A long time ago, people who cleared the land and made it productive regarded themselves as its stewards if not its owners. Then, government came and declared all land that has not been properly titled as public domain. Thus, overnight, with the exception of a few who knew the rudiments of land registration, the natives … Read more
Twenty four years ago, Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law and proceeded to govern the country without accountability – except, maybe, to history. Today, we remember that sad episode in our national lives as a metaphor for everything that is corrupt, abusive, and predatory in politics. The story could have been different. Martial law could have … Read more
The creation of the SPCPD or the Southern Philippines Council for Peace and Development may be described as the last attempt of the state to formally integrate Moroland into the Filipino nation. If it succeeds, those Moro checkpoints — which designate the boundaries of contested territory and which stand as the last emblems of Moro … Read more
In her speech at the Ateneo University recently, former president Cory Aquino enumerated what she believed to be the qualities of an ideal leader for our times. She said that he or she “must have a sense of right and wrong, of morality and justice, and a sense of kinship with all of our people.” … Read more