Quibbling while the country is being robbed

Under questioning at the Senate on the National Broadband Network contract with ZTE, former Socio-economic Planning Secretary Romulo Neri stated that he truly believed it would be beneficial for the government to operate its own network.  Asked whether he thought such a project was best pursued through a government-togovernment loan or through a build-operate-transfer (BOT) … Read more

Martial law revisited

Thirty-five years ago, Ferdinand Marcos invoked the emergency powers provided by the 1935 Constitution in order to seize control of the main levers of government.  Proclamation 1081 ushered in a dictatorship that lasted almost 14 years.  The events that unfolded on that fateful day in September 1972 were not entirely unexpected. People knew martial law … Read more

Erap’s conviction and the rule of law

It was indeed a historic moment in our nation’s life – the first time a former president has ever been convicted for an offense committed while he was in office.  Because of the stature of the accused, we are led to think that, finally, the rule of law in our society has prevailed. I’m afraid … Read more

Motorcycle exclusions

I remember the first time I drove a motorcycle on the expressway.  It was 1967, and the new North Diversion Road, as it was then called, was almost finished, although it had not yet officially opened. I realized that some motorcycles were made for open highways, while others did better on city roads.  The concept … Read more

Bayani Fernando and the urban poor

If there is one public official in our country today who does his work seemingly without regard for the political consequences, that person has to be Bayani Fernando, the current chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA).  In a just society, he would be a model public servant.  But in our kind of society, … Read more