“Blessed are the peacemakers, they shall be called sons and daughters of God.” (Mt 5:9) Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, do we not all aspire for the grace to be called “sons and daughters of God?” If we do so, then we must constantly strive to be peacemakers in these…
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Some political and legal pundits have credited President Rodrigo Duterte for triggering serious discussion on federalism as a form of government which, it is argued, suits the situation and demands of the Philippines’ diverse society. For the PDP-Laban Federalism Institute, “The unprecedented assumption to power of Duterte and his political…
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On May 9, 2018, the Campaign for Land Use Policy Now! (CLUP Now!), led by the Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC), the Kaisahan Tungo sa Kaunlaran ng Kanayunan at Repormang Pansakahan (KAISAHAN), and JJCICSI organized a forum titled “The Fate of the National Land Use Act…
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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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Even before coming to power, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had been casting federalism as “our last hope” to set right the excesses of a central government controlled by “Imperial Manila,” the inequitable distribution of public resources, the uneven economic development among regions, and the massive poverty that has bred unrest…
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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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As the two chambers of Congress find themselves in an impasse over the convening of a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution, a fortunate digression has brought the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) back on the administration’s priority legislative agenda, where it should be. The Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), which had…
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Stop calling Duterte ‘propoor’
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…