The vice president in our system

Should there be an opportunity to amend or revise the 1987 Constitution, it would be worth taking a close look at the role of the vice president. It is not clear why the framers of our Constitution, after choosing the presidential system of government, allowed for the possibility that the two top executive officials of … Read more

The vice president in our system

Should there be an opportunity to amend or revise the 1987 Constitution, it would be worth taking a close look at the role of the vice president. It is not clear why the framers of our Constitution, after choosing the presidential system of government, allowed for the possibility that the two top executive officials of … Read more

In defense of politics

BECAUSE ONLY a thin line separates them, politics and governance tend to be confused with one another. Worse, politics is often seen as the ugly twin of governance, the one that corrupts the best intentions of government. In truth, the two are equally indispensable, and are neither intrinsically good nor bad. It would be useful … Read more

In defense of politics

BECAUSE ONLY a thin line separates them, politics and governance tend to be confused with one another. Worse, politics is often seen as the ugly twin of governance, the one that corrupts the best intentions of government. In truth, the two are equally indispensable, and are neither intrinsically good nor bad. It would be useful … Read more

‘Natural born Citizen’

That phrase, without a hyphen, first appeared in the United States Constitution as one of the requirements for the position of president. A “natural born Citizen” is a person who is a citizen from birth, in contrast to one who acquires citizenship by naturalization. No other position in the American government specifies this requirement. The … Read more

‘Natural born Citizen’

That phrase, without a hyphen, first appeared in the United States Constitution as one of the requirements for the position of president. A “natural born Citizen” is a person who is a citizen from birth, in contrast to one who acquires citizenship by naturalization. No other position in the American government specifies this requirement. The … Read more

The brain: the new frontier

IN APRIL 2013, US President Barack Obama launched a research program aimed at uncovering the “enormous mystery of the human brain,” for which he sought $100 million in funding from Congress. The public mind has mostly associated American scientific research with the exploration of outer space. And so it comes as a pleasant surprise to … Read more

The brain: the new frontier

IN APRIL 2013, US President Barack Obama launched a research program aimed at uncovering the “enormous mystery of the human brain,” for which he sought $100 million in funding from Congress. The public mind has mostly associated American scientific research with the exploration of outer space. And so it comes as a pleasant surprise to … Read more

Glimpses of Grace Poe’s political star

Sen. Grace Poe finds herself pondering a question that materialized only after she topped the 2013 senatorial race. Should she seize the opportunity presented by her impressive ratings in preelection surveys and make herself available as a presidential contender in next year’s election? Despite her initial reservations and modest appreciation of her limits, she inched … Read more

Glimpses of Grace Poe’s political star

Sen. Grace Poe finds herself pondering a question that materialized only after she topped the 2013 senatorial race. Should she seize the opportunity presented by her impressive ratings in preelection surveys and make herself available as a presidential contender in next year’s election? Despite her initial reservations and modest appreciation of her limits, she inched … Read more