My colleague Raul Pertierra of Ateneo de Manila’s department of sociology takes issue with my column on the emergence of the “masa” vote (Public Lives, Feb. 8) He writes that my analysis, while “persuasive”, suffers from “serious flaws,” but does not say what these are. Instead he raises some questions and observations. His comment warrants … Read more
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made a bid to become a modern executive by making the formation of a “strong republic” the key goal of her administration. But in the last three years, she has probably done more to weaken our Republic than any president before her except Marcos. Her beliefs may be republican, but her … Read more
I will not speculate on how his supporters will react if the Supreme Court rules that Fernando Poe Jr. is disqualified from running for president. I don’t think anyone knows. But some people should stop pushing the Court to disqualify FPJ by suggesting this is the only way to prevent the looming disaster of an … Read more
By “masa,” I refer to the class of voters that pollsters identify with the so-called “E” and the middle and lower rungs of the “D” strata. They constitute roughly about 60 to 75% of the nation’s voting population. The existence of such huge numbers at the bottom of the social ladder attests to the gravity … Read more
My daughter, Kara, who covers prisoners on death row for the TV network, GMA-7, anxiously sat in the van that was taking her to the New Bilibid Prisons. In a few minutes, prison officials were to raffle the media slots for the January 30 executions. But there she was, hopelessly strapped to a seat, in … Read more