Global Balita June Series #4

LATEST FROM GLOBAL BALITA
Opinion » GMA’s narrowing political options
AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR
by William M. Esposo
from Philstar

The political options of Madame Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) to remain in power beyond 2010 have been the cause of sleepless nights for many Filipinos. Over 60% of Filipinos have consistently registered in the SWS and Pulse Asia periodic surveys as seeking regime change.

Three political options have been considered as her likely means for staying in power beyond 2010. There is the Charter change (Cha cha) option where we shift to a Parliamentary form of government and she then reinvents herself as …


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Opinion » The Class of ‘78
by Lito Banayo
from MALAYA

“It ain’t over till the fat lady sings”, is a wit’s description of how “boring” operas end. Those who do not appreciate the long arias and have ears only for the operatic highlights often wonder when it would all end.

What this country has had to suffer through the years has been a long and badly sung, badly-scripted, badly-acted opera. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has inflicted her unworthy presence in the life of the nation far too long. First she pushed off the popular troubadour, Joseph Estrada, off the …

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Opinion » The Return of the Jedi
by Erick San Juan

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates after attending the Annual Asian Defense Conference in Singapore went to the Philippines the next day to meet his counterpart, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro at Camp Aguinaldo. They talked about the RP-US relation on counter-terrorism and how the joint military exercises benefit both nations especially, the humanitarian and disaster assistance given by the US government through the US armed forces.

Several newspapers reported that Gates talked about US government’s confidence in the Philippine defense leadership and the reaffirmation of their mutual security …

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Opinion » Letter from Alaska

by Antonio C. Abaya
from Standard Today

First of all, I would like to apologize to my readers for disappearing from print and cyberspace since May 15.

I have been on vacation all this time, first in San Francisco, then on board a cruise ship to Alaska and back, and finally in Chicago.

My companion and I were booked on the ms Amsterdam of the Holland America Line, which sailed from Seattle on May 23 on a seven-day voyage that took us to Juneau (the capital of the state of Alaska), then through the …

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Opinion » Consigliere
Editorial
from Philippine Daily Inquirer

Something is not right in the apparently sudden designation of Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez as chief presidential legal counsel, and the appointment of Solicitor General Agnes Devanadera as acting DoJ chief.

“He knows that it was he himself who hinted that he wanted to go on vacation” from the Department of Justice, Press Secretary Cerge Remonde said in Filipino, expanding on the explanation offered by Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo that Gonzalez was being reassigned to a “less strenuous” job.

The problem is, Gonzalez himself said he would have …

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Opinion » Dr. Kho-Katrina Sex Video Scandal: Only a tip in the Iceberg
by Ben Serrano

While here in Manila attending my daughter’s major operation at state-owned Philippine General Hospital (PGH) practically doing everything from bed side hospital watching and securing medicines and necessities with the help of my elder daughter, Beverly, third year in computer engineering for another daughter of mine, Beneva June, a graduating honor student at the Science High School in her major surgical operation (very successful indeed), every gossips in the corner were all about Katrina and Hayden Kho’s sex video.

Riding a passenger jeep, all Filipinos (common and …

Read the full story >> Dr. Kho-Katrina Sex Video Scandal: Only a tip in the Iceberg

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Opinion » North to South, Sort of
by Renato Redentor Constantino
Our nation’s enduring hex is forgetfulness. If only we’d remember the word.

It’s like we have a national reboot button and every three weeks someone steps on the big clicker and everyone stops mid-step in a bazillion tiny pieces of a second. Then the music lurches forward again and we do a little skip and we sneak furtive looks left then right and our mind squints, as if it’s staring at the sun.

Blink, blink.

Same, same.

That’s been our lot for a while.

Insipid, shabby future.

Godawful present.

A few curious blips of …

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Opinion » House of Law breakers
by Reginald Tamayo
Where is the sense of respect and of common decency of congressmen and congresswomen who signed House resolution calling for a constituent assembly purposely to amend the constitution sans the participation of the Senate? I am tempted to say that the House of Representatives is a House of Lawbreakers since there are some members thereof who wantonly violate the constitution just to suit their political convenience and perpetuate themselves in power.

Do our people really demand the amending of the constitution? Have there been calls from various sectors for …

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Opinion » Bush/Cheney Duo: Is American Justice in Jeopardy? (Part II)

by Rawlein G. Soberano, Ph.D.

Water-boarding consists of immobilizing the victim on his back with the head inclined downwards and then pouring water over the face and into the breathing passages. By forced suffocation and inhalation of water, the subject experiences drowning. The Spanish Inquisition used it for interrogation purposes to punish, intimidate and force confessions. In July 2007, it was reported that the CIA was water-boarding prisoners and that DOJ had authorized the procedure...

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Opinion » PerryScope: Betrayal of Edsa
by Perry Diaz
In 1986, twenty three years ago, a new republic was born from the womb of Edsa, fathered by the spirit of People Power. A new generation of Filipinos sprang that she hoped would lead the nation out of the morass of corruption and poverty bred during the dictatorial reign of Ferdinand Marcos. Finally, the people were free once again.

Edsa became the symbol of a nation that aspired to be great. A shrine was built for her to remind the people that freedom lost could take a lifetime to …

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