In the face of pervasive corruption, various sectors — including the government itself — have called for moral renewal.  This response has the same impact as appealing to a person’s conscience to stop him from doing something that is almost habitual or customary to him. His conscience may bother him, but he will find a … Read more

From out of the blue, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has issued Administrative Order No. 255, “directing the heads of the executive department to lead moral renewal in their agencies.” Dated January 30, 2009 but released only on Feb. 15, A.O. 255 reminds heads of agencies of the moral obligations of public office, and commands them to … Read more

Of the many presidents we have had, Ramon Magsaysay is consistently singled out as the most loved.  For a long time, Ferdinand Marcos held the dubious distinction of being the most despised.  Magsaysay continues to be remembered as the most beloved of all our presidents, but Marcos has been dislodged from his ignoble perch by … Read more

The Guardian, the newspaper, recently ran a fascinating series titled “The road to ruin: Twenty-five people at the heart of the meltdown.” Written by city editor Julia Finch, the series satisfies a public yearning not only to understand the causes of the global economic crisis, but more important, to know whom to blame. The list … Read more

The period of industrial boom in Europe gave rise to the welfare state. Its purpose was to extend social assistance to the many who were adversely affected by industrialization. Today’s global financial crisis, in contrast, has given us the “bailout state,” the corporate elite’s version of the welfare state.  Its purpose is to extend financial … Read more

The American people will be forgiven for pinning all their hopes for change in their new president.  Desperate times summon individuals with magical qualities.  Barack Obama is indeed a man of great talent and tremendous charisma.  But he is as well a product of circumstances.  If he did not exist, it would be necessary for … Read more

The other day, Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno jolted the nation with statements to the effect that the solutions to our country’s problems do not lie with the legal system but with the moral system. Our society, he was quoted as saying, has “too many laws but (is) lacking in morality.”  Confronted with daily … Read more

Nearly 700 Palestinians have died since Israel began its assault on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip two weeks ago.  Of these, more than half are civilians.  Israel has reported 10 casualties on its side for the same period, three of them civilians.  The crude handmade Qassam rockets that the scrappy Palestinian forces have fired into Jewish … Read more

Because it is the beginning of the year, I am torn — I suppose like everyone else — between hope and anxiety as I look ahead to the unfolding of the rest of 2009.  Everything I have read in the last three months forecasts a far more critical year than the one that has just … Read more

For Rex and Nina Tomen, the last days of 2008 suddenly went out of kilter.  Lent came early and took the place reserved for Christmas. While the rest of the world marked the joyous day of the Nativity in homes filled with the laughter of children, they passed the day at the dimly-lit mortuary of … Read more