Hagad: David and Goliath
WAS it three weeks ago when during the elimination rounds in “American Idol” Fil-Mexican singer Jessica Sanchez almost got booted out of the contest, garnering the lowest number of votes from the American audience in spite of getting rave comments from judges Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez and...
Hagad: Taking first steps
AT 11:30 this morning, I turned on my laptop and signed in to Skype, that wonderful program in the internet that allows you to have a face-to-face conversation with anyone around the world who is also tuned in to Skype.
Hagad: Embracing the progress wheel
IT IS really good, as soon as one has the time and the opportunity to do so, to get out of one’s country for awhile. One gets a better perspective of the events happening from within the nation viewing them from the outside.
I am taking summer break from law practice with wife Blandy here...
Hagad: Food for PNoy’s Thought
A country’s international airport reflects the status and the personality of the country. It is the place of first-impression to the traveler landing in the country for the first time. It is its face, also a first-time glimpse into its people. I have been to Singapore once before, but even...
Hagad: No ifs and buts
SHOULD the defense present Chief Justice Renato Corona when the impeachment court resumes hearings on May 7, 2012? Or should retired Justice Serafin Cueva and his team of defense lawyers rest their case on the testimonies of persons outside of CJ and Mrs. Corona?
Hagad: What is Justice Cuevas up to?
AT ONE point during the impeachment trial last week, Senator-Judge Jinggoy Estrada commented that he and a few of the other judges found themselves bored and sleepy with the Corona Defense's initial presentation of testimonial evidence. The bored senator was referring to the declarations made by...
Hagad: Giving way to a better writer
I SHALL again waive the privilege of writing an article this week and quote the column of Jose Ma. (Boy) Montelibano in one of our national dailies. I can write no better than this.
Hagad: The choice is ours
DURING the wild celebration that followed the news that then-President Ferdinand Edralin Marcos had fled Malacañang and was headed for exile into the United States of America, Filipinos across the entire archipelago exploded in relief and excitement. I wish the generation after us could have...
Hagad: Judicial precedents
WHAT did the Supreme Court have to say about offenses committed by government officers or employees similar to the one charged by Article 2 of the present Impeachment Complaint? Ms. Cristina Mendez who contributed to the Philippine Star last week gave us two very significant decisions.
Hagad: The impeachment from the eyes of a retired justice
I SHALL waive my space this week in favor of a letter from somebody wiser and possessed with a clearer perspective than I am:
Dear Friends,
Hagad: CJ Corona’s impeachment will not weaken the Supreme Court
WILL the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato C. Corona weaken the Supreme Court? Will the fear of some sectors come to pass, that the move to oust him from the High Tribunal will strike fear into the hearts of the other justices and affect their independence? I am one of those who do not believe...
Hagad: Impeachment 101
WELL, today is “The Day”. At exactly two o’clock this afternoon, Senator Juan Ponce Enrile, as the Senate President, shall officially convene the Impeachment Trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona and another significant page in our country’s history shall have begun.
Hagad: Understanding impeachment
WHY is the Senate the body that will impeach Chief Justice Renato Corona? The senators are not judges. They do not belong to the judicial arm of the Government.
Why are congressmen directed to act as prosecutors in impeachment proceedings? They do not belong to the Department of Justice...
Hagad: Our chance of a lifetime
DON’T believe the doomsayers who warn that the impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona is going to put our democratic system into a crisis. Impeachment is a remedy provided by our Constitution precisely to prevent a situation from turning into a constitutional crisis.
And...
Hagad: Battling the Tide
ONE interesting question that has been raised during the legal tussle between the Government prosecutors and the lawyers of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during the initial hearing of the electoral fraud case against her is whether or not she should be allowed “house arrest” or placed...
Hagad: The anger runs deep
I WILL not dispute the people who speak for former president Gloria M. Arroyo and FG Miguel Arroyo, especially Elena Bautista-Horn, Atty. Ferdinand Topacio and Atty. Raul Lambino, when they claim that the Government cut corners and rushed proceedings just to make sure that the former First...
Hagad: We will make it work
AFTER being out of the news for a number of years the report that the Aquino government was giving out millions of pesos to the Tabara-Paduana Group of the Revolutionary Proletarian Army-Alex Boncayao Brigade (RPA-ABB) as “development projects” came as a surprise to many. The report raised...
Hagad: Have we poisoned this resource?
HERE’S disturbing news that must serve as a wake-up call to our Bacolod City Government and to us, its citizens. Responding to the request of the Director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Diliman, Quezon City, the DENR-EMB Regional Director for Region VI conducted...
Hagad: More than enough
BEFORE the start of our court hearing Friday last week, Atty. Mario Pao told me about a relative of his who had kidney failure and for a long time was undergoing dialysis. Mario said this relative became tired of having to be strapped to a dialysis machine for hours each week, just to clean out...
Hagad: Not the loss, but what’s left
DURING our regular radio program “Aton Ilayag”, my co-anchors Chandru Menghnani, Fe Asuela and I had as our guest Mr. Melchor Tumbos who is one of the most active Bacolodnons I have ever known.
Hagad: One side of reality
ONE can easily understand why certain members of the Gonzaga Clan are trying to get back whatever portions as they can of real property in Bacolod their forbears donated to the Provincial Government. Those parcels of land are, after all, sitting along and around the central business district of...
Hagad: The real truth must come out
A FRIEND asked my opinion on whether or not politics was involved in the suspension by the National Police Commission of Escalante City Mayor Melecio Yap's administrative and operational control over the local police. I suppose that kind of speculation was inevitable, given the running political...
Hagad: Ninoy in PNoy
GLANCING at the front page of yesterday’s Philippine Inquirer where the pensive pictures of father and son were displayed, I was surprised at how closely President PNoy now resembles the late Ninoy Aquino.
Hagad: Nice work, Mr. President
THAT decision of President Noynoy Aquino to talk peace with MILF Chieftain Murad Ebrahim in Tokyo last week shows his deep understanding of the Filipino psyche. When he was President, Fidel Ramos elected to talk peace with the Muslim rebels through a commission. Joseph Estrada tried to gain...
Hagad: The 'J' Approach
AFTER a year in office, the assessment of the people on the performance of the Aquino Administration has been mixed, especially on the issue of the economy. Members of P-Noy’s Cabinet say Government has done exceptionally well in its program to put money into its coffers, enough to bring the...
