Category Archives: Columns

MANILA, Philippines—Great victories spawn great expectations. Instead of massing in our streets to oust disgraced leaders and to install new ones, our people overrode technical glitches and human frailties in our first automated national election to hand Noynoy Aquino the most convincing electoral mandate since the new Constitution took effect in 1987. They want him to use this new genre of People Power to transform our country. Continue reading →

DESPITE THE SWELTERING KILOMETRIC queues, technical glitches, carelessness, mismanagement and other booboos of Comelec and Smartmatic, our people persevered. Human frailties and technological hitches could not stop the thunderous Noynoy landslide. Continue reading →

IT WAS CLEAR TO ME ALL THIS TIME THAT glitches and hitches in the automated election system would arise here and there, in various parts of the country to the extent of about 20 percent of all the ballots cast on Election Day. But I never imagined a nationwide failure of election (no-el). Given, however, the logistical nightmare induced by the PCOS machines’ complete misreading of the votes during the test runs last Monday, I am now ready to believe the chilling scenarios painted by Comelec’s worst critics. Continue reading →

NEVER SINCE THE SNAP ELECTIONS OF 1986 has there been an electoral exercise as critical as the forthcoming polls eight days from now. This is the opportunity we have been waiting for to forge an orderly transfer of power, and to restore our trust in the leadership of our nation and in our savaged democratic institutions. Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines—“Chief Justice, whom will you vote for as president and vice president?” So readers often ask me. With May 10 just days away, let me now answer, not by naming my choices but by describing the attributes I am looking for; attributes I spelled out during the recent induction of the Management Association of the Philippines at the Peninsula Hotel. Continue reading →

THE COMMISSION ON ELECTIONS IS PREPARing for the manual count of 30 percent of the ballots, in case the PCOS machines snag. This was affirmed by, of all people, Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales. The poll agency has ordered the printing of manual election returns, tally sheets and other election forms. Thus, both Gonzales and the Comelec confidently bragged that a failure of elections would not happen. Really? Why then did Gonzales propose, earlier on, an unconstitutional “transition government” in anticipation of failed elections? Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines—The Commission on Elections has been reckless in accrediting party-list candidates and their nominees. A few days ago, the Supreme Court reversed Comelec’s flimsy decision disqualifying Ang Ladlad. Now, it is inviting more public disenchantment by disqualifying the Disabled Pinoy Party, yet allowing Rep. Mikey Arroyo to be the first nominee of a party list of security guards and former Secretary Angelo Reyes to represent a party list of bus and jeepney drivers. Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines—“The brighter the sun gets, the less I see the ball when I drive it into the sky. I used to watch it land at over 200 yards but now I cannot even see it in flight,” so I complained to Dr. Jack Arroyo that sunny morning on July 15, 2008 as we played golf at The Country Club. Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines—The Constitution provides that chief justices (in fact, all justices and judges) are to be appointed by the president from a list of candidates prepared by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC). Thus, the JBC started two months ago the process of vetting candidates in anticipation of the retirement of Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno on May 17 this year. Continue reading →

MANILA, Philippines—The National Democratic Institute (NDI), a US-based think-tank that works in 110 countries and is associated with US President Barack Obama’s Democratic Party, sent a five-person delegation to monitor and assess the preparations for our May 10 automated election. Continue reading →