lawyer | teacher | leader | thinker
The movie Maid in Malacañang by Darryl Yap shares an ‘untold story’ of the Marcoses before they fled to Hawaii during the first People Power Revolution in 1986—the last 72 hours of the family in Malacañang Palace to be exact. Unfortunately, its narrative appears as a blatant attempt to distort history and restore the ‘Marcos …
Continue reading “How the Marcoses can vindicate themselves”
This month of August we celebrate the death anniversaries of two of the most illustrious fellows who graced the local political landscape. Their extraordinary lives and legacies have left indelible marks in our history, leaving a profound mark on our people, not even the passage of time can dim. On August 18, 10 years ago, …
“I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. Love one another as I have loved you”. This is Jesus’s final message to his disciples. Love is the central theme of God’s relationship to man. It is this infinite love why God sent …
“The poor and the basic sectors above all must be represented in that coalition of the willing.“ I submitted this column not knowing the results yet of yesterday’s elections. Perhaps by the time the Manila Standard print edition comes out, there is already a clear winner. Given the consistency of the surveys from November to April, …
“The evidence is abundant.” Quoting from International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Ms Fatou Bensouda’s “Request for authorisation to open an investigation into the situation in the Republic of the Philippines in connection with President Duterte’s war on drugs (WoD) campaign,” I feature in this column the findings and observations of the prosecutor to support her …
Continue reading “Conspiracy to commit crimes against humanity”
“Why is loving God a source of contentment and happiness?” Last week, I examined the writings of St. Alphonsus Ligouri on the importance of the virtue of living in conformity with the will of God. To the holy man, living according to one’s will and not of God’s is the same as idolatry, since in …
“To those who love God, all things work unto good.” This is the last of my series of columns on the will of God, my attempt to try to make sense of the sickness and death around us. I wrote these reflections during a difficult time for my hometown, Cagayan de Oro, Davao City, and …
“Faith gives us all the courage to embrace our grief and continue to love.” In times of extreme adversity and calamity, such as during this pandemic, many of us are asking these questions: Why do bad things happen to good people? If God is loving and compassionate, then why would that all powerful Being allow …
“We must not contribute to our own destruction.” I have written many times that the global climate emergency is upon us. We are already experiencing its impact and it will only get worse. But are we helpless against climate change? Are the worst scenarios inevitable? Should we just give up and do what we can …
Continue reading “What the Philippines can contribute to win against Climate Change”
“The administration, given its track record for the past five years, has lost any credibility to push for something as drastic as charter change.” Once again, the House of Representatives has voted in plenary session to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. In essence, the amendments will add the phrase “as provided by …
Tony La Viña