Dad was instinctively Catholic. He had scant catechism as a child. But while other boys played at being soldiers, he played at being a priest. He might have become one had he gone to a Catholic school. Instead he sent his children to Catholic schools, and improved his own Catholic…
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Early in the morning of Feb. 22, 1986, Bishop Francisco Claver, S.J. was called upon to put his money where his mouth was. Claver had been the main author of the bishops’ post-election statement which declared that in their considered judgment “the polls were unparalleled in the fraudulence of their…
Leave a CommentAs the nation heaps praise and admiration upon former government auditor turned whistle-blower Heidi Mendoza, I am reminded of two words: “common virtue.” This was the title of the last chapter of John Bradley Jr.’s 2000 bestseller, “Flags of Our Fathers.” The book is Bradley’s account of the lives of…
Leave a CommentMy oldest nephew, on whom we pin great hopes, spent 16 years in that famous school in Loyola Heights, the one that instructs its students not just in reading skills but in Catholic teaching. He recently asked about the topic for my next article. I said: “The 20th anniversary of…
Leave a CommentI took a much-needed respite from my daily routine and work last November. After two years of planning and saving up, I made a trip to New Zealand with a cousin and friend to visit a younger cousin who lives in Auckland. We went around the north side of New…
Leave a CommentHistorian Alfred W. McCoy made headlines in the Philippines when, shortly before the snap election of 1986, he showed that the medals for valor as a guerrilla leader claimed by President Ferdinand Marcos were fake. Since then he has by his archival research turned over more rocks to reveal the creepy…
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It is said that those who forget history are condemned to repeat it. With this in mind, Matthew Connelly, professor of history at Columbia University, has written “Fatal Misconception: The Struggle to Control World Population.” In great detail and with abundant documentation he traces the story of mainly well-meaning people…
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Picking up on the article of Fr. Gregory Gaston (“Population trends: lessons for RP,” Inquirer, 1/3/10) Rosie Brillantes-Luistro (“Population bomb theory defused,” Inquirer, 1/23/10) warns against measures to reduce population growth. She speaks of what has been called a “demographic winter,” i.e., a situation in which a society has too…
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It was December 29, years ago, and I was spending the Christmas holidays with a friend, a parish priest in a tiny village in the Dolomite Mountains, between Italy and Austria. Towering cliffs of pink Dolomite rock, topped with snow, stood out against a deep blue sky. Many of the…
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A three-way test
What a difference a short meeting makes. The much-awaited encounter with President Noy happened on Dec. 23, 2010. Originally planned to be a “big” assembly of at least 300 participants, the meeting was an idea that came out of an earlier meeting between the President and six representatives of the…