Ledesma: CJ strikes back
THE predicament of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona is that unlike the conduct of trial by the judiciary, the impeachment court is peddled early on as one which based its decision on what is vaguely termed as a political process and public perception.
It is the prosecution that...
Ledesma: Going bananas
WE CANNOT go bananas over the perceived threats and bullying of China on the issue of Scarborough Shoal. Somebody must have advised that out-of-the-blue because quite suddenly China literally looked at the growing banana exports of the Philippines to the land of Chairman Mao.
Ledesma: Digong sees smoke and smells fishy deals
ACTING Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is averse to cigarette smoke as he is to corruption in the city government bureaucracy. His meeting with village chiefs, police and military officers and heads of City Government offices on the issues of malfeasance tells me he is smelling smoke? Or the putrid smell...
Ledesma: Let’s have the peace pact
I AM in what the Greeks claim as the cradle of civilization. That, of course, is very subjective as we too can make our claim as the rest of the nations do. What I am missing in this trip to the Parthenon is the exciting news that the national government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (...
Ledesma: Let’s have that peace pact
AS THIS piece makes it to the press, I will be landing in what the Greeks claim as cradle of civilization. That of course is very subjective as we too can make our claim as the rest of the nations do. What I will be missing in this trip to the Parthenon is the exciting news that the national...
Ledesma: Christmas at Roxas Avenue
A CERTAIN Erwin Alparaque, who occupies the position of Assistant City Administrator, appeared to be shrouded with a protective shield. In what seems like a cavalier attitude, his response to the directive of the city council to remove the overstaying stalls was less than enthusiastic. He hedges...
Ledesma: Of Memorial Park and Tourism
THE crescendo against the approval of a proposed modern memorial park in Barangay Baliok, in Talomo is expected to spike when the project will be submitted to the city council for approval. The bogey that is spread by some quarters is that it will impact on the aquifer. Given the fact that there...
Ledesma: Aye, there’s the rub!
IF WE subscribe to the thesis of Davao City Congressman Karlo Nograles and the governor of North Cotabato, Mindanao, the rotating brownout, which some parts of the region are suffering today, is nothing but any “artificial shortage.”
Ledesma: Binaying and Discipline
FINALLY I had the opportunity to interview the Vice President of the Philippines Jejomar "Jojo" Binay.
Ever since he beat Mar Roxas, front runner in the vice presidential derby and the unico hijo of the landed Roxas family of Iloilo and Quezon City, the former mayor of Makati remained to...
Ledesma: Not very assuring assurance
PRIOR to the Holy Week, Energy Undersecretary Ina Asirit came to town to convince the stakeholders that there is no such thing as rotating brownout in Mindanao as reported in the media. She said that out of the so many electric cooperatives and other utilities operating in Mindanao, only 14...
Ledesma: The crucifixion of JC
THERE are a number of parallelism in the Calvary and crucifixion of Jesus Christ and Justice Corona. Christ was sentenced to die in the cross not by any Roman law but by the cry of the mob. The Jews were coaxed by the self-righteous, hypocritical and sanctimonious Pharisees to hate Jesus heaping...
Ledesma: Power issue
I HATE to do this for I know that Sec. Lu Antonino is doing her best to achieve what is expected of her as head of the Mindanao Development Authority. MinDA is the only agency in the government that carries the voice of Mindanao.
Development plans are consolidated in that office and are...
Ledesma: Sta. Ana belongs to Davao City not PPA
THE decision of the Philippine Ports Authority to junk the Davao City government proposal to co-manage and develop the Sta. Wharf is smack of stupidity and is a classic example of anti-development crap that proceeds from utter lack of appreciation of the Aquino administration goal to improve...
Ledesma: Supreme act of benevolence
SOMETHING happened yesterday that was of startling significance I cannot let it pass without writing about it. Here's the story that has to be told.
Ledesma: Roses
AM TAKING a respite from my usual theme. Since there are still a number of days left in the celebration of Araw ng Dabaw, let me take you to another field which is seldom part of interest of community journalists like yours truly. Roses.
Ledesma: The t(h)reats of Tampakan mines
THE clash of the titans that include the big names in the mining, communications industries and environment watchdogs who tackled the impact of the mining operations in the country, ended with nothing but a lot of hot air, defamations, dishonesty and a public display of rapacious greed.
Ledesma: In the dark
IT STILL rains during night time brought about by easterly wind but it is not as copious as it used to. Davao climate is characterized by an even distribution of rainfall throughout the year and this explains why we are quite distinct from the rest of the region in the country.
Ledesma: The plight of Isama tribe of Samal
LITTLE is known of the indigenous peoples of Samal Island. But long before influx of fortune seekers and wheeler dealers the Isama Tribe had dwelt in this islet right in the mouth of Davao Gulf before the pioneers from Luzon and Visayas stepped into the beaches of what is now kanown as the...
Ledesma: Revisiting BOC in Mindanao
NOT every day is Friday. The past few days are replete with some good and bad news for the Customs Ports in Mindanao. For those who are not in tab with what is obtaining in the agency, the three ports in the region namely Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Zamboanga made it to the seven honor rolls for...
Ledesma: Corona guilty of Articles 9 and 10
ALL the President’s political comrades crafted eight impeachment articles at the speed of light and signed the charges at a lightning speed and they came to the Senate with all the hoopla, the glare of the TV klieg lights and a truckload of evidence. Even before the Senate tribunal could convene...
Ledesma: Rotating brownout
SUMMER is hardly felt yet although now and then the scorching heat of the sun permeates the nimbus clouds that now and then bring rains and even cause rivers to swell. But rains do not always fall in the right places and when this happens waters from the lakes and rivers are not sufficient to...
Ledesma: Of DDS, Vigilantes and Human Rights
THE recent spate of burglaries and killings of innocent civilians by criminal elements has angered not only Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte but the citizenry of the city that has been used to and comfortable with the culture of peace that they enjoy. We have been used to the peace and quiet that...
Ledesma: Truth, lies and propaganda
I ALWAYS hesitated to write about my own perception on the ongoing impeachment trial simply because I do not want to tread on the legal niceties which characterized the trial from the very start. I too have my own prejudices from the very beginning when the lower house railroaded the...
Ledesma: Crimes and human rights
BETWEEN crime and human rights easily the choice is one's right to live in peace and quiet, dignity, pursuit to happiness and well being. Crimes and criminals have no place in a civilized society and therefore have to be abhorred and condemned in no uncertain terms.
Ledesma: Swinging in Davao City
COME rain or come shine 1,500 golfers from half the globe will converge in Davao City today for the launching of prestigious Philippine Airlines Interclub Golf Tournament. The tourney is now on its 65th year. Speaking in behalf of PAL Chairman Lucio C. Tan, Mindanao VP Domingo Duerme disclosed...
