“Paano na ang Pasko? Pinatay na ang tatay ko (What will Christmas be like? My father has been killed),” said one placard at the “Panunuluyan ng Maralitang Tagalungsod,” an annual tradition of urban poor groups reenacting the search of Mary and Joseph for a place where Jesus might be born.…
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A decade after the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act (JJWA) was enacted, it now faces its biggest challenge. Among the priority bills of President Duterte and his allies in Congress is the lowering of the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) from 15 to 9 years old. The MACR is…
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John J. Carroll, SJ probes into the Filipino blood lust that clamored for Echegaray’s execution and gives a cultural, social and Christian reflection on the death penalty. First published in the Intersect Volume 14, Nos. 4 and 5 April-May 1999 A witness to a hanging in the Philippines, in…
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I never thought I could be grateful to the Marcoses for anything. But their insistence on burying the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos’ remains in the Libingan ng mga Bayani has given me a precious gift: hope in the next generation. Until the day the Supreme Court ruled to allow the…
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A statement that appeared in an article in The Economist concerning the government’s decision to allow the burial of former president Ferdinand Marcos’ remains in the Libingan ng mga Bayani says it well: “… [A]s one strongman buries another, the Philippines appears to be moving backward, not forward.” It won’t…
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I fought hard to recover from the sickening news of the Supreme Court’s decision on the Marcos burial. After two previous decisions that allowed the release from detention of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and former senator Juan Ponce Enrile, both charged with the crime of plunder, this decision is…
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I am no fan of President Duterte. I did not vote for him. Before the election, I was already turned off by his cussing during rallies and sorties, careless and foul remarks on women, and lack of concrete programs to address the economic and social issues of Philippine society, save…
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The Minimum Age of Criminal Responsibility (MACR) is the lowest age at which children in a given country can be prosecuted in court. In the Philippines, under the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 (JJWA) or Republic Act 9344 as amended by Republic Act 10630, the MACR is set…
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To our dear sisters and brothers in our Jesuit institutions and communities, Once more we find ourselves in tumultuous times. Amidst the many issues confronting our country—extra-judicial killings, constitutional change, “rhetorical” threats to impose martial law, and the Marcos burial in the Libingan ng mga Bayani—we find ourselves torn as…
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Our shepherds have not been silent
At Wacom4, Archbishop Villegas told our young people: “Do not be afraid to wait.” We say to you: “Do not be afraid to wait for us, the faithful.” The Holy Spirit moves ponderously among us, but with certainty. By Gemma Rita R. Marin, Liza L. Lim, and Patrick Z. Falguera,…