The arrest and dispatch to The Hague of former president Rodrigo Duterte on March 11 stunned many Filipinos, not least his family members and their ardent supporters. For some relatives of the victims of his “war on drugs” watching the historic daylong event on television in real time was like an Edsa 1986 moment: They...
Category: People
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Looking back on a life serving and empowering rural communities in Negros Oriental
“One constant is the presence of Christ in our work,” Dr. Fe Sycip-Wale said in describing her 50-year career in public health spent serving rural communities in Negros Oriental. Sycip-Wale was born in Cebu in 1935 to a Chinese mother, Tim Wa Lee, a doctor, and a Filipino Chinese father, Daniel Sycip, a businessman. She wanted...
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In praise of Edcel Lagman, ‘Bicol’s great son’
Tributes continue to be aired for Albay (first district) Rep. Edcel Lagman, who died on Jan. 30 after a long and illustrious career in lawmaking and defending human rights beginning in the Marcos Sr. dictatorship. In a Facebook post “mourning” the loss of Lagman, Leni Robredo said that when she was vice president, she constantly...
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Sen. Risa Hontiveros: ‘Teen pregnancy is an ongoing national and social emergency’
It is a trying time for Sen. Risa Hontiveros, the principal author of Senate Bill No. 1979 which aims “to educate, support and protect our children and students against early pregnancy” through such means as comprehensive sexuality education. Hontiveros has introduced last-minute changes to the measure in an effort to bring more clarity to it...
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Gloria Romero, showbiz royalty
The Philippine movie industry is neither Mount Olympus nor a monarchy but it has gods and goddesses and kings and queens, albeit with feet of clay. One of them was Gloria Romero, who died last Jan. 25 (the Feast of St. Paul, as reminded by showbiz fixture and Nora Aunor fan Marie Cusi) at the...
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I remember Ka Dodong Nemenzo
I encountered Francisco Nemenzo—Ka Dodong to his colleagues and comrades—well before I met him in person. That is, I read one of his papers—isn’t that how we get to know great scholars and thinkers, through the works they have penned? They may be halfway around the world, or they might have passed away long ago,...
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The uncommon life and struggles of Francisco ‘Dodong’ Nemenzo
Once in an era an uncommon person comes along whose life bears the stamp of profound influence on the actions of others and on society. Such was the life of Francisco “Dodong” Alfafara Nemenzo who passed away at the age of 89 last Dec. 19. An unorthodox Marxist scholar of politics, an inspiring socialist leader-activist of...
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The collectors (aka ‘anik-anik’ lovers)
Jerika Ordonio, 26, is a child again as she recalls visiting Manila Ocean Park for the first time. The decade-old ticket to the theme park remains a keepsake, testament to how her two aunts worked hard to give her what she calls a fulfilling childhood. “I was raised by my two aunts, both unmarried,” she...
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Iqbal: ‘It’s more advantageous for us if elections are held in 2025’
Mohagher Iqbal is surprised by Congress’ proposals to postpone the elections. The high-ranking official of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Minister of Education of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) said there were no consultations with them before Senate President Francis Escudero filed a bill to postpone the elections next year. ...
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Birthday wishes and lasting gifts
In January of 2009, months before my 10th birthday, I came home and saw Tatay lying on a mattress on the floor. He was watching the news as Nanay and I entered our apartment. When I took his left hand for the mano po blessing, its weight sank on my palm. I drew closer to him,...