OPINIONS
When You Wish Upon a Star…
“Starlight, star bright, the first star I see tonight. I wish I were, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight”
I was in second grade when I chanted those words like magic before bedtime. I oftentimes ended with a wish of having a bike, getting a new book, or taking a trip to the beach. When the weather was bad and my father was not home from work yet, I always wished that he arrived safely. But then my incantation transformed into a prayer. My father was not a sheer wish. He belonged to God’s power, not magical thinking. Continue reading
Illac Diaz for Philippine President
“Duterte for President!” exclaimed an eleven-year old boy with his right fist punching the stratosphere. I thought Davao City Mayor Duterte had declared that he wasn’t interested in running as Philippine president in the 2016 national elections. This boy didn’t read the news, I said to myself. Continue reading
Is EDCA dead in the water?
With all the hoopla following the signing of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) between the Philippines and the United States on April 28, 2014 in Manila, one would expect American military forces to be deployed to at least eight strategic locations to protect the Philippines from external forces intruding into her territory. Continue reading
What Do We Mean By “Representative Government”?
With a presidential election year fast approaching, we’re in for a lot of public talk about the state of American democracy. Much of that discussion will be insightful and thought-provoking, but there’s a good chance you’ll also find a lot of it vague and hard to pin down. Continue reading
Facing Up to Climate Change : How Real Is It? How Bad Could It Get? What Should We do Now?
Today, perhaps as never before, our climate seems to be in trouble. Climate change coupled with population growth could drastically alter and deteriorate the environment and life prospects for our grand-children and later generations. Continue reading
QUESTIONS RAISED ABOUT $1.8 M RENTAL OF SHIP TO EVACUATE OFWs FROM LIBYA
MALTA –Serious questions are being raised about the Philippine government’s decision a year ago this week to rent an old, slow bedbug-infested passenger ship for $1.8 million to ferry 766 Filipino workers on a 221 mile voyage from Libya to Malta on August 15, 2014. Continue reading
Practical medical pearls
Soft drinks sales down; sparkling water up
As we have discussed a few times in this column since 1997, soft drinks are toxic, especially for children. They increase the risk for metabolic syndrome. Because of all the revelation in the various media of the dangers of soft drinks, cola or uncola, caffeinated or decaf, diet or not, are all unhealthy for us, people around the world are recognizing the problem and have switched to “water with fizz,” sparkling seltzer water, pure water that is healthier. Continue reading
Mga Biro at Bulay-Bulay, Part 2
Isang anyo ng irasyunal na pag-iisip ang pagiging sobrang conscious pag nasa lugar na may ibang mga tao. Ang pakiwari ay laging may nagmamasid sa iyo. Bawat minuto, bawat segundo, walang patid na nakamasid. Kaya hindi makakilos nang normal. Continue reading
TWIN OAKS A UTOPIAN COMMUNITY (Part two)
I grew up in a home environment where it was every body for himself. I don’t think our sainted mother intended our family to end up that way; our intense sibling rivalry just got the better of us. Even to this day my two half-brothers and I compete and argue more than share and dialog. Continue reading
On Secrets, Lies and Telling the Truth.
There was a time when part of my job description was confined inside a wooden box that allowed me to hear voices of other people without seeing their faces. They told me their secrets, they shared their guilt, and they expected some kind of release from the burden of their mischief. Names are not required. Continue reading