Archive - Editor's Pick

The forlorn look on Haron Arisa’s face, his stooped frame and the bony remnants of his once sturdy legs seem to echo the heavy burden that has been weighing him down for about four years now.

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio T. Carpio reminded Sunday President Duterte of his “constitutional duty” to the Filipino people to defend the country’s national territory and suggested to him four ways he can do it as regards the reported China’s plans to set up an environmental monitoring station in Scarborough Shoal.

When police chief Ronald de la Rosa was once asked to explain before the Senate the deaths in the drug war, he had one reply: “They resisted arrest. Otherwise, they would have been alive.”

They called him Superman. That was the code the Davao Death Squad allegedly gave former Davao City mayor now President Rodrigo Duterte while they were killing criminals on his orders, according to police officer and the DDS’ self-confessed team leader Arthur Lascañas.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations starts discussions on a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea this month with two contentious issues: the non-militarization of occupied features, and restraint in the activities in the SCS, specifically those involving China.

President Rodrigo Duterte’s conciliatory approach toward China has reduced tensions in the South China Sea and is a positive development for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), two foreign policy experts said.

He played dead to save his life. Having been shot in the chest, Efren Morillo had to cover his wound, slide down a ravine, cross a stream, climb a hill and crawl to the nearest highway to get help.

    By CHARMAINE DEOGRACIAS THE son of a leader of the Moro National Liberation Front and a Mindanao lawmaker has been in Malaysian custody for almost two months now in connection with the Sept. 2 Davao City bombing, multiple police, military and diplomatic sources said. Datu Mohammad Abduljabbar Sema, 26, was arrested on Nov.

By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS  AMID the many items in media not favorable to Vice President Leni Robredo- LeniLeaks, banned from cabinet meetings, dis-invited by Malacanang in New Year vin d’honneur, drop in satisfaction ratings – another one came up the other day. We were told that the Supreme Court is expected very soon to release

  By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS SHE captured our hearts with her stirring performances in “Sophie’s Choice” and “Deer Hunter.” She helped us forget our problems with enjoyable performers in “Mamma Mia” and “The Devil Wears Prada.” She was a joy to watch in last year’s movie, “Florence Foster Jenkins.” But her acceptance speech for being

    By KAVI CHONGKITTAVORN BANGKOK, Jan 8 (Reporting ASEAN) – ASEAN is 50 years old this year. That is a milestone for a loosely constructed regional organization, which five countries created at the height of the Cold War, to have come this far. Since then, its member countries have since transformed ASEAN into a

By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS IT was only Thursday last week that Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, Jr. knew the agony that Filipinos who are applying for a new or renewing their passport had to go through. In a post in my Facebook last Friday, Yasay said: “I am hearing for the first time that there are

  By CHARMAINE DEOGRACIAS and ELLEN TORDESILLAS THE Department of Budget and Management denied violating procurement rules when it bidded out the P2.8 billion contract for the hosting of the 2017 ASEAN conferences in the country, saying it has full discretion in determining the rules for such processes. The DMB-Procurement Service came under fire for

When the government bidded out the P2.8 billion events management contract for the 50th anniversary of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations to be held in the Philippines this year, it tailor-made the criteria so that a favored company would bag the deal, a company excluded from the bidding said.

The Department of Budget and Management-Procurement Service (DBM-PS) has allegedly violated the government procurement law when it bidded out the gargantuan P2.8 billion events management contract for the hosting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations conferences this year, a company excluded from the bidding said.

THE year 2016 gave the Philippines a new president, who brought with him to office his very own lexicon, one which we must use our “creative imagination” to fathom.

It could have been the year a Marcos scion almost got elected the second highest official of the land. Instead, 2016 proved it had more in store for the family of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

It's no longer shocking as it was months before when news of President Rodrigo Duterte taking a swipe at yet another world leader breaks out.

For the Philippines, the second half of 2016 meant listening to President Rodrigo Duterte’s press conferences, often at midnight, and his curses and threats against world leaders, corrupt politicians, and drug lords.

Is Aguirre correct in saying CHR should file cases against erring policemen?

The glare of a drugstore sign floods the street, shining on the lifeless body of a man sprawled on the wet concrete, a crime scene cordoned off by the usual police tape and curious bystanders who have gathered to ogle the latest victim in the government’s war against drugs.

  Update: Duterte admits ordering Marcos reinstatement http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/02/16/duterte-admits-ordering-marcos-reinstatement By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS IF Police Supt. Marvin Marcos  has long been identified as a protector of drug lords, why is somebody high up in Malacañang protecting him? What does this make of President Duterte’s bloody campaign to eliminate illegal drugs in the country which has claimed

  By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS WE are glad that Facebook has restored the account of journalist Inday Espina-Varona after it was erroneously blocked last Monday morning. What happened to Inday’s FB account shows how things have gotten out- of -control with Facebook, the social media  phenomenon with over 1.79 billion users, almost a fourth of

   By ELLEN  T. TORDESILLAS THE statement of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales that the plunder and graft case filed by Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV against then presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte is being investigated reassures those who are worried that the issue would be buried with the election of Duterte to the presidency. Many were afraid that

By MARIA FEONA IMPERIAL AS the deafening roar of thousands of anti-Marcos supporters reverberated around Luneta Friday night, two young people engaged in a friendly debate on the sidelines. “Are we discounting the truth in numbers that have been published so far?” asked Ochie*, a 20-year-old aeronautics student, whose family had been a victim of

  By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS   SO it was not jet lag that was the reason why President Duterte was absent in the gala dinner  heads of state attending the 2017 Leaders Meeting  of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation in Lima, Peru last Saturday as he earlier told reporters. It’s stomach upset. In his interview

BY ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS PRESIDENT Duterte’s absence in two traditional events in the 2017 summit of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC once again raises the need for Malacañang to inform the public of the health of the 71-year old chief executive. We know it’s a sensitive subject for Duterte but the public’s concern

By ELLEN T. TORDESILLAS  FIRST things first: I’d like to thank each and every one who took time to attend the whole day launch and conference of the Media Ownership Monitor Philippines (http://philippines.mom-rsf.org/ ) last Thursday. My special thanks to Press Undersecretary Enrique Tandan who delivered the keynote address in behalf of Press Secretary Martin

    By MIGUEL PAOLO P. REYES AND JOEL F. ARIATE JR. IN the rules of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, AFP Regulations G 161-375 to be exact, only two conditions disqualify deceased personnel from being buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The first is dishonorable discharge from the service; the second is

  By ELLEN T.TORDESILLAS OFTENTIMES, many people including  government officials blame media for the many problems that they face in their governance. Media-bashing was a standard fare in many of  the speeches of former President Aquino. President Duterte has followed the same line. Although the media-bashing reflects a warped appreciation of the role of media,