Calvary for BBL & Peace Negotiators Christianity’s traditional annual “Calvary” is over now. But for the peace workers and the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law, the long road of Calvary is still continuing. When Philippine chief peace negotiator, Prof. Miriam “Iye” Coronel – Ferrer called me by phone soon after Mamasapano to clarify certain points on […]
Never Having to Say “I’m Sorry” March 28, 2015 “Never having to say I’m sorry” is a title, by the way, of an old favorite song. That reminds me of this growing call for the president to say “I’m sorry” for Mamasapano. If you ask me, I do not think President Aquino will say “I’m […]
Time for Paradigm Shift? March 21, 2015 Again, I have some unsolicited thoughts to inflict on everyone. Just thinking aloud on how to move forward. Please consider the following, take it or leave it. But I believe it’s high time now that we consider some paradigm shift by changing the discourse from political to development. […]
Mamasapano ‘Striptease’ & Catharsis This kind of “striptease” does not tantalize nor excite. It angers. The way the Mamasapano actual facts had been exposed slowly piece-by-piece is not scintillating at all. If only all those involved immediately bared all and gave full disclosure at the outset, the nation would have been spared this agonizing and […]
Mamasapano and RioTuba February 28, 2015 Almost one month has passed since Mamasapano. Up to now, we are wasting precious time and missing opportunities. And we have already squandered precious gains. Yet we are not moving forward. Instead, bitterness, anger, grief, disbelief, divisiveness, hatred, blame, revenge still rule our hearts. And we are witnessing more […]
VIRGIN OIL & MISUARI DURING MY FVR VISIT (December 13 , 2014) I was in Manila this past week and dropped by to visit my ” boss forever” President Fidel V. Ramos at his 26th floor RPDEV office at Makati. I recall it was not that long ago that we last met.He was in Davao […]
WHO’S AFRAID OF COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT? November 29, 2014 Last Thursday from Manila, I took Tiger Air ( recently acquired by Cebu Pacific) enroute to Cagayan de Oro to visit the STEAG coal fired plant in Villanueva town inside the PHIVIDEC industrial estate. I thought I was out of Manila’s bad traffic. I thought wrong! […]
HONGKONG MEDIA FORUM Vol. XVIII No. 7 (Nov. 22-28, 2014) INFLIGHT WIFI — Last Saturday night on my way home from Hongkong, I was worried while airborne at 38,000 feet on board PAL’s PR307 that I would miss my connecting flight from Manila to Davao to catch up with an event I did not want to miss. But PAL’s in-flight […]
REALITY CHECK ON BANGSAMORO PACT VOL. XVIII, NO. 6(Nov. 15-21) Over the past few days, I came across both good and bad news about the Bangsamoro peace deal. A reality check of some sort. “Good” because the government, the MILF and the prospective donor countries and international agencies came together recently in a Philippine […]
WHY KILL JOURNALISTS November 8, 2014 I woke up 2:30 a.m. early dawn a few days ago while in a hotel in Iligan City and went to the small lobby area where internet wi-fi connection was strongest. Although still sleepy, I had to be on “skype” with AL JAZEERA TV broadcasting live from the Middle East, sitting there […]