Are anti-Aquino forces playing into the hands of China in the Mamasapano debacle?

  By Yvonne Let me start by stating that I expected a public outcry on the Mamasapano debacle due to the unprecedented loss of lives among our PNP-SAF personnel who were on a mission to capture, or neutralize, high value terrorists. The chance to get three long-wanted, violent criminals in a single police operation was … Continue reading →

Filed under China, Citizenship/Patriotism, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics

The case for a State-owned newspaper in the Philippines

“In 1841, Thomas Carlyle wrote, ‘Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all’. . .  Carlyle saw the press as instrumental to the birth and growth of democracy, spreading facts and opinions and sparking revolution against tyranny.” (Stanford University, … Continue reading →

Filed under Blogging/Journalism, Citizenship/Patriotism, Philippine Government

20 ways to demean the Senate

Each of 20 senators who signed the “Poe Report on Mamasapano” is complicit in attempts to deceive Filipino citizens. They have taken the public’s trust, in the name of fact finding, and twisted it for opportunistic reasons. Here’s what they agreed to: That the primary responsibility for the 44 SAF deaths should be placed on … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics

Senator Grace Poe and her impeachment remarks

  by crispinbasilio As Sen. Grace Poe read out loud the executive summary of the Senate Mamasapano report, JoeAm wondered why she mentioned impeachment at all, when the report presumably made no mention of it. This writer wondered, too. The following might help put recent events in perspective… Coincidence? First, notice how the approval rating of Pres. Aquino … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Crime/Corruption, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government, Philippine Politics

Mamasapano: on proximate cause and the butterfly effect

 Why Napena’s Oplan is the “proximate cause”, and not the break in chain of command by Andrew Lim With the Board of Inquiry’s report and the Senate Committee’s report now both out, everyone has an opinion on: who is to blame (to hold responsible or to place responsibility for; very imprecise and can be based solely … Continue reading →

Filed under Citizenship/Patriotism, Foreign Affairs and Defense, Laws and Ethics, Philippine Government