BELEGUERED PRESIDENCY
Upon the convocation of the Constitutional Commission of 1986, its first order of business was to emasculate the Executive Department. The commission’s leading figures were one in saying that they were not oblivious of the teachings of history. They were not called to repeat the tragedy of martial law that has made democracy an exception...
KULIGLIG IS A WORK OF GENIUS!
In kneejerk fashion, we read the riot act on the Kuliglig. Let’s have second look at it. It’s original like the jeep and the Thais tuktuk and the Chinese rickshaw and the Venetian gondola. It came out of nowhere and nobody minded, except the barangay tanod and the cop on the block who get some...
THERE’S NO FREE LUNCH IN CONGRESS, MR. PRESIDENT
Nothing was heard from them when the President banned sirens and counterflow. They cooperated, didn’t they? Look at how they comport themselves on the way to Batasan.
JUST DESERTS IN HER MEMOIRS
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo no doubt ranks as one of the most vilified Presidents of this country. Surveys after surveys gave her the lowest estimation measure as an unpopular leader well into the end of her term.
POLL AID FATIGUE
Right after the 1998 elections, scuttlebutt has it that two months into Erap’s term, election contributions kept pouring in. The donors made a beeline at the Polk’s, the well-known residence of the newly minted President.
NOTHING NOBLE IN QUEZON DIVISION
We conducted our press conference on February 15, 2010 at Fresh Aire Hotel at 2:00 p.m. with former Governor Eduardo T. Rodriguez and former QUEZELCO Director Popoy Nanadiego and this writer were in attendance. It was moderated by Mr. Gemi Formaran of the Governor’s Office. The press conference was well-attended by most of the media...
THE SENATE’S TIPPING POINT
Johnny Enrile’s call to conscience on his colleagues in the disposition of a committee report recommending censure on Manny Villar on the latter’s accounting treatment of the C-5 funding is a tipping point on the Senate’s perception on who shall be our next President.
TIP OF THE BONDOC (PENINSULA)
Still reeling from the aftermath of two destructive typhoons before the year ended, we were into a pleasant surprise to find out that our good congressman from the 3rd district of Quezon, also known as the Bondoc Peninsula, foot the Big Apple’s Le Cirque bill of the President and company. It amounted to less than a million...
IT COULD BE NOYNOY BY A MILE
How do we elect Presidents? We have so far elected a number of presidents from 1935 to 2004. What then is an outstanding trait of a candidate that makes us gravitate to him and topping this off by installing him as our leader? There seems to be a common thread among the elected presidents we...
IT’S THE DYNASTIES, STUPID!
The consequent condemnations of the 57 deaths were furious and unforgiving. Even the government’s reaction was swift in its objective of corralling all at once the perpetrators to satisfy public outcry. There has to be some catharsis in the massacre most foul. By declaring state of emergency over Maguindanao that ripened into full-blown martial rule...
LA PAMPANGUENA
Sedated, and before he lapsed into induced coma, Ferdinand Marcos ordered the Sikorsky pilot to bring him to Paoay. His genius told him that with him in his hometown he is assured of an iron vault fortification. The vaunted Ilocano allegiance comes into play and the dictator can buy his time. With him ensconced in...
stories in my head, part three
Stone de Noche’s story When I was a kid, my playmate Edo Boy baptized every cop on the block in the small town of Quezon. There’s that old Batangueno Tata Kariong Supot whose service de sabog was never used the whole time the cop was in employment. Then there’s that Sergeant Saripang Duling who never...