What good is an institution that does much harm, has lost its way, and many of whose members steal from the people, circumvent the law, cause divisiveness and discord, pursue their vested interests, and entrench themselves further in power? Clearly, far from good. Nowadays, this is an apt description of the Philippine Senate: far from...
Author: Roderick Toledo (Roderick Toledo)
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Incompetent law enforcement is laughable but not funny
Law enforcement in our country is notorious for its incompetence and downright criminal behavior. The police force is also widely perceived to be corrupt. Indeed, many of its personnel are either administratively or criminally liable for various offenses, from extortion to grave misconduct to extrajudicial killings. According to the National Police Commission or Napolcom, during the...
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A new gallery of rogue states
If Western mainstream media are to be believed, the likes of North Korea, Iran, Cuba, Syria and, until recently, Venezuela are rogue states. They are considered “rogue” because they supposedly flout international law by “promoting terrorism,” seeking to develop or already having nuclear weapons, widely disregarding human rights, or engaging in the narcotics trade. As...
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War and the basic human imperatives
We are still cavemen. Clubbing each other over the head, noncompliant females included. Except that now, the clubs are missiles and drones and the targets are entire countries and peoples. The behavior has not changed. Only the technology. And consequently, the breadth and depth of the destruction. Why have we behaved this way since time...
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Me and my 21-year-old car
When I turned 50, my wife gifted me with a compact SUV. More than two decades and close to 380,000 kilometers in the odometer later, it is still with me. And my wife seems to be truly, finally resigned to my not parting with it anytime soon. More than my oft-stated reasons for keeping it—like...
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Let’s assess UP’s chances vs NU and La Salle
Come Dec. 6, the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons will know who they are fighting in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 88 men’s basketball finals: the National University Bulldogs or the De La Salle University Green Archers. These teams, the first and fourth seeds, respectively, will meet in a winner-take-all battle...
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UP’s shaky path to Final Four in UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball
Barring any more season-ending injuries and based on the first elimination round performance, my prediction for the UAAP Season 88 men’s basketball contenders for the final four slots is as follows (not in any order): University of Santo Tomas, National University, University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University and De La Salle University. For...
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Still flooded with ghosts, but the plunder levels are unprecedented
Having ghost projects in our public works is neither new nor surprising. We’ve always had ghosts in all aspects of our government and politics, from ghost voters (resurrected from the dead) to ghost employees and ghost parents (named in fraudulent birth certificates). What is new is the breadth, depth and brazenness of the plunder of...
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True power can be ours if we put our values and principles beyond the corrupt
Here we go again. Time was when every exhortation by then President Rodrigo Duterte to kill or threat to kill (“I will kill you”) was dismissed by his apologists as hyperbole or exaggeration. Until the dead bodies started piling up and no amount of deflection and denial could cover the fact that he meant what...
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The big question at the conclave: the pope and the Church we should have
As the Vatican’s College of Cardinals gears for the conclave to choose the next pope, the Christian world is rife with speculation as to who will be chosen. The names of “frontrunners” are bandied about, often briefly described as either “conservative” or “progressive” (like the late Pope Francis). Observers also remind us that the next...