First read I planned to reserve the term “oligarchipelago” for a book that I am writing and which keeps me awake most nights these days, but President Duterte‘s loud blast against oligarchs last Wednesday in Malacanang has forced a … Read more »
“The only thing to fear is fear itself.” – President Franklin Delano Roosevelt MOST people of this country are afraid of the many things that PDU30 says. This is the reason why he is effective in making his boys kill … Read more »
‘Do Cha-cha right or I will shut you down’
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has warned lawmakers against using Charter change for their selfish motives, or Congress will be shut down. Duterte made the statement in a Malacañang speech Wednesday night amid growing opposition to his plan to revise the 1987 … Read more »
House eyes 12 deputy speakers
THE HOUSE of Representatives plans to name an unprecedented 12 deputy speakers, and justified this as part of a “dry run” ahead of a plan to shift to a federal form of government. Each deputy speaker will roughly correspond to … Read more »
Govt urged to act on jail ‘purgatory’
Images of hellish conditions at an overcrowded Philippines jail triggered calls Thursday from lawmakers and rights groups for swift reforms to the penal system, which is under strain from an anti-drugs crackdown. AFP photographs of the Quezon City Jail, where … Read more »
Ongpin quits company after Duterte blast
TYCOON Roberto Ongpin resigned as chairman and director of listed online gaming firm PhilWeb Corp. on Thursday, a day after he was singled out by President Rodrigo Duterte as one of many “oligarchs” who have benefited from government connections. “I … Read more »
Republicans jump ship as Trump stumbles
WASHINGTON: Internal party turmoil over Donald Trump spilled into public alarm Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) after unprecedented self-inflicted mistakes by the Republican nominee, as some conservatives prepared to do the unthinkable: vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton. While “dump Trump” calls … Read more »
The Latest News
- Cyprus police net $66-million cocaine haul
- Japan emperor to address nation amid abdication reports
- Duterte ‘think tank’ wants faster appointment process
- Tap-and-go payment system available for use in train lines
- Cavite bettor wins P111.9-M lotto pot
- Senator wants vehicle buyers to secure parking space first
- ‘ROTC will make PH more prepared for war’
- The Thai village using poop to power homes
- Cambodia seizes 600 kilograms of ivory from Africa
- US warns citizens on Nigeria travel over security concerns
Business
- July inflation at 1.9 %
- Bank of England cuts rates to record low
- Int’l reserves hit record $85.4B
- ERC grants retail licenses to 3 power firms
Editorial
Exploited workers now have a champion to fight for their rights
For decades, it has been the shame of this country, that despite having a progressive labor code in its statute books, our government has been unable and unwilling to stop the illegal business practice of contractualization. While many have railed against contractualization, the practice has become more entrenched in our private sector. Some... Read more »
Nation
Secure parking space first
OWNING a car may soon require buyers not just the financial capability to acquire one, but also a permanent parking space. This will be the scenario if Senate Bill (SB) 201 or the Proof of Parking Space Act is enacted … Read more »
Beep cards can be used in NCR bus trips
COMMUTERS will now be able to use their “Beep” cards in select routes of Froehlich Tours, one of the premium point-to-point (P2P) bus systems in Metro Manila (National Capital Region or NCR) starting on Monday, AF Payments Inc. said. “This … Read more »
Cavite bettor wins P111.9-M lotto pot
A LUCKY bettor from Cavite is the newest multi-millionaire in the country after hitting the P111.9-million 6/42 lotto jackpot of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) on Thursday night. PCSO General Manager Jose Ferdinand Rojas 2nd said the ticket with … Read more »
‘ROTC will make PH more prepared for war’
LIEUTENANT General Eduardo Año, the Philippine Army commander, on Friday called for an invigorated Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) program, saying it would make the government more prepared in times of war. Año made the statement as the Army welcomed … Read more »
Justice department rejects BI reshuffle
THE Department of Justice (DoJ) has disapproved the latest round of reshuffles at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) that involves the designation and reassignment of 18 immigration officials and personnel. Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente made the request in a memorandum, … Read more »
Fil-Indian nabbed for drugs
POLICE on Friday arrested a Filipino-Indian for allegedly peddling ecstasy, shabu and marijuana along a club and bar strip in Makati City (Metro Manila). Superintendent Jenny Tecson, spokeswoman for the Southern Police District (SPD), identified the suspect as Aaron Nari … Read more »
Analysis & Commentary
Duterte’s stand-up comedy act (Suca) (Part 2)
At the outset, Duterte served notice that his SONA would be about a radical departure from orthodox methods of running a government. What he could only do during the presidential campaign as outright propaganda, now he could actually practice given … Read more »
Faster than a speeding bullet
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) and China negotiation efforts are strange bedfellows. The problem is how to take the first step having one without the other. The three ladies, Ma Lourdes Sereno, Leila de lima and Conchita Carpio-Morales, to … Read more »
Of media and ‘medyo’ media
AT the presscon in Club Filipino after the Liberal Party had voted to seek the resignation of then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, I asked Sen. Franklin Drilon: “Sir, about a week ago, in Iloilo City, you said Ilonggos love GMA … Read more »
A win–win approach to China
The situation following the Hague decision in favor of this country is expected to intensify the misunderstanding between two neighbors in the South China Sea aka West Philippine Sea. On the one hand, the decision portrays China as a squatter … Read more »
A daunting question about the usage of noun clauses and relative clauses (1)
A new member of Jose Carillo English Forum who goes by the username Kal recently asked me this daunting grammar question: “What are the types of noun clauses and relative clauses and what are their functions, forms, and usages?” I … Read more »
People empowerment, NOT people in power
The Party-List System (PLS) of representation in the House of Representatives (HoR) was envisioned to empower the people, particularly those belonging in the marginalized and underrepresented sectors of the society. As it turned out, the PLS was bastardized by those … Read more »
When you need insurance
CHANCES are it will be difficult for you to get one; you will be deemed uninsurable due to some condition/circumstances; it will be too late. We all have this vision of how we want our lives to be, how we … Read more »
Change is not coming so quickly for some things
MY original topic for today’s column was unfortunately trapped inside my home computer at about 10:55 am yesterday, when a sweeping power outage began and affected a large part of Metro Manila and provinces to the south. We were warned, … Read more »
Editors' Picks
If Britain has its ‘bloody difficult woman,’ we have our Gina Lopez
As Theresa May became the second “bloody difficult” woman Prime Minister of Britain (after Margaret Thatcher, who served from 1979 to 1990), Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte continued to surprise his countrymen with some of his appointments to the Cabinet and … Read more »
Did Aquino coddle and protect drug lords?
Most definitely yes, either out of his sheer incompetence, or outright complicity. That’s the only conclusion one would get after the police all over the country, following incoming President Duterte’s announced priority, have arrested or killed more than 200 drug … Read more »
Where credit is due: Arroyo, not Aquino, raised PH economy
ON strictly legal grounds, lawyers and justices will probably consider this as immaterial and irrelevant to the case of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo that has now moved to the Supreme Court for resolution. But I put it to the … Read more »
Legal Advice
American married to Pinay here can file for divorce in US
Dear PAO, I am a Filipina, who is married to an American. Our relationship is not doing well because of our age gap and some cultural differences to which both of us cannot adapt. Lately, my husband became hot-tempered and … Read more »
























