Candidate sharing

This bizarre phenomenon began when popular candidates running as “independent” found themselves in the enviable position of being “adopted” as guest candidates of one or more political parties. This practice has now become widespread. Today, even full-fledged party members don’t seem to have any qualms about accepting, or negotiating, a guest slot in another party’s … Read more

President Aquino and the mass media

The relationship between the government and the media in modern society is almost always one of mutual irritation. These two systems need one another, yet each is rarely pleased about the way the other does its work. The government criticizes the media for harping on the negative, while the media easily bristle at any attempt … Read more

President Aquino and the mass media

The relationship between the government and the media in modern society is almost always one of mutual irritation. These two systems need one another, yet each is rarely pleased about the way the other does its work. The government criticizes the media for harping on the negative, while the media easily bristle at any attempt … Read more

A day in KidZania

If kids could have a country or city of their own, free from the unexamined prejudices and pernicious habits of the adult world, what might it be like? What values would it highlight? What forms of human activity would it promote? Of course, there is no such country or community in existence. Writers have tried … Read more

Disasters and the local community

There is nothing we can do to stop natural phenomena like typhoons, earthquakes and tsunamis from visiting our country. They are part of Nature’s system. But there is a lot we can do to prevent them from causing death and destruction—that is, from becoming disasters. Strictly speaking, there is no such thing as a “natural” … Read more

A non-negotiable narrative

Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, who took a leave from her Senate duties because of illness, surprised everyone by filing at the last minute her candidacy for the presidency in the 2016 election. On the same occasion, she sprang an even bigger surprise on her young awestruck fans: Bongbong Marcos is her choice for vice president. … Read more

Nuisance candidates

The Commission on Elections had its hands full last Oct. 12 and 13, receiving the certificates of candidacy of at least 37 individuals vying for the presidency in the 2016 national elections. Jostling with the known and the lesser known were the completely unknown, claiming equal right to run for public office. The term “nuisance … Read more

Simplifying voter judgment

Since I have been filing my income tax in Pampanga for some years now, I feel duty-bound and entitled to cast my vote at my old precinct in Betis, where I spent my childhood. I continue to list our ancestral home in this province as my permanent residence even if I have lived and worked … Read more

Mabini: Philosopher of citizenship

Apolinario Mabini is primarily known as the “brains of the revolution,” Emilio Aguinaldo’s brilliant adviser, who guided the leader of the revolution through the essential steps of political consolidation and state formation after the June 12, 1898, proclamation of Philippine independence from Spain. But, there is another side of Mabini that is less appreciated. In … Read more

‘Twerking’ and the Liberal Party

The other day, my 14-year-old granddaughter, Julia, who serves as my weather vane for things that go viral on social media, showed me a YouTube post. “What’s this about, Lolo?” she asked. It was a video clip of a scantily clad female dancer doing what looks like the “twerk” with a man in a yellow … Read more