Vugt: People Power and Religion

DURING the early days of martial law, I had joined the Christians for National Liberation (CNL).

Tacio: Earthquake - When ground shakes

SHOULD a strong earthquake like the one that happened last month in Dumaguete City and nearby provinces will hit your area, are you prepared?

“God forbid.”

Van Vugt: People Power Memories (Part 3)

WHILE we set up the Church Labor Center (CLC), I became friends with Edgar Jopson who was known to me as a moderate student activist and president of the National Union of Students in the Philippines (NUSP).

Emata: The past presidents

I WAS still a little boy when Presidents Sergio Osmeña, Manuel Roxas and Elpidio Quirino were president of the Philippines. I did not have so much information about them the way they managed the affairs of the government and other things such as their personal behavior and achievements. Of course, I defended so much on what were written about them in our history books and periodicals.

No vital PT counsel

DIDN’T the Iglesia ni Cristo supported President Noy in the 2010 elections?

Taking sides in Sulu and Basilan

PEACE and development are not the sole responsibility of the government. Government alone cannot achieve these without the peoples’ active participation. This is an unarguable fact and many a community realized this early while others too late.

The island provinces of Sulu and Basilan, including the conflict areas of Central Mindanao, have not realized this yet as such suffer the consequence of the indifference of some of quarters who refuse to cooperate with the government or just suffer in silence.

Vugt: People Power memories (Part 2)

UPON my return to the Philippines as a tourist, I didn’t get a regular pastoral assignment during my forced stay in Manila. I was invited by friends from the labor movement to participate in a survey on the situation of the industrial workers since the declaration of martial law.

Speak Out: ‘Emano and Baldelovar: Over politicizing at COWD’

THE Constitution recognizes the vital role of communication and information in nation building. In pursuant thereof, citizens are afforded the right to information on matters of public concern. (Article III Section 7, 1987 Constitution). The undersigned COWD concerned employee who personally exposed the alleged anomalies inside the COWD Office for which Mr. Joel A. Baldelovar BOD chairman filed an administrative case for grave misconduct against me last October 1, 2011. The content of my letter that said: "Tama na, sobra na, resign ka na Joel Baldelovar kung dili ikaw usa ka kolokoy.

Amigo: Alarming sign of the times

I HAD a chance to visit the town (no, it’s a city now) of Sta. Rosa, Laguna last week but what I saw surprised me a lot.

Dureza: You can't abolish this senate

JUNIOR Chamber International (JCI) senators need not go for an election to hold office. They also do not have to worry about expiration of terms of office, either. They have fixed terms – for a lifetime.

In the old martial law days, while the Philippine senate was closed down, the JCI senate continued. Former President Marcos (was he a JCI senator too?) with his draconian authority, did not have the power to abolish it.

Wenceslao: Losing patience and endurance

WHATEVER is happening to the peace talks between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front? It looks like the two panels are taking their own sweet time with the people in the conflict areas and the stakeholders waiting in limbo. The government is missing the opportunity to get the Front to agree on the terms, given the political upheaval better known as “Arab Spring” in most of the donor countries that for the past decades had been aiding the secessionist movement in Mindanao.

Vugt: People Power memories

ON February 25, we celebrated the 26th Anniversary of the People Power Revolution. That means 26 years of revolutionary change through people power.

There are different ways of bringing about revolutionary change, among others, through prophetic witness and through voluntarism. This is happening also in our time. Take the many volunteers who are helping out in our evacuation centers since the tragedy of Sendong hit our city. They just confirm that Cagayan de Oro is truly the City of Golden Friendship.

Emata: Crimes drive people away

ONE of the dreadful problems confronting the Philippines is the incidence on crimes. It is so scary to read the newspapers as well as watch and hear news reports on radio and television every day. What you get are all sorts of murders, shootings, stabbings, robbery and nearly all kinds of crimes. One will feel a murder could be committed right in his back at any moment. One has to be ready in case one will really take place. This is just terrible.

Amigo: Disorganized prosecution

ON THE 22nd day of CJ Corona’s impeachment trial, the prosecution team seemingly made some headway with no less than Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on the witness stand.

Primarily, the good Secretary testified on how CJ Corona “mishandled” former PGMA’s temporary restraining order (TRO) over the latter’s hold departure order some time back before her detention on alleged charges of massive electoral fraud.

Amigo: Please… Mr. President, stop!

THE die is cast.

