The word “graft,” now only rarely used, is probably more descriptive of illicit office practices found in transitional societies like ours than “corruption,” its semantic cousin. The term comes from horticulture. Here is how Dictionary.com defines it: “A bud, shoot, or scion of a plant inserted in a groove, slit, or the like in a … Read more

At the Senate investigation into the plea bargain agreement between the Ombudsman and the former Armed Forces comptroller, retired General Carlos F. Garcia, the inquiry last Thursday turned to the entrenched system of graft inside the military.  A retired budget officer, Colonel George Rabusa, who used to work at the comptroller’s office, testified in detail … Read more

Anyone who reads or tunes in regularly to the mass media nowadays cannot fail to be gripped by a sense that Philippine society is headed for a systemic breakdown.  Criminals appear more brazen.  The police seem more helpless, or in cahoots with the criminals themselves. Prosecutors are unable to pin down the guilty; the courts … Read more

I have always been fascinated by the special role that taxi drivers play as observers of their own society.  Their interaction with a wide variety of people, including foreigners, in the course of a day’s work gives them a unique vantage point from which to view their lives. They also tend to be amazing communicators, … Read more

Charter change is in the news again.  No one is sure who or what is driving it.  But, definitely, the writing of a new constitution is being projected as something that is both timely and urgent. Timely, because having just assumed the reins of government, the Aquino administration cannot be accused of plotting to rewrite … Read more

Singapore.  I am in this finely-manicured garden city to participate in a conference that aims to figure out what modernity has meant for people living outside the Western world. The West has always been the referent for the Modern, because it is where it all began. But Singapore is the perfect venue for something like … Read more

It is one of those enchanting events that vividly encapsulate the Filipino’s idea of what it means to live in this world.  I refer to the annual procession of the Black Nazarene of Quiapo.  But we may point to other equally popular religious devotions, like the fluvial procession of Our Lady of Penafrancia, that have … Read more

At the beginning of the year, I received a heart-warming e-mail from one of my former students who has kept in touch.  Having heard that I would be officially retiring from teaching soon, she wanted to know if she and another classmate could attend my “last lecture.”  I thanked her for her thoughtfulness, but told … Read more

Following the release from prison of people who had figured in highly publicized cases, a morning radio program recently conducted an interesting opinion survey. Listeners were invited to share their views on the question: whether the law did the right thing, or committed an error, in freeing the principal figures in four celebrated cases.  The … Read more

On a day like this, the beginning of yet another year in time’s eternal stream, we may be forgiven for indulging in a bit of philosophical musing.  Not everyone may be inclined to write the customary list of personal resolutions for the New Year. Others prefer to take stock of the year just past — … Read more