I have two neighbors who frequently engage me in my early morning hour with discussions over a cup of coffee: Lito who is a longtime neighbor and Willie, my former student at the Davao School for the Blind. Their visits usually happen on Sundays, lighting up my morning hour with discussions of issues that we gather from frequent listening to the TV and radio.
Filipinos look up to religious and spiritual leaders. Not to be left unnoticed are progressive church community leaders who emerged in their outreach as they mount development projects with the people. But how are the church leaders doing their share of community work in the context of restrained democratic processes and extreme poverty?
This early, ambitious contenders for the top electoral posts in the national government especially the Presidency, are already making their preparations for the contest. With the opening of Kwaresma comes this categorical announcement of Vice-President Jejomar Binay that he is definitely running for President come 2016 . And he is forming a new political party to which he is inviting Boxing Champ Manny Pacquiao to be part of the senatorial line-up. Senator Cayetano has also made known his interest in the top position. God knows how many other politicians harbor the desire to become President.
So many views have been advanced as attempts to interpret the significance of the People Power 1 revolt at EDSA twenty eight years ago. In the little eatery — the usual hangout corner of the local residents in my village – I overheard this interesting discussion-
Let this be the clarion call of our times: Resist Aquino’s e-Martial Law.
Over the past several days, the whole nation has been abuzz over the shift in the academic calendar of the University of the Philippines, from the June to March cycle to an August to May one. When I say the whole nation I don’t think I am exaggerating as this shift will have clear implications at that level, regardless of how hard some at the UP administration try to separate the University from the rest of the country.
It’s a whole range of our sensibilities that has been affected. Nothing is good enough for us without the quality of the foreign stuff. And in our effort to experience the sense of the foreign, or the ‘imported’ so called, we exult in the thought that we are able to have imitated the alien thing
A Tribute to Amado Guerrero
on his Birthday Anniversay
“Ngano man kahang gi-initan man gyud sa CHR ang atong Mayor, no? Imbestigahan daw tungod sa iyang pamahayag nga patyon ang dakong taeng smuggler sa bugas kun moanhi sa Davao!” [Why should our Mayor be the object of reproof by the CHR on account of his statement that he would kill the Number One rice smuggler if he comes to Davao?”]
My friend Lito rasps: “Ngano man kahang gi-initan man gyud sa CHR ang atong Mayor, no? Imbestigahan daw tungod sa iyang pamahayag nga patyon ang dakong taeng smuggler sa bugas kun moanhi sa Davao!” [Why should our Mayor be the object of reproof by the CHR on account of his statement that he would kill the Number One rice smuggler if he comes to Davao?”]
