Category Archives: Columns

“ONE CAN aspire for, plan, and win a seat in the Senate. But the presidency? That’s destiny.” That was how Ninoy Aquino, the campaign manager of the Liberal Party for the 1971 senatorial polls, characterized then the ascent to the top during a press conference at the now defunct Au Bon Vivant Restaurant in Ermita, Manila. Continue reading →

PRESIDENT Cory Aquino had a special affection for teachers. She appreciated their singular role in the transformation of society, as the molders of the youth and the beacons of their future. Truly, the influence of teachers is eternal. What they impart to the present is handed down from generation to generation by their grateful students. Continue reading →

THE RECENT Inquirer article of former Ambassador to the United States Albert F. del Rosario as well as the media statements of former Speaker Jose de Venecia, former Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz and former Justice Secretary (now Presidential Legal Counsel) Raul Gonzalez about emergency rule disturbed many readers. Continue reading →

THE CONSTITUTION ordains: “Any vacancy (in the Supreme Court) shall be filled within ninety days from the occurrence thereof.” Was this mandate violated when Justice Mariano C. Del Castillo took his oath and assumed office in the Supreme Court (and thus actually “filled” the vacancy) only last Aug. 6? His oath taking happened more than 90 days after the “occurrence” of the vacancy on April 30, 2009 when Justice Ma. Alicia Austria-Martinez retired from the Court. Continue reading →

“HOW CAN you expect President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to exit gracefully when her enemies have repeatedly threatened to persecute and harass her? Why should she stop her allies from extending her rule when they merely want to protect her from her enemies and to preserve her legacy of a strong economy?” so asked a reader (who requested anonymity) in reaction to last week’s column. Continue reading →

AS A RETIRED chief justice and ex-officio chairman of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), I resolutely protest Malacañang’s assault on the JBC’s integrity and independence. The JBC gauntlet took the form of a jolting letter, signed by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, returning without any legal justification the council’s list of nominees from which the President is mandated to fill up the two vacancies in the Supreme Court. Continue reading →

AMBASSADOR Tita de Villa, chairperson of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, enthusiastically accepted my suggestion (per my July 12 column) to prioritize voter education in the campaign for credible polls launched recently by “Eleksyon 2010.” She saw the absolute need to orient our people, especially in the rural areas, on the basics of the automation system of the Commission on Elections and, in general, of voting wisely. Continue reading →

MANY have pointedly asked: Are you for or against Charter change (Cha-cha)? Our 1987 Constitution is not perfect. So, like many well-meaning citizens, I am in favor of perfecting it. But like everything else, the right thing should be done in the right way at the right time and for the right reasons. Process, timing and motive are as important as substance. Continue reading →

TO PROVIDE “the biggest and most comprehensive coverage” of the presidential elections next year, “Eleksyon 2010” was launched last week at the new GMA 7 studios by the “best of the best” Philippine media entities, telecommunications giants, academic institutions, poll watchdogs and civic groups. Continue reading →

THE AWESOME gathering power of the Catholic Church was again convincingly if quietly demonstrated during the last two Saturdays of June. Defying the influenza A(H1N1) contagion, more than 12,000 Catholic lay faithful (6,000 per Saturday) crowded the Congress on Parish Liturgical Life at the gigantic SMX Convention Center. Continue reading →