Opinion and Commentary

From the Mail: Best is TEST the law

By Ely DejarescoSUPREME Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, in reacting to the newly signed Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 by President Rodrigo R. Duterte on July 3, said the Supreme Court is now ready to accept questions about the new law’s constitutionality. In fact, the Tribunal is now... Read More

Ledesma: Terrorism

THE Anti-Terrorism Law (ATL) is not unique to the Philippines. In fact, its passage by Congress and the signing into law by President Rodrigo R Duterte is quite late.But better late than never. The country has been a comfortable haven for foreign and homegrown terror organizations. In not a few... Read More

Ledesma: Revving the engine of economy

FOUR-month-period is long enough for one to realize that in this fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 9Covid-19) it takes only a good dose of discipline, obedience to very basic health protocols to adapt to the new normal and survive. We are learning it the hard way. Those who fault the... Read More

Ledesma: Cannot DOH take hint?

WE have seen them sleeping on pavements underneath canopies of skyways and roof eaves near Ninoy Aquino International Airport. They have been there for days, weeks in fact, and we have even a name for them: “Locally Stranded Individuals” or LSIs. They were there not because of their... Read More

From the Mail: An open letter to Nang Helen; musings on ‘Rano massacre’

By Jake Bawan TagaenodI WILL whisper in silenceMy thoughts on the Rano caseIt doesn't mean I am cowedNor it means I don’t want to rememberBut the tears had long dried upAnd the emotion had ceased to explodeFor how many deaths must we witnessHow many lives must be wastedMy silence will slowly... Read More

Ledesma: Beware of Bitcoin scam

AMIDST the global Covid-19 pandemic unscrupulous individuals and organizations are feeding on the gullibility of people. This after hundreds of thousands were victimized by Ponzi scammers. The racket was hatched in Bislig, Surigao but when it was heading into trouble, the brain behind the scam... Read More

Laurel: Ambassador Huang Xilian on HK security law

HONG Kong (HK) is a crucial economic hub for the world, especially during the next few years when global efforts will be essential to maintain a favorable economic environment if we are to recover rapidly from the COVID-19 pandemic.The situation in Hong Kong (HK) is particularly important for the... Read More

Ledesma: Ressa hates Duterte as much as she hates PH

MARIA Ressa headlines herself on Rappler where she is the executive editor: “AFTER VERDICT ON MARIA RESSA, THE WORLD PUTS DUTERTE ON TRIAL”. For the past days screaming headlines about Maria Ressa’s conviction were posted by Rappler and only those in the sanctum sanctorum know... Read More

Ledesma: Stable and Investment grade

ON the eve of Independence Day celebration, the Philippines inched one notch in credit rating, another significant step that reaffirms the economic stability of the country on top of belonging to the prestigious league of the investment-grade community of nations. Japan Credit Rating... Read More

Ledesma: Why we need a stringent anti-terrorism law

ALL these sound and fury against the Anti-Terrorism Bill should be weighed against the realities on the ground. The din and the incendiary speeches veer us away from what is happening in our country and around us. Our approach to deterring terrorism and those abetting and goading terrorism is too... Read More

Laurel: Gemma’s ‘Wow China, Amazing China'

IT was just three weeks ago when Riza Hontiveros, a senator from the American- and Yellow-backed NGO Akbayan, raised a howl in the halls of the Philippine senate over the “Wow China” radio program aired on the RP1 Philippine government radio network RP1, claiming it is... Read More

Ledesma: Remember Callamard?

REMEMBER Agnes Calllamard? She is the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) special rapporteur investigating the mythical extrajudicial killings and human rights violence that detained Senator Leila de Lima and out-of-sync former Sen. Antonio Trillanes who importuned President Rodrigo... Read More

From the Mail: Red-tagging, Red-baiting

By Victoria PatriaRED tagging? Red-baiting? It's only a fictitious and self-serving claim of the operators, cadres, and adjunct support groups of the CPP-NPA-NDFwho are operating in urban areas and town centers under the cover of their self-established and infiltrated 'open organizations and... Read More

Nieva: Disregard for nature, surge of pandemics

AS the world continues to find various ways to address COVID-19 pandemic and slowly recover from its impact, this global tragedy is unleashing a sad reality- how wildlife trade and habitat destruction threaten human health. It undeniably reminds us how urgently we need to rethink and change our... Read More

Ledesma: Saving PAL and CebuPac

OUR two airline firms are crash landing and we passengers are in them. This, on account of the pandemic which hit the tourism industry and air travel right on the solar plexus. Sad and worrisome.The initial reaction was to seek government subsidy but the government is already heavily saddled with... Read More

Ledesma: May Pag-asa sa Probinsya

BALIK Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) a program initiated by Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go may yet be the strongest economic driver that runs parallel with the resumption of implementation of the infrastructure projects stalled by the crippling coronavirus pandemic.The senator has... Read More

Egco: RSF Data: PH press better under Duterte

NUMBERS do not lie. People do.It is utterly appalling, if not patently detestable, for some misguided or misinformed sectors to paint a bleak picture of the true state of press freedom in the country when scientific facts clearly show that the Philippine press is in a far better situation (read:... Read More

Ledesma: Acts of kindness

THE brouhaha over the shut down of ABS CBN also shuts out from the public’s knowledge the extremely laudable contribution and support of individuals and corporations that help the government in battling  COVID 19. The invisible enemy decimated the population worldwide, paralyzed the... Read More

Ledesma: Of motives and options of ABS CBN

LET'S set aside the COVID -19 pandemic first and talk about the shut down of ABS CBN. The emotional outbursts of some characters have breached a modicum of civility I cannot imagine that some avid oppositions and their minions would dub those identified with Pres. Rodrigo Duterte as demonic or in... Read More

Nieva: Robust disease surveillance and ‘outbreak drill’

AS the Philippine government continues to expand it's testing capacity and isolation facilities, building a national COVID-19 surveillance and outbreak preparedness system is critical for containing transmission of the virus now and preparing for potential waves of the infection in the future. ... Read More