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  By Jose Bayani D. Baylon As the country remains gripped over the incident that cost the lives of 44 members of the PNP Special Action Force, I could only remind myself that war is never pretty. Now, someone might say, the 44 were not in a state of war as they were simply carrying

                    By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS THERE was something amusing in the narration of Mamasapano Mayor Tahirodin Benzar A. Ampatuan that reflects a trait common to many Filipinos. Mayor Ampatuan (yes, the Ampatuans of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre are still very much a force to reckon with

By JAKE SORIANO IN December last year, blind massage therapists from Zamboanga City traveled all the way to Cagayan de Oro to undergo licensing exams. They took the nearly 500-km journey because their jobs were on the line. But Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit) struck, and they were told to go home. No exams meant no licenses.

By CHICKIE R. LOCSIN FOUR years ago, mothers were dying in the Philippines at the rate of 221 per 100,000 live births. Given that maternal mortality is a barometer of a country’s health system, those are disturbing numbers. The situation has improved and it is expected that by this year, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR)

  By REYNARD MAGTOTO “I make movies because I have a story to tell and I have a story to share,” multi-awarded filmmaker Brillante Mendoza declared. Mendoza’s four-part documentary series, titled “Small Acts, Big Stories,” was inspired by the stories of ordinary people who wanted to make a difference through their extraordinary acts. His documentary

By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS I hold President Aquino accountable for the death of 44 Special Action Force commandos but I don’t want him forced to shorten his term which is due to end on June 30 next year. I’m not joining calls for him to resign. I’m against a coup de’etat. I want him to

By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS WEARING black arm bands emblazoned with “44”, apl.de.ap of the international hip-hop group Black  Eyed Peas and one of the judges of The Voice PH, led the performance of one the group’s hits, “Where is the Love?” in last Sunday’s episode of the singing competition. The lyrics were sharply apt: “Overseas,

  By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS POLICE Inspector Joey Sacristan Gamutan, 33, of the elite Special Action Force, was a fan of the San Miguel Beermen. He won a bet in the championship game for 2015 Philippine Cup title between the San Miguel Beermen and Alaska Aces last Jan. 21. He was so happy he told

By JAKE SORIANO CITING the persistence of media and other extrajudicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances, an international watchdog scored the Aquino administration for its poor human rights record in 2014 and its lack of political will in addressing abuses committed by government security forces. “With less than two years left in office, the administration of

  By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS IT took him four days to say something about the worst tragedy in the history of the country’s  police force and when the bodies of the fallen police officers arrived at Villamor Air Base yesterday, President Aquino was at Mitsubishi plant Sta Rosa, Laguna inspecting and enjoying the classic cars

  By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS FORTY-FOUR members of the Special Action Force, the elite group of the Philippine National Police, were killed by the rebel Muslim group the Aquino government has signed a peace agreement with. Yet, social media denizens are in an impassioned discussion over Philippine Miss Universe pageant candidate MJ Lastimosa’s “cake gown.”

Text and photos by JAKE SORIANO THE message of the estimated 12,000 “angels with wings” dancing to the beat of Taylor Swift’s pop hit “Shake It Off” was a simple one: awareness, acceptance and inclusion of persons with autism in society. “What we want is for the Philippines to be autism-OK,” said Autism Society of