Most Filipinos will recognize the Latin phrase “Noli me tangere” as the title of Jose Rizal’s first novel, rather than as a biblical line from the gospel of St. John (20:17).  In English, it is usually rendered as “Touch me not.” This was what the risen Jesus told the startled Mary Magdalene when she tried … Read more

We all feel a need, at a certain point in our lives, to share our blessings with others.  Philosophers sometimes call it the obligation of solidarity.  But two things often deter us from taking the first step. One is the thought that whatever we do for others, our effort is but a drop in the … Read more

“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” This is Jesus’ reply to a tricky question that an audience of Pharisees and Herodians threw at him.  It is quite possibly the first ever statement on the separation of church and state. The religious and political leaders of his time had been … Read more

That picture of a maid, possibly a Filipina, walking behind a tall Singaporean young man in military camouflage and carrying his big rucksack while he fiddles with his cell phone, has sparked a lively Internet debate. The comments it has generated are fascinating in themselves, reflecting a wide range of concerns and standpoints.  Hardly anyone … Read more

The latest Social Weather Stations survey figures on hunger are truly alarming.  More than 20 percent of Filipino families (or more than 4 million families) have reported experiencing involuntary hunger in the first quarter of 2011.  Though the number is slightly lower compared to a year ago, the March figures nonetheless show a steady quarterly … Read more

In view of the current stalemate and worsening civil war in Libya, the quest for solutions has turned to the prospect of a political settlement that will drive Moammar Gadhafi into exile while making room for one of his sons to sit in a transition government. This possibility has focused world attention on the eccentric … Read more

This is not about the three Filipinos who were put to death in China the other day for heroin smuggling — though it may well apply to them. They were victims of drug syndicates, of a harsh justice system, and perhaps of a desire to find a quick way out of poverty.  They most likely … Read more

Many reasonable people do not understand why the resources of the entire Filipino nation have been mobilized to persuade China to spare the lives of the three Filipinos who were executed yesterday for the heinous crime of drug trafficking.  They ask: why are we spending precious diplomatic capital to plead for the lives of three … Read more

The corpse of Ferdinand Marcos, who died in exile inHawaii in 1989, lies unburied in a family museum in Batac, Ilocos Norte.  Imelda Marcos, now a member of the House of Representatives, insists that she will allow nothing less than a hero’s burial for her husband’s waxen remains.  More than two hundred of her fellow … Read more

Worried that they have not been able to contain the threat of nuclear radiation from the crippledFukushima nuclear plant, Japan’s Atomic Energy Agency recently re-classified the situation to a level 5 nuclear event.  This means that the risks it poses are no longer just local; they are likely to spill beyond Japan’s borders.  The wind … Read more