The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) owes the entire country an explanation.
Did Chinese President Xi Jinping threaten President Duterte with war? That’s what Mr. Duterte himself said, in an extraordinary disclosure last Friday, May 19. In his recounting, he said he had raised the possibility of the Philippines drilling for oil in those parts of its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea that are contested by China.
As though to attempt to illustrate how a European study could list Manila along with Baghdad, Cairo and Karachi among the 10 most stressful cities in the world, three MRT trains conked out and disgorged its passengers in the thick of rush hour Friday morning - just one among many incidents of mind-numbing inconveniences that residents of the metro have to put up with.
Once a non-immigrant visa is issued by a consular officer at the US Embassy, it may be used by the visa holder anytime during the validity period of the visa. There are also cases where an unexpired visitor visa may no longer be used for travel. This happens when derogatory information is received by the consular officer and the visa is prematurely revoked by the said consular officer.
If there is much interest in these parts in US President Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, it’s because the Philippines is among the top 10 countries of origin for Daca recipients.
The Belt and Road Forum in Beijing over the weekend was yet another coming-out party for the new superpower. China’s impressive hosting of the 2008 Olympics had heralded its arrival on the world stage. Its climate change diplomacy that helped lead to the Paris Agreement of 2015 has cemented its leadership in global issues. Last weekend’s summit, attended by 28 heads of state or government, sealed its position as an economic power.
The sad story that is the Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT3) still has no happy ending in sight. More than a year since the Duterte administration promised to ease the plight of commuters, the fate of the train system traversing Edsa remains unclear.
Sorry, may sumabog… Nalusutan tayo” (Sorry, there was an explosion. Somebody got past us). That was the reaction of the top cop, Philippine National Police Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, to the latest bombing incidents to rock Quiapo in Manila.
Three days after the death of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos in the hands of Caloocan City policemen during a drug raid - and after the public appears to have overcome its shock and is now expressing outrage at the brutal manner of his extinction - the cops trotted out an alleged drug suspect who said he had transacted with the young man on drug buys at least twice a week.
Recent developments on the foreign-relations front are becoming unsettling. Earlier, President Duterte insulted US President Barack Obama, the European Union and the United Nations for commenting on the rising number of extrajudicial killings here. He followed these up with announcements that he would seek to expand ties with China and Russia. Then last week, he said the coming US-PH war games would be the last.