The argument of President Aquino that a total gun ban will only favor society’s bad elements to the detriment of law-abiding citizens (Inquirer, 1/10/13) is a clear admission that bad elements abound in this country. It is the constitutional duty of the President of the Philippines, as commander in chief, to eliminate bad elements and maintain peace and order nationwide.
ALL ADMINISTRATIONS since Cory Aquino, unlike those in other countries, did not have a strong resolve and missed the historic chance to clean up the mess of autocracy and kleptocracy. Letting the Marcoses get away with plunder and corruption and other political-economic transgressions against the Filipino people would be a monumental error that would reverse the gains of People Power and destroy what little faith we have left in this democracy. It is a virtual indictment of our supposed democracy that our institutions, with all their vast powers, have to bow down to and crumble before private, self-aggrandizing interests of the remorseless greedy who wield immense wealth and influence.
There are two star performers for 2012. They are President Benigno Aquino III and the Filipino as a people. The combination or relationship of the two carried over a momentum that began in 2011 when the government blocked the attempted, post-haste exit of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. By coincidence or synchronicity, a major shift began [...]
We commend the conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona by the senator-judges. We hope this would lead to a new paradigm of transparency and accountability in governance, as Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano said.
The decision of the Supreme Court on Hacienda Luisita was announced on Tuesday, April 24. As of this writing (Friday, April 27), the decision has yet to be promulgated. My information is that the discussion of the high court en banc on Tuesday needed to be properly reflected in both the majority decision and in the dissenting opinions, and so some amount of rewriting had to be done. Plus, of course, the signatures of all 14 participating justices (Associate Justice Tony Carpio inhibited himself) have to be affixed. Which is why the delay, and why it still hasn’t been uploaded onto the Supreme Court website.
This refers to the item titled “Fuel price increases pull Aquino down”
(Inquirer, 4/3/12), which stated that “Sharp increases in fuel prices that inevitably push up the cost of living may have pulled down public satisfaction with the performance of President Aquino from ‘very good’ to ‘good,’ a lawmaker and a labor leader said Monday.”
Stung by the ridicule of “Noynoying”—the term used by street protesters to lampoon his “do nothing” work ethic—President Aquino went on overdrive last Tuesday to announce that he had ordered the speed-up of eight infrastructure projects this year to pump up the sluggish economic growth. The announcement was made at the Philippine Investment Forum, where [...]
“Noynoying” IS how the students call it, the art of doing nothing. It has found itself in Wikipedia, the entry probably submitted by its practitioners themselves, and is defined as “an effortless pose, or activity consisting of sitting or standing around, in an unconcerned manner.” The youthful demonstrators have been doing—or not doing?—it of late. In lieu of shouting their heads off or doing things calculated to provoke antiriot cops, they’ve been lying on the streets, sitting and yawning, and affecting various poses of repose and/or expressions of boredom.
Allow me to react to the Inquirer’s feel-good story “From butt of jokes in 1986, PH has risen to creditor nation.” (Inquirer, 2/28/12) I was elated by this piece of good news and with reasons. Indeed, the Philippines achieved a milestone this year under the able leadership of President Aquino when the country, derided as [...]
It has been almost two years now since President Aquino took office and promised to everyone that he will lead our country toward good governance and along the righteous path.
Japanese billionaire and pachinko king Kazuo Okada and American gambling tycoon Steve Wynn used to be close business associates and are now engaged in a bitter legal fight. President Aquino and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo used to be close political allies (maybe not so close) but are now the bitterest of enemies, engaged in even more deadly legal battles.
The impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona takes a back seat as public attention shifts its focus to the streets and the Aquino administration’s capacity to mobilize People Power behind its punitive campaign to hold officials of the previous regime accountable for alleged venalities is tested.
