ENDEAVOR The movement to curb and end the reign of political dynasties in the Philippines is underway. Last Monday, Dec. 8, on a public holiday commemorating the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Anti-Dynasty Network (ADN) rallied support for the enactment of a comprehensive law that will...
ENDEAVOR My eight-year-old grandson Rafa provided the impetus for our family to join the “Trillion Peso March” at the People Power Monument last Sunday, Nov. 30. The last time my wife and I joined a demonstration there was during the annual celebration of EDSA People Power when I was serving...
Is there a way out of the present crisis brought on by widespread anomalies in flood control? Good governance in the Philippines is still possible but it requires strong leadership and public pressure. This was the view expressed by former Finance Secretary Jesus Estanislao in a wide-ranging...
ENDEAVOR Hindsight, it is often said, is the clearest of all vision. Recalling the past enables us to reflect on lessons learned that have enabled us to move past setbacks and forge ahead to tackle fresh challenges. Such is the dynamic of top-level governance, as I have learned from experience. My...
ENDEAVOR at a time when social media has transformed politics from policy to performance, the emergence of latter-day political personalities provides the public insights into how performativity underpins modern political behav-ior—and how that behavior in turn resonates with the aspirations of...
ENDEAVOR At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, on Oct. 26, 2020, then Cavite Governor Jonvic Remulla publicly criticized Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., who was the AFP Southern Luzon Command chief, for his red-tagging activities. In a Facebook post that day, Gov. Remulla announced a ban on all...
ENDEAVOR While reviewing the record of protest movements in the country, I came across the story of the "Hyatt 10." On July 8, 2005, eight Cabinet secretaries and two bureau heads tendered their irrevocable resignation and urged then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to emulate their example,...
ENDEAVOR There seems to be an uneasy letup in the gathering storm of the trillion peso flood control scandal. Critics deplore the seeming reluctance of President Marcos to discipline his allies, following the formation of the Independent Commission on Infrastructure (ICI) which is still gathering...
ENDEAVOR When Cardinal Virgilio David, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), stood before the crowd at the EDSA People Power Monument last Sept. 21, 2025, he invoked an urgent reminder from Scripture: “Behold, I am sending you out like sheep among wolves;...
ENDEAVOR A Trillion-Peso March will be held on Sunday, Sept. 21, at the EDSA People Power monument by the Church Leaders Council for National Transformation and civil society organizations. The day marks the 53rd anniversary of the declaration of martial law by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos,...
ENDEAVOR The last time I saw Senator Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III was when he had just come from the Adoration Chapel of St. James the Great Parish Church. He waved back when my wife greeted him from inside our car as we were leaving the premises. I was reminded of this snapshot after hearing him...
ENDEAVOR Electric power is a vital barometer of a country’s economic progress. This is depicted by aerial photos of the Korean peninsula taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station, first in 2014, then a decade later. According to one account: “It showed South Korea and China...