Editorial: Vigilance

CAGAYAN de Oro and the nearby areas in Misamis Oriental and Bukidnon have been experiencing continuous rains the past few days due to low pressure area and tail-end of a cold front.

Dureza: Journalists train how to shoot

GUN TRAINING. Over the weekend, two groups of working media men and women coming from two opposite directions -- from Davao City in the north and General Santos City in the south -- gathered together. They travelled for about an hour and converged at a half-way location, the Seagull Resort shooting range along the Davao-Gensan highway in Hagonoy, Davao del Sur. When they arrived at the pistol and rifle shooting range area, a shooting competition was also in progress with gun enthusiasts from different areas participating in a five-stage "fun shoot."

Wenceslao: The prize of peace and order

INTERNATIONAL cruise ships have started to make Philippines one of their prime destinations in Southeast Asia. Already, vessels of these class that ferry hundreds, if not thousands of tourists, have again tested the waters, so to speak, in the country making calls initially in Palawan and most recently in Subic.

Van Vugt: Peoples’ Lawyers

THE other day I found out by chance through a letter to the editor of Inquirer that there exists a National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL). Its national secretariat is based in Quezon City, but apparently it has a sub-office that is based in Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Emata: Hunger everywhere

I WAS watching the Filipino channel in Northern Californian that carries TV Patrol broadcast direct from the Philippines. One of those featured was Filipino children going hungry everyday for lack of food in their homes. They were being fed by a charitable organization, which prepared the food and drink in a long table. One will readily know how hungry the kids were by just looking at their behavior on the table. It was painful to see such incident and honestly, I was hurt. It pains me so much to see such kids so hungry.

Vugt: Elusive justice

THE ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona shows very clearly that justice in our judicial system is very hard to achieve. It will take months for the honorable senators and congressional representatives to oust the honorable chief justice, if ever.

Editorial: Flood again?

SURVIVORS of typhoon Sendong have again suffered another trauma after the tents they are currently staying at the relocation site in Sitio Calaanan, Barangay Canitoan were flooded on Monday evening due to continuous rains since Sunday.

Amigo: 13-10

APOLOGY is due to all our readers and editors for this corner’s inability to file a column last Sunday (for Monday’s issue).

The reason was, last weekend we got entangled, rather joyously, in a very special occasion from which this unfolded into a new day for our lives, my family and relatives.

Emata: Filipinos are strong and brave

THE Philippines frequently hit the international media because of disasters and all sorts of calamities that occur every now and then. Incidents do not come in small matter the reason why it attract the attention of people from far and near. The tragedies usually come with hundreds or thousands of death and millions worth of property damage. To the media people, things like these are big stories. They hit the world headlines and the disasters spread from corner to corner. Many times, the country commands large spaces in the newspapers, radio and televisions with deafening big stories.

Speak out: Is education democratic in our country?

IT HAS been said that education plays a crucial role in the preservation, sustenance and improvement of the society. One main tasks of education in a democratic society is the proper preparation of young citizens for the roles and responsibilities they would be taking when they reach maturity. Philippines has been considered as a democratic society where the people should enjoy their rights including the right to education, housing, health care, and work. But with the current education situation in our country, can we still see democracy?

Wenceslao: A choice has to be made now

PUERTO Princesa River had been drawing about 160,000 tourists. Last year, when this was listed as among the finalists in the world’s new seven wonders of nature, the number of visitors ballooned to 425,000.

Amigo: Losing steam

WHAT happens when a steam ship loses steam upstream?

Adaza: Slow impeachment

THE Divine Mercy Hills where the one-hectare Archdiocesan Shrine of the Divine Mercy is located is part of the Divine Mercy Hills but it’s presently owned by the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro and where three parties managed it, the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro, The Congregation of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception and the Divine Mercy Foundation of Mindanao Phils. Inc.

Wenceslao: Another year of waiting for a peace agreement to be signed

SO NEAR and yet so far…

Speak Out: Charge vs Sabio belated but a welcome dev’t

THE Commission on Election (Comelec) resolution en banc ordering the filing of a charge against Atty. Gina Sabio, Comelec city head, for failure to safeguard the election paraphernalia that were found dumped at the city landfill is belated but a welcome development.

Atty. Sabio was the custodian and safekeeper of those election documents and properties, which included flashcards that contained election results, keys to ballot boxes, official ballots and other documents related to the voting. She was certainly liable for failing to safeguard them.