It happens all the time. A political earthquake loosens the ground on which hierarchies and institutions rest. Suddenly, the venerable structures that have governed our daily lives are exposed for what they are – the sediments of past agreements based on fragile trust. The unspent energy from the last earthquake discharges itself in little tremors, … Read more
People Power I made its first public appearance in 1983 at the massive funeral for Ninoy Aquino, extended its reach to the rest of the country in the snap election campaign against Ferdinand Marcos, before exploding in full splendor at Edsa in the wake of a failed military coup. People Power II, in contrast, began … Read more
Picture this: you are 78 years old, well past retirement but relishing the remaining years of good health, and more important, basking in the love and respect of your family and the high esteem of a nation you have faithfully served. One day you get the shock of your life. You are told you’ve been … Read more
Jose Rizal once used this term to denote significant changes in the consciousness of Filipinos, which to him justified an adjustment in the way Spain governed the islands. “The islands cannot remain in the condition they are without requiring from the sovereign country more liberty…. For new men, a new social order.” In that famous … Read more