Stop-gap measure: PH signs $700-M deal with South Korea for a squadron of FA-50s
The Philippines has signed a $700-million deal with the Korean Aerospace Industries (KAI) for 12 FA-50 aircraft to boost the country’s air defense capability.
Do we urgently need the expensive F-16s?
The Philippines would be heavily burdened by paying back loans to acquire $5.6 billion worth of F-16s, making Manila more dependent on Washington.
Sandy Cay takeover
China’s state-owned and controlled media posted a news story and photo, where it seized control of an uninhabited feature in the South China Sea, a clear violation of the 2002 informal code of conduct it agreed to with the 10 Southeast Asian Nations.
Responding to future security threats
The Philippines has been drawing valuable lessons from conflicts in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and the recent India-Pakistan border disputes.
JD Constantino, shining star, goes into the Light
She was 50 years a Carmelite nun. JD Constantino was one of the most brilliant gems this country had ever produced.
The last magnificent moral compass
Rene Saguisag had a way with words that appealed to both the high brow and the masa. Yet he never used this to smooth-talk his way as traditional politicians do, but to allure the Filipino to have a romance with the law. He was an anti-politician politician, as a...
EDSA in Luneta?
But let them have the streets of EDSA. We can pray at the Luneta where we yearly pray with the Poong Nazareno and where we prayed in the millions with Pope John Paul II and Pope Francis.
The visit of Ursula von der Leyen to Manila
Can the Marcos Jr. government, which deems itself beholden to Duterte popularity for winning the 2022 election race, navigate itself through the EU by invoking the two conditionalities as non-negotiables?
Are we corrupt because we are Christians?
Does faith fuel corruption — or is the problem deeper than religion?
Trauma
The question was: How has the loss of your loved ones affected your lives? “I lost my grandfather,” replied an eight-year old boy who put on a stoic face. “He was the one left behind in the house with us to take care of us, so nanay could work, but now he’s gone.” “They killed my uncle, who was supporting my college education,” a tall lanky teenager chimed in. “I therefore had to stop schooling.” “I lost my parents, and it’s been really hard for us… ” began a 14-year-old girl who eventually broke down before she could finish her thought.
No longer fun in the Philippines
Will you vacation there knowing they were built on the suffering of the innocent and the voiceless?
Not just a sideshow!
Many are hooked to their TV sets or social media screens. But it’s not a new Korean telenovela that is sweeping the country. Rather, they are the relentless daily hearings being conducted in both chambers of Congress.
Corruption erodes country’s moral fiber
“Public office is a public trust.”
Fruits of Corruption Taxable
All receipts, whether lawfully or unlawfully acquired, are taxable—because when the law does not distinguish, neither should we.”
Corruption is stealing, period
Corrupting government funds intended for flood control is stealing people’s money intended to protect their lives and livelihood.
Jobs, not cash assistance
Stop making the people beg. Give them decent jobs.
Preparing for war
Together with the Army and the Air Force, the US Navy has been upgrading its capability to increase deterrence and discourage China from its plan to invade Taiwan by 2027.
Let’s talk about ‘malice’
This manipulation and exploitation of our legal system has got to stop. Power to abuse is the very essence of abuse of power. The Constitution is not a piece of clay that one can shape or bend to follow an official’s sinister purpose.
The Critical Issues the Church Faces
In season or out of season, the leadership as well as the members of the Church – whether bishops, clergy, religious and laity – cannot abandon their mission as prophetic conscience and servants of the people and society in general. In spite of perceived powerlessness and declining influence, the Church has an important role in bringing about social transformation as the nation find itself in a long dark night.
Why did priests and religious vote for Duterte?
After celebrating the fourth anniversary of presidential inauguration, Duterte should be thankful to the 16 million Filipinos who voted for him.
Invisible Army
The unseen enemy is targeting the top brass.
From solons who granted him more power & money
We are one, despite our differences
In the name of God and country, we must allow the incoming administration, whatever we think of it, to perform or fail, according to its real merits. Accompanied by our religious, moral and political leaders, we must try to lift our society from any false need to judge one another unkindly because of our political or other human differences.
A conflict-averse president? Part II
If BBM’s political enemies have not given up, and if they have assessed him to be “conflict-averse”, they might be tempted to recreate the scenario against his dad.
A conflict-averse president?
The winners in the May 9 elections have not been officially proclaimed, but world leaders have already recognized former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. as the 17th president of the Philippines. US President Joe Biden is the first one to extend such recognition. China’s President Xi Jinping and others have followed.
SHIT in the time of COVID
The following was forwarded to me, and instead of trashing it because of its title and its unknown origin (although its references are mostly Christian), I gave it a chance—and I am thankful I did.
‘My daughter is a lesbian’
“No matter how carefully we raise our children, we come to the point when we have to surrender control as parents. Their life is now their own to live. Especially their love life. But although we shouldn’t pick love partners for them, we can always remind them to always nurture their Friendship with God.”
A letter lights a candle in the dark
Sometimes my email inbox yields something so precious that I feel it must reach as many eyes and ears as possible. One example is this one sent to me by my dear nuns at the Sœurs de la FamilleMissionnaire de Notre-Dame convent in Cannes, France.
Dream on Philippines
Another raging issue has hit the homeland – the conviction for libel of Maria Ressa of Rappler.
Coronavirus
As I write this, I am grateful to all of those who have expressed concerns and offered prayers for our safety.
Patron of statesmen and politicians
One of the gaps in our troubled world today is the lack of role models, those who embody the ideals of what we would like to be, or what we could become as individuals and as a nation. Perhaps, this gap is most felt in the field of government and politics.
Again, the issue on the Separation of Church and State
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) came out with A Pastoral Letter and A Call to Prayer on July 16 appealing to the Filipinos to pray for the country because of the threat of abuses to freedom due to the signing of the Anti-Terrorism Law on July 3.
We shall overcome
These past few weeks, we have been mercilessly punched by adversaries. The Covid infection has been rising in the country.
Unreasonable
The IATF came out with a recent decision that set the parameters for activities for the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine (MECQ) and the Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).
Checkpoints, food chains and the frontlines
Checkpoints are not new. Vehicles or persons are generally allowed to pass through these checkpoints after a customary visual inspection and answering a few questions, or more recently, upon presentment of quarantine passes.
The consumer protection law during pandemics and public emergencies
It is hoped that the government will really strike a balance between consumers and manufacturers. This is not the best time to take advantage of the vulnerabilities of each one. It is time to take this seriously and responsibly.
Traditional fishing rights and vulnerabilities
Traditional fishing rights (TFR) is one of the notable mentions of the President in his recent State of the Nation Address.