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By CARLO FIGUEROA
JOSE Rizal, the country’s national hero, avoided Chinese-made products like the plague. That is the observation one can make upon reading his letters that have been published by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.

BY VERA FILES
Two decades after its creation by the Constitution, the Judicial and Bar Council remains an institution critics say is riddled with “systemic deficiencies” and even defects, and is badly in need of reforms.

By VERA FILES
The Judicial and Bar Council represents the first and crucial step in the judicial appointment process. Ultimately, however, the person responsible for appointments of all the country’s judges and justices is the President.

By VERA FILES
THE Judicial and Bar Council is now the focus of national attention as it begins the process of recommending a replacement for ousted Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. The process, if done right, is expected to help restore public confidence in the High Tribunal.

FOR about four decades now, prostituted women have climbed ships docked at the ports of Davao. These women are called akyat barko girls, which means ship-climbing girls.

By LALA ORDENES THE conviction of Renato Corona, the first time in the country’s history a chief justice is removed from office by impeachment, has thrown the Supreme Court and even the Judicial and Bar Council into uncharted waters, forcing the High Tribunal to contradict itself and act against its own pronouncements.

THE Senate sitting as impeachment court voted overwhelmingly to convict Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, finding him guilty of culpable violation of the Constitution for his failure to declare all his assets in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth (SALN).

By EIMOR SANTOS
ON a bright sunny day, a bespectacled man with long hair and a burly frame skillfully strokes his brush against a huge wall. Before the sun sets he is able to paint a fresco of frolicking dolphins.

By TESSA JAMANDRE
FORMER Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon was all set to sail on Friday to the disputed Scarborough Shoal to make a stand on Philippine sovereignty—until the call from the President came. Former Marine Capt. Nicanor said President Benigno Aquino III prevailed upon him to postpone his trip. He agreed, saying he “trust(s) the wisdom of the government that it will be better for current efforts to resolve the standoff there.”

By TESSA JAMANDRE
A YEAR after he swore allegiance to the flag after being granted amnesty for joining the Oakwood mutiny in 2003, former Marine Capt. Nicanor Faeldon is back. On Friday, he will lead an armada of fishermen to make a stand in the Scarborough Shoal where a tense standoff between Chinese maritime ships and the Philippine Coast Guard continues.

By ELLEN TORDESILLAS
Elections Commissioner Rene Sarmiento is urging President Aquino to make history by appointing state solicitor Jessica S. Magbanua, a person with disability, to the Commission on Elections, replacing Augusto C. Lagman who was bypassed by the Commission on Appointments.

By MYLAH REYES-ROQUE
TWO of seven Manila cops implicated in the torture of a theft suspect through a video leaked online have surrendered and are detained at the Manila City jail. Senior Police Officer 1 Rodolfo Ong Jr. and Police Officer 1 Rex Binayug pleaded not guilty on April 18 before Manila Judge Tita Bughao Alisuag. Their co-accused, including Senior Inspector Joselito Binayug, the principal accused, are at large.

By ELLEN TORDESILLAS
FRIDAY night, when the meeting to break the stalemate at Scarborough shoal failed, Chinese Ambassador Ma Keqing asked Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario if they could commit to no surprises until the next meeting.

By TESSA JAMANDRE
A DAY after the controversial Manny Pacquiao victory over Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez on Nov. 12, 2011, a call center agent in Manila handling a foreign satellite television account got a call from someone he suspected to be Mexican.

By YOLANDA SOTELO FUERTES, MARIO IGNACIO IV AND ARTHA KIRA PAREDES
FIFTY-seven-year-old Charito Corazon Manglapus, who has cerebral palsy and moves around in a wheelchair, knows how difficult it is for persons with disability (PWDs) to exercise the right to suffrage. She herself voted for the first time only in the 2010 elections. She is now among those leading the campaign to get PWDs to register and vote in next year's elections .

By ELLEN TORDESILLAS
OMBUDSMAN Conchita Carpio-Morales has asked the Anti-Money Laundering Council for a copy of the records of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona’s bank deposits, including dollar accounts that are the subject of a temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court.

By MALTE E. KOLLENBERG
WOMEN'S rights and migrant advocates in South Korea say complaints of domestic abuse are not uncommon here, and the story of Cathy Deocades is no exception. Cathy’s story started out as a hopeful search for a better life in South Korea, whose cultural exports like K-Pop-music and Korean dramas often paint a picture of domestic harmony. Cathy met her husband, who turned to the Philippines in search for a woman he could not find in South Korea, through a marriage broker. Shortly after the two met for the first time they got married. The couple did not have time to get to know each other.