When asked their views on media and press freedom as well as free expression, politicians of the Philippine variety will swear to high heaven their respect for both. But the most clueless among them about what both freedoms mean and what they consist of will do their all to diminish them once...
THE RUSH to pass a death penalty law despite the objections of the Catholic Church, Amnesty International, and even some senators shouldn't surprise anyone. The campaign to restore capital punishment began practically on Day One of the Duterte regime, when the then...
PHILIPPINE SOCIETY has been mired in crisis for centuries due to the rapaciousness and incompetence of a ruling elite nurtured by colonial rule and sustained by imperialist intervention. The signs and expressions of that crisis – poverty, injustice, political...
AS JOURNALISTS COMMITTED to providing our countrymen the information they need in these exciting but perilous times, do alternative media practitioners still have to abide by the ethical and professional standards to which the dominant media supposedly subscribe?...
CORPORATE MEDIA reporting of conflict has always been erratic, haphazard if not egregiously partisan, and as a consequence detrimental to the search for solutions including the making of peace agreements. The conflict in Mindanao had not received...
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte's support for the resumption of peace talks with the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), his pledge to release political prisoners involved in the talks, his designation of two nominees (out of a promised four) of the...
Ferdinand Marcos' widow Imelda is a member of the House of Representatives. His daughter Imee is running unopposed for reelection as governor of Ilocos Norte. His son Ferdinand Jr. is leading the pack of six candidates for Vice President – and whether or not he wins...
Una, ano ang akala nyo, tanga ang magsasaka na hindi sila pwedeng magmulat, kumilos at magmobilisa ng sariling hanay, na kailangan nila ang Kaliwa para gawin ito para sa kanila? Ikalawa, kung hindi lumaban ang magsasaka— ginamit ang anuman maaring makakapagtanggol sa...
ONE of the most common arguments for opening full media ownership to foreign interests is that it will facilitate technology transfer. Senator Grace Poe alluded to this supposed advantage when she declared during the Makati Business Club forum that she favored...
Life lessons matapos ang pangalawang presidentiable debate sa UP Cebu: Una, handa si Grace pero mas nagiging mainstream ang kanyang mga ideas hinggil sa charter change para sa economic provisions at pro-death penalty, laglag si Binay, nauubusan na ng gustong sabihin...
Life lessons kung bakit dapat minamahal ang babae: Una, lahat tayo ay may mahahalagang babae sa buhay (ina, kapatid, lola, kaibigan, best friend, pinsan, iniidolo, etc.), kung wala sila, wala tayo; Ikalawa, at tama si Mao Zedong, sila ang may tangan ng kalahati ng...
CORPORATE interests took precedence over the public’s right to know through access to as many news sources as possible when the Commission on Elections’ (Comelec) lead media partners – GMA-7 TV and the Philippine Daily Inquirer – barred live coverage by community...
Life lessons matapos ang 2016 Oscar Awards ceremonies: Una, self-reflexive naman, parang multicultural rainbow ang presentors at guests, especially in the aisles, and in the premier seats, kasi nga ay may valid criticism sa all-white acting nominees; Ikalawa, kahit pa...