The Woman in Yellow
Homily by Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ
Ateneo-Rockwell Chapel
March 27, 2008
There is a phrase which in the last three decades has gained currency as part of our contemporary vocabulary. It is a phrase that has the capacity to inflame love of country and love of fellow men. I refer to the phrase, Women and Men for others.
It is a noble phrase. But noble phrases, when repeated often like a mantra, can sometimes lose their capacity to inspire. The fire has to be rekindled often. …

Dear Folks,
The news headline says, “‘Mikey’ Arroyo plans to join mother’s party.” Ha ha ha…. What a joke!! This is the latest “moro-moro” choreographed by La Gloria herself. What do they think of Filipinos? Stupid? We all know that the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats are subservient to Gloria and her two sons, Mikey and Dato. Political party affiliation is meaningless in the House of Representatives ever since Joe de Venecia was ousted as Speaker …

This is a column I wrote when I was still writing for INQ online. It is now posted on the Cory Aquino website (www.coryaquino.ph). My STAR column today (“Fond Cory Moments”), per Rapa Lopa, Cory’s nephew and Executive Assistant, is going to be posted in the website too — William Esposo
Cory vs. Gloria: The inevitable collision
First posted 02:28:30 (Mla time) September 19, 2005
William Esposo
INQ7.net
Cory C. Aquino vs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo – it’s a political collision that was inevitable. Cory represented freedom, a return to democracy and its institutions. Gloria …

Amoralism
The clearest symptom by which one can recognize the amoralist is his total inability to judge himself, his actions, or his work by any sort of standard. The normal pattern of self-appraisal requires a reference to some abstract value or virtue—e.g., “I am good because I am rational,” “I am good because I am honest,” even the second-hander’s notion of “I am good because people like me.” Regardless of whether the value-standards involved are true or false, these examples imply the recognition of an essential moral principle: that one’s own …

THE DIFFERENCE
The difference between the poor countries and the rich ones is not
the age of the country:
This can be shown by countries like India & Egypt , that are more
than 2000 years old, but are poor.
On the other hand, Canada , Australia & New Zealand , that 150 years
ago were inexpressive, today are developed countries, and are rich.
The difference between poor & rich countries does not reside in the
available natural resources.
Japan has a limited territory, 80% mountainous, inadequate for
agriculture & cattle raising, but it is the second world economy. The
country …

PerryScope
by Perry Diaz
A ‘Rubberized’ Supreme Court
Finally, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has achieved every totalitarian’s dream –absolute power. And she didn’t even have to declare martial law. The late dictator Ferdinand Marcos would have been awed at the way Arroyo acquired wealth and power.
Arroyo and her “royal family” must now be celebrating at the prospect of staying in power beyond 2010. Why not? After the 9-6 Supreme Court decision upholding Romulo Neri’s right to invoke “executive privilege,” nobody would now be in a position to block Arroyo from doing what …

Panahon na Kaya, Filipino? (Is it time, Filipino?)
We have endlessly complained about our sorry state and clamored for change in the Philippines.
The Philippines, land of our birth, our homeland, is besieged by our own politicians and leaders, chronically suffering from ongoing loot of its resources by the very people, sworn and entrusted to serve and protect it.
Our poor are poorer, our economy squat, and our country sinking deeper into cold, dark, uncaring caverns of hopelessness.
…

A product of the First Quarter Storm, Justice Antonio Carpio is asserting his independence
Sunday, 03 December 2006
“LET US not…delude ourselves into believing that a new constitution would immediately eradicate the ills that plague our country. Nor can we expect that tinkering with the constitution will totally purge it of its defects and make this nation great again…. One thing we cannot afford to overlook nor downgrade is the importance of the human element. A basically workable constitution or law can become defective in the hands of enthroned rascals, as we …

What must be done
(Herman Tiu Laurel / Infowars / 3-31-2008 MON)
Every weekend, I summarize the vital news and
discussions I treat on the air in my Monday to Friday
morning program over DWAD, 1098AM. I also try to
record significant texts I receive from listeners
along the way. All of them put together are too many
for my short regular column that comes out on Mondays
and Fridays, but highlighting the key issues gives a
gist of where this country is and what must be done to
move forward. But after looking at the same …

The limits of executive privilege
Manila News
By JUSTICE ANTONIO CARPIO
Executive privilege can never be used to hide a crime or wrongdoing.
Executive privilege is the implied constitutional power of the President to withhold information requested by other branches of the government. The Constitution does not expressly grant this power to the President but courts have long recognized implied Presidential powers if “necessary and proper” in carrying out powers and functions expressly granted to the Executive under the Constitution.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and as Chief Executive, the President is …