Revisiting the Sandiganbayan and Binay’s Graft Case

Posted by JoeAm on February 12, 2015 · 83 Comments 

  By Yvonne  Sometime ago the news media reported the pronouncement of Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno that she does not serve the President. Presumably she does not serve the Vice-president also. The subtext of her statement is that her loyalty belongs to the Filipino people and our Republic. I admire Chief Justice … Continue reading →

Category Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

JoeAm’s findings: Day 2 of the Senate hearing on the Battle of Mamasapano

Posted by JoeAm on February 10, 2015 · 169 Comments 

If you ever doubt the quality and capability of the Philippine leadership, and the potential for good executive leadership, just pull up a tape of this senate hearing and watch the new cadre of (mostly) young, passionate, intelligent senators in action. There were no politics today, just a sharp focus on the issue at hand, understanding … Continue reading →

Category Crime/Corruption, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Philippine Government, USA/Americans

JoeAm’s findings, Senate hearing on the Battle of Mamasapano, Day 1

Posted by JoeAm on February 9, 2015 · 35 Comments 

Let me just highlight the key points I extracted from today’s 5 hour meeting of the joint Senate committee hearing on the Battle of Mamasapano in which 44 SAF forces, 18 (or more) MILF/BIFF forces, and four civilians were killed. I will go for the meaning without the background. I presume you know all the … Continue reading →

Category Crime/Corruption, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Philippine Government, USA/Americans

The BBL on defense and policing: changes are needed

Posted by JoeAm on February 8, 2015 · 60 Comments 

This is the second in a series of blogs aimed at understanding key issues in the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). The first established the general framework of the law (“Our own intellectual Truth Commission, starting with the BBL”). This one takes up the matter of defense and policing. In the BBL, Defense is focused on … Continue reading →

Category Crime/Corruption, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government

Our own intellectual Truth Commission, starting with the BBL

Posted by JoeAm on February 5, 2015 · 25 Comments 

As the Philippine National government, or “Central government” as it is termed in the Bangsmoro Basic Law (BBL), wrestles with the aftermath of a horrid battle in the cornfields of Mindanao, let us take a different approach. The official government investigations will center on the battlefield and from that consider the BBL. We will start … Continue reading →

Category Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government, Religion