‘Brexit’ and globalization

The British vote to leave the European Union is likely to trigger a chain of complex reactions whose impact cannot be fully calculated. It has already caused a steep drop in the value of the pound sterling and of shares in the London stock market.  That was expected. But the ripple effects in the rest … Read more

Would Rizal have chosen federalism?

THERE ARE suggestions that, recognizing the archipelagic nature of the country and the disparate cultures that thrived in it, Jose Rizal would have proposed a federal system of government for an independent Filipino nation.  Indeed, federalism might have appealed to those who, in the closing years of Spanish rule, were eager to kick out the … Read more

Is patriotism passé?

Is the Philippines worth dying for? On June 28, 1892, the eve of his return to the country, Jose Rizal eloquently stated the affirmative case on this question. Aware that he had become controversial and was likely to be hounded by the Spanish colonial authorities from the moment he stepped on the shores of the … Read more

Duterte and the media

Regardless of whether they voted for him or not, many Filipinos wish the incoming President, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, success as he prepares to assume the nation’s highest office.  His victory in the recent polls, it has been said, signifies the voters’ disenchantment with the status quo and their desire for urgent change. Duterte … Read more