The story of a nation’s birth is the same everywhere. In a landscape of fragmented and subjugated communities, someone glimpses the image of a people bound by a common experience of oppression and a shared aspiration to be free. In Benedict Anderson’s memorable words, every nation has its beginnings as “an imagined community.” We Filipinos … Read more
ONE OF the things that I find particularly appealing in the Bangsamoro Basic Law is the way it formulates the aspiration to self-government as a modern political project. The document signals an unmistakable resolve to distance itself from the warlordism and aristocratic ascendancy that have historically characterized political rule in Southern Mindanao. As importantly, by … Read more
ONE OF the things that I find particularly appealing in the Bangsamoro Basic Law is the way it formulates the aspiration to self-government as a modern political project. The document signals an unmistakable resolve to distance itself from the warlordism and aristocratic ascendancy that have historically characterized political rule in Southern Mindanao. As importantly, by … Read more
Tomorrow, as we mark the 117th year of our country’s independence, it might do some good to reflect on what we, as a people, went through after the leader of the Filipino revolution, Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, pronounced these islands and their inhabitants to be free from Spanish rule. Such reflection might help us to understand … Read more
Bruce Jenner was the celebrated American athlete who won the grueling decathlon in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. He was hailed as the world’s greatest athlete, the icon of American masculinity. He went on to become a media star, lately appearing as the famous Dad in the long-running celebrity-driven reality television show “Keeping up with … Read more
In the last decades of Spanish colonial rule over the Philippines, Filipinos found themselves split into basically three groups. The first accepted Spanish rule but called on Spain to reciprocate their loyalty with better treatment. The second took Spanish rule as a given, but campaigned for a greater voice in the governance of the islands. … Read more
In the last decades of Spanish colonial rule over the Philippines, Filipinos found themselves split into basically three groups. The first accepted Spanish rule but called on Spain to reciprocate their loyalty with better treatment. The second took Spanish rule as a given, but campaigned for a greater voice in the governance of the islands. … Read more
On any Sunday morning, motor bikers congregate at their favorite gas stations in the city before taking off to wherever they can get a good breakfast, preferably amid cool and quiet surroundings. For the big bikers who call themselves “Hombres,” my riding buddies for the last 10 years, a suitable breakfast place could be as … Read more
On any Sunday morning, motor bikers congregate at their favorite gas stations in the city before taking off to wherever they can get a good breakfast, preferably amid cool and quiet surroundings. For the big bikers who call themselves “Hombres,” my riding buddies for the last 10 years, a suitable breakfast place could be as … Read more
It is interesting to note that some of our legislators are raising fundamental questions about the Bangsamoro Basic Law only now. They ask, for instance: By what right is the Moro Islamic Liberation Front speaking for the people of Muslim Mindanao? Why is the proposed Bangsamoro autonomous government ministerial in form? What is meant for … Read more