THE BISHOPS HAVE RIGHTLY OPPOSED aerial spraying in banana farms on the basis of the ancient unassailable claim of justice: “Do not do to others what you would not like to be done to you.”
When it comes to protecting human rights in the ASEAN, remember the adage: Watch what they do, not what they say. In this part of the world, words work differently. Elsewhere you must “say what you mean and mean what you say.”
Most of Southeast Asia, and especially the Philippines, used to fear China because it was communist. Today we must fear China because it is going nationalist, and in a very big way.
The Monday morning quarterbacks have spoken on Typhoons “Ondoy” and “Pepeng,” and I’m appealing that they speak less. Surely we the public are entitled to know more about the decision to release water from the dams, and the congressional inquiries should ferret out the truth that we seek.
The Supreme Court has lowered the boom on gung-ho politicians getting a leg up on the competition by premature campaigning. It has unseated a town mayor for a motorcade held as she drove to the Comelec office to file her certificate of candidacy.
Catastrophes brought about by nature only highlight the failings brought about by people. They also bring out our best. By now we have heard of them: Of Muelmar Magallanes, the 18-year-old construction worker who perished after saving more than 30 people from rampaging flood waters.
“It’s the economy, stupid!” That was the winning pitch of Bill Clinton in election year 1992. The line actually belonged to his campaign strategist James Carville, and it worked marvelously against re-electionist George Herbert Walker Bush.
