beyond the usual skirmishes over minutiae and draw us into the war over bigger ideas. It’s about time, the better to confront the tyranny of political correctness and expose our underlying attitudes and philosophies.
Posted: September 27th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
WHY DO those who are old enough to remember martial law make great effort today to mark its 40th anniversary? Because many of us are worried that the next generation seems blasé about a return to dictatorship and some even sound like they would relish it. I have in the past looked at the pedagogical [...]
Posted: September 20th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
On Thursday last week in Kuala Lumpur, I opened the newspaper and, lo and behold, saw the banner of Malaysia’s Star (“The people’s paper”): “Bye, Bye, Filipinas.” The report opens thus: “With the Philippine Government’s plan to phase out the sending of citizens overseas to work [as domestic helpers], it’s as good as saying goodbye to Filipina maids.”
Posted: September 13th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
Finally, someone high up in government has raised the alarm about the rise of on-the-job training (OJT) requirements as a cover for unpaid or underpaid labor. Vice President Jejomar Binay has rightly called our attention to a phenomenon that opens the door to the exploitation of Filipino students. Abroad, such internships have been called the modern-day form of slave labor.
Posted: August 30th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
A Jewish rabbi asked why “bad things happen to good people,” and wrote a book to help him find the answer (Harold Kushner, “When Bad Things Happen to Good People”). Filipinos can likewise ask why a bad thing happened to Jesse Robredo, a good man and outstanding public servant, but we can find our peace best in remembering him by embracing the many causes and reforms he dreamt for our nation.
Posted: August 23rd, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Featured Columns,Featured Headline,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
Given the heated arguments, maybe the title should end with a question mark. Is it possible to be sober, rational and truthful about reproductive health (RH), and still be a good Catholic? I, for one, certainly wouldn’t give up trying. My father was prefect of the Sodality in his student days at Ateneo (and member [...]
Posted: August 16th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
There has been no letup in the rainfall since the week before that it was easy to imagine the need for Noah’s ark, metaphorically if not literally.
Posted: August 9th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
(Editor’s note: INQUIRER.net has been given permission by Lyndon Santos, who took the video which is the subject of Dean Raul Pangalangan’s column today, to post this on our site. We saw it fit to post it alongside Dean Pangalangan’s column) The other day, I saw a short video that was making the [...]
Posted: August 2nd, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
By Raul C. Pangalangan
Unless we can ensure that a revised constitution will enjoy the same overwhelming mandate enjoyed by the 1987 Charter, we are better off rectifying the current deficiencies through presidential and legislative initiatives and judicial interpretation. Otherwise we risk bartering a tried and tested anchor of legitimacy for an improved constitutional text that even at its [...]
Posted: July 26th, 2012 in Columnists,Columns,Editor's Pick,Inquirer Opinion | Read More »
