Archive - Commentary

“There was death on Ash Wednesday” I like this lead by RG Cruz of ABS-CBN in his report about the approval of the death penalty bill by the House of Representatives

The ‘perya barker”act, in the words of Sen. Grace Poe, of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre at the government-organized Luneta rally last Saturday triggered responses from different personalities which make for amusing exchanges.

Last week’s smooth, relatively uneventful retreat by ASEAN’s foreign ministers appears to have put the grouping’s agenda on track for its 50th year, choosing to focus beyond the South China Sea disputes and set the stage for an April leaders’ summit that will put the spotlight purposefully on ASEAN’s golden anniversary.

BANGKOK, Feb 24 (Reporting ASEAN) – If ASEAN issues were a consumer product for sale, buyers wouldn’t exactly be queuing up for it – not even with the sales pitch that it is a brand with 50 years of history to fall back on this year.

In the narration of SP03 Arthur Lascañas of the “jobs” he had done as member of the Davao Death Squad, he recalled the instruction of then Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte in a murder operation against the financier of a kidnapping: “Sige, limpio lang.”

The turnaround of SP03 Arthur Lascañas on the murders he committed as a member of the Davao Death Squad must have stunned Malacanang, all that it can come up with was Press Secretary Martin Andanar’s preposterous allegation that Senate reporters were given $1,000 each to attend the press conference morning of Wednesday at the Senate.

The public should be more discerning this time with President Duterte’s bluster when confronted with the issue of his BPI bank accounts which have been recipients of deposits amounting to over P2 billion from 2006 to 2015 from several sources.

Satire is the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

President Duterte’s reaction to the Pastoral Letter of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines on the killings related to his campaign against prohibited drugs read in all Catholic churches last Sunday shows the danger when small minds are given so much power.

Congratulations to the people who made the staging of the 65th Miss Universe in the Philippines a rousing success. The publicity that the Philippines got from the pageant and the goodwill generated from the 86 beauties were a bonanza to Philippine tourism.

There’s a part in the narration by the surviving victims of Oplan Tokhang in Payatas in Quezon City last August 21 that sends chills down one’s spine.

On the first day of his presidency, during the turnover of command ceremonies at the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, President Duterte boasted that he knows the scalawags in the police service.

The confrontation between Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Miguel Zubiri at the Senate floor last week refreshed the public’s mind of relevant issues which have been relegated to the sidelines by more horrifying reports like the murder of Korean businessman Ick-joo Jee by police officers inside Camp Crame just a few meters away from the office of Police Chief Ronald de la Rosa.

“Just be quiet all of you.” Spoken like a despot ordering his minions what to do.

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.

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.”

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.

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.