A preventable massacre

He was only attesting to the instinct for violence of the Ampatuans — and surely had no intention of putting the latter’s political allies in a bad light – certainly not the administration presidential bet, Gilbert Teodoro, with whom he is now aligned.  But the testimony the other day of Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael “Toto” … Read more

Those cheap Chinese products

Fascinated by the growing number of Filipinos who have found instant — sometimes suicidal — mobility in very affordable motorbikes from China, I recently got myself a new Chinese-made 125cc underbone for the price of a branded Japanese helmet.  Light and handy, the bike handles pretty well on short commutes.  My friends, with whom I … Read more

How useful are presidential debates?

Most questions asked of candidates in presidential debates take the form “What will you do about” or “How do you intend to solve the problem of…?”  More often than not, such questions only elicit silly responses to what, in truth, are very complex issues.  A trained politician would resort to stock answers uttered in a … Read more

Warlords in a weak state, Part 2

The creation of a special commission to investigate the existence of private armed groups, and to recommend ways of dismantling them, would be nothing short of revolutionary, if the commission were to seriously do its work.  Basic information alone on these private armies – for example, who maintains them, how long they have been in … Read more