The phrase “taxing the Church”, by which Senator Gregorio Honasan’s recent proposal has entered public discourse, is so emotionally-laden that I doubt very much whether – under its auspices — we can get any real discussion going on this issue. Most people will argue that the Church is doing a good job; why penalize it? … Read more
My 74-year-old mother went to the hospital last week complaining of severe stomach cramps. As a diabetic, she had been piously watching her diet, because more than anything else, she was afraid of hospitals. In truth, she dreaded hospital bills more than her illness. When told that her doctors were out, she insisted on being … Read more
I marked my 10th year on TV last week. Purely by coincidence, GMAChannel 7, my new home, called a press conference to launch my program. I have never been the subject of a presscon. I like asking questions, but I do not relish answering them, particularly those that border on the personal. But there I … Read more
The Apec summit in Subic brings together the heads of 18 AsiaPacific states, except those of Hong Kong, which is represented by its finance minister, and Taiwan, by one of its top businessmen. Yet, Apec insists that it is a club of economies and not of governments. Therefore its agenda excludes politics. Its concerns are … Read more
Globalization is a process we cannot avoid. But globalism, a doctrine that presumes that everything global is superior or beneficial, is something we can and must shun. This useful distinction was proposed by the writer Peter Waterman, whom Ed de la Torre cites in a recent column. I think that if we keep this distinction … Read more
I first traveled abroad in 1969. My wife and I were on our way to England for graduate studies. At the old Manila International Airport, we were made to declare how much money we had with us, and to account for every dollar and traveler’s check we were bringing out of the country. The whole … Read more
BERLIN. Sunday mornings, like everywhere else, are slow days in Berlin. The city that stayed up all Saturday till four in the morning is just beginning to stir. But my guide is punctual as usual. And so at eight in the morning of an overcast Sunday, we make our way to the outskirts of this … Read more
BERLIN. Filipinos and Germans are a study in contrast. The Germans are trying to forget that they are a nation; we are trying to remember that we are. Events — like the collapse of communism — conspire to remind them of their national identity. Migration, the hope of many Filipinos, devalues nationality. “I am a … Read more
According to the United Nations, a person 18 years of age or younger is a child. By this definition, Cheche Atizado, the 16-year-old boy with whom Sarah Jane Salazar has admitted having sexual relations, could be a victim of child exploitation. But who will file the case? And to what end? The public knows Sarah … Read more
There is one place at least in the country where 11-year-old girls are not being groomed to become “guest relations officers” or GROs for DOMs and pedophiles. It’s softball they are being bred for, and the place is called Pulungmasle, a farming village in the periphery of the town of Guagua, province of Pampanga. Hardly … Read more