To those who ask what will define the Aquino presidency, today is a defining moment!” That was President Aquino’s spokesperson Edwin Lacierda exulting on Twitter last Sunday, minutes after the negotiating panels of the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed the fourth and last annex of a proposed peace deal that would pave the way for the cessation of hostilities in Mindanao.
In November, when the Vatican released “Evangelii Gaudium” (The Joy of the Gospel), the first official “apostolic exhortation” by Pope Francis, the document immediately caused a sensation.
To prove that he was innocent of the plunder charge filed against him, Sen. Bong Revilla took to the Senate floor on Monday and accused President Aquino of interfering in the impeachment trial of Renato Corona, then the chief justice. Confused? So are we.
It’s become a common refrain: Many foreigners who visit the Philippines often remark about the little regard Filipinos show for their own personal safety. The visitors see Filipinos dash across highways, create their own counterflows or ride motorcycles two or three at a time, without safety helmets on—and they marvel at how much we put ourselves at risk every day.
The power rate hike case that the Supreme Court will hear next week involves a classic dilemma: Should a polity prioritize its needs as a market or as a community? In an ideal world, a young and growing country like the Philippines should not have to choose; in the real world, however, the choice can be both unavoidable and stark.
The signing last Sunday of the Annex on Power Sharing, the third of four annexes that will complete the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, is a welcome milestone. It not only reminds us how far down the road to peace the negotiators have traveled, it also brings us closer to the destination.
The real issue in the case of the controversial temporary bunkhouses being built as transitional shelter for survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in several towns in Leyte and Eastern Samar is their alleged substandard quality.
China angered its neighbors when it unilaterally declared an Air Defense Identification Zone (Adiz) on Nov. 23. The United States disappointed its regional allies when, after ordering a pair of unarmed B-52 strategic bombers to fly into China’s Adiz three days after the surprise declaration, it called on American airlines last Friday to comply with China’s instructions when flying through the zone.
Bracing news to usher in 2014: Something positive is happening to the Aquino administration’s flagship public-private partnership (PPP) program, which had been roundly panned for failing to take off.
Manny Pacquiao scored an emotional victory over Brandon Rios last Sunday in Macau, not only for himself but most especially for the survivors of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” who have only just begun to stir from its knockout punch.