The bishops have been in the spotlight as the latest targets of Duterte’s calls for violence. We have to admire the way some of them have consistently called out abuses and cried out for justice for the voiceless ones among their flock. Little wonder they were among those chosen as…
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The sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church has been too often in the headlines recently. Propelled by a cascade of accusations, revelations and indictments from America to Europe, it has gone from being a specter over the Church to what has been described as a “critical mass.” In the…
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I doubt if many people were surprised when President Duterte said that he would employ “assassination teams” and “death squads” against communist rebels and their sympathizers. Some may have been indignant or jubilant, but probably not surprised. Unfortunately, presidential pronouncements like these have now become par for the course. In…
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The first time I heard about Boracay was in the early ’80s, from a former officemate who visited the pristine place that it was back then. The first time I set foot on the island was two decades later, in 2003. I enjoyed the child-friendly white sand beach, fresh air,…
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Former finance secretary Roberto de Ocampo devoted almost a third of his column, “Federalism’s unpleasant surprise” (6/23/18), to heap praises on President Duterte. Wondering why the President still commands ardent support as indicated by his high approval ratings, he said, “It would be snooty and condescending to dismiss this popularity…
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One of the infrastructure projects in the government’s “Build, build, build” program which is certain to bring great relief to commuters and travelers is the North-South Railway Project. The South line consists of a 68-kilometer commuter line that will run between Tutuban in Manila and Los Baños in Laguna and…
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Watch out! The train is coming!” yelled the crowd of urban poor clustered around the railroad tracks by the España station. It was Holy Week and seven cross-bearers were kneeling on the tracks to protest government policies threatening their already precarious existence. They scrambled to get out of the train’s…
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by Fr. Flaviano L. Villanueva, Fr. Joselito Sarabia, Fr. Roberto P. Reyes, and Sr. Teresita Alo To those old enough to remember the stolen election of 1986, the vote recount for the vice presidential race, currently underway, may seem at once like a repetition and an inversion of the past. In February…
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Hopes rose among the urban poor when President Duterte declared, during his first month in office, that his administration would not treat them like dogs by allowing the demolition of their houses. If relocation cannot be avoided, he said, he would be “very generous” and ensure the presence of job-creating…
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What about decent housing for the poor?
As expected, none of the reelectionist senators who voted for the approval of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Law included it in their list of accomplishments that they now boast about in their campaign ads. Who would want to be associated with a law that is partly…