All the news about her impending execution by an Indonesian firing squad carried such a ring of inexorability that one might forgive the Inquirer’s grim headline yesterday morning: “Death came before dawn.” Death indeed came at dawn on Wednesday, April 29, for the eight other drug trafficking convicts, but spared the lone woman in that … Read more
One of the first places Pope Francis visited after he became pope was a small island in the Mediterranean Sea called Lampedusa. Lying just 180 miles away from the coast of North Africa, this Italian island has been a mute witness to the perilous flight of refugees from war, violence and chaos. There, where countless … Read more
When the leaders of the member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) gather this weekend in Kuala Lumpur, their agenda will be dominated by the launch of the 10-year roadmap toward the realization of the Asean Community. But, apart from regional economic integration, President Aquino has other things in mind. The Asean summit … Read more
Of far greater relevance to the fate of the Bangsamoro Basic Law than the use of an alias by Mohagher Iqbal, the chief negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, are the charges about to be filed by the government against the MILF rebels who participated in the Jan. 25 firefight at Mamasapano. The Department … Read more
An interesting issue is presently being debated at the Supreme Court. It has to do with what acting Solicitor General Florin Hilbay calls the “doctrine of condonation.” What it entails—here I quote from the Inquirer account of the presentation of oral arguments last April 14—is that “an elected official’s liability for an alleged wrongdoing is … Read more
For being the signatory of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and for obliging Congress’ invitation to appear before its hearings, Mohagher Iqbal has become the face of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. But, rather than focus on the justness and legitimacy of the cause he represents, our legislators have turned to questioning the validity … Read more
When Bataan fell to the Japanese on April 9, 1942, a national holiday was born. My mother-in-law, Letizia Roxas Constantino, who was born on the same day 22 years earlier, dreaded the idea of thenceforth celebrating her birthday on such a sad day. Yet, this coincidence has only had a salutary effect. With hardly any … Read more
Last January, my brother Goli and our cousin George came home specifically to go on a long motorcycle ride with the Hombres, our biking group of middle-aged professionals who like riding to breakfast on any Sunday. The previous year, these two California-based dudes rode with us to Yosemite Valley, setting the pace on America’s fast … Read more
They used to be called “spiritual retreats”—communal gatherings governed by silence and led by retreat masters who offer personal reflections aimed at stimulating a review of one’s inner life. When I was young, I slept through most of them, finding little in them that was worth keeping. The intensification of guilt was what they seemed … Read more