Archive - Commentary

In the certified list of candidates for Antique Representative, the name of Sen. Loren Legarda’s brother appeared as “Legarda, AA Inday Loren.”

Congress is not a charitable institution to distribute ayuda or dole-outs, guarantee letters, or recommendations for employment. Nor is it an institution for lawbreakers or those who'd twist the definition of political dynasty to justify the existence of multiple family members in public office.

People Power—truthfully against tyranny and dictatorship—is still alive. And it is stirring.

Bongbong Marcos now wants us to forget Edsa. But we simply can’t

Can rabid Duterte defenders such as De la Rosa and another reelectionist senator, Bong Go, convincingly shed their partisanship and be impartial in deciding to either acquit or convict the vice president?

Today we have modern-day Makapilis who want to be senators.

What is troubling in this campaign is the incumbent president's negative campaigning despite the perceived better quality of his candidates compared to those backed by Duterte.

The Dutertes and their ilk have made spewing insults and threats normal in responding to questions concerning abuse of power in a blatant display of arrogance.

Escudero: Walang sinabing immediately ang Saligang Batas. Ang sinabi ng Saligang Batas ay “shall forthwith proceed with trial.”Dictionary’s definition of forthwith: immediately, directly, instantly, now, without any delay, right away, straightaway, straight off, at once.

The High Court found Buenaventura guilty of misconduct, but for delaying the resolution of De Lima’s third case. His punishment: a fine of P36,000.That is peanuts for a judge who comes from a political dynasty counting more than two members in politics.

Doing so would be like giving lawmakers a boulder to hit their heads. Perhaps the next best thing to do is for voters to reject candidates who promote the "ayuda" mentality and use it for political advantage.

A CCTV footage showed three police operatives loading 19 pieces of luggage into a white sedan parked near the WPD lending office on Jose Abad Santos Avenue. The PDEG chief estimated the stolen volume at around 380 kg. Only two pieces of luggage with 42 kg were recovered one week after the bungled operation.

What should a local media do when reporting about Numbeo’s Davao City landing in third place? It can certainly report, but it must temper it necessarily with what Numbeo is and how its crowd sourcing works. It goes without saying that mass media like community newspapers have the capacity to enable its audience to make rational decisions.

Cuts made by Congress in the annual budget in the last three years had reached P1.042 trillion, broken down into: P219 billion in the 2013 GAA, P449.5 billion in 2024 and P373 billion in 2025.

The populist framework comes to mind, as we are about to elect the game show host and comedian Willie Revillame to the Senate.

Independence. That is one qualification of precedence prescribed by law, the RA 6770 or the Ombudsman Act of 1989, in considering appointments to the position of Ombudsman and the deputies. That law’s Section 5 insists on “persons of recognized probity and independence.”

The MMFF’s identity is bound to being ideologically in sync with government, propping-up as it did Marcos Sr.’s Bagong Lipunan against the backdrop of Martial Law. That 49 years after we are back to the same promise of a Bagong Pilipinas, under Marcos’s son Bongbong, and that the MMFF continues to be embroiled in controversy borne of its lack of credibility, is no surprise.

Instead of reducing poverty, these "ayuda" programs seem to institutionalize a culture of mendicancy through a system that promotes patronage politics on all levels.

IFCN to Zuckerberg: “Mr. Trump himself said your announcement was ‘probably’ in response to threats he’s made against you. Some of the journalists that are part of our fact-checking community have experienced similar threats from governments in the countries where they work, so we understand how hard it is to resist this pressure.” Those journalists referred to by IFCN did not have the enormous resources that Zuckerberg has. With 3.5 billion constituents, almost half of the world’s population, and the third richest man in the world with $217.7 billion net worth, imagine how dynamic democracy would be if Zuckerberg decides to take up the mantle of truth-telling.

Both Erwin and Ben are currently in a statistical tie in surveys on the top senatorial candidates for this coming May elections. Their populist followers are expected to dismiss talks of their fallibility. The argument is that after all, what is the present Senate but a group of impartiality-challenged stooges of their political patrons. That basest of senates is now tolerated – how do you explain Willie Revillame landing within the top six of current surveys? Erwin is poised to land No. 1 in the elections, his brother Ben not far behind.

What tainted the project are the face and not-so-hidden intentions of Romualdez and his allies eyeing the 2025 and 2028 elections. Romualdez has become the face of AKAP, although the lump sum was lodged with the DSWD.

What they (Makabayan Bloc) do know, however, is that the manifesto with the 1/3 signatures is being withheld until such time that there is concrete assurance of the Senate’s 2/3 vote. And that is what is being maneuvered during this Christmas break until Congress resumes on January 13.

The thing with six years of a fascist leadership like Duterte's, built on fragile masculinity and misogyny and violent rhetoric and male chauvinism is that it changes us culturally. Women and the LGBTQIA+ community are more sensitive, and therefore angrier, and rightfully so. We are also exhausted.But the men. Oh the men.

The final shape of the 2025 budget will be a test of the Marcos administration's adherence to the principles of transparency and accountability and his declared policy of prudent spending. Can he pass the test?