Did the President usurp Congress’ power?
Twenty-eight years after EDSA 1, our national leaders have yet to learn to uphold and protect the 1987 Constitution. Many do so only when it is convenient, but boldly ignore it when inconvenient.
Green shoots
The Philippine economy grew at 6.6% in Q4 2013 despite the ravages of Yolanda, and the overall growth for the year averaged a rapid 7% for 2013. While this is a reason for celebration, I wanted to look beyond "rapid" having in the past celebrated episodes of rapid growth which promptly collapsed.
A country like any other, Chs. 9-10
Chapter 9: This is not Israel -- Part I
Chapter 10: This is not Israel -- Part II
The jury is still out
Senator Tito Sotto’s proposal to reinstitute the death penalty is premised on his claim that the crime rate in the Philippines has increased. That apparently is inaccurate, at least concerning the heinous crimes for which the death penalty is proposed
Rice smuggling, corruption, protectionism – almost the same thing!
Rampant rice smuggling provides the headline news of the day. This is tied up with the concern for rising food prices, the problem of continued corruption at Customs, and the country’s deficiency in food production.
Fudging the budget rules
Budget rules do affect fiscal outcomes. The abuses and misuses of public funds arise when fiscal authorities and administrators try to circumvent the strict budget rules.
Read and weep
The Philippine economy grew by 7.2 percent in 2013. Does this mean that we have finally gotten over the hump of slow growth and we can expect to continue at this pace over at least the medium term or to the end of P-Noy’s watch? Or is it just a fluke? Or even, are we...
A country like any other: Chs. 3-4
Chapter 3: Interactions
Chapter 4: Travelling in the Holy Land
A country like any other: Introduction
This book means to help anyone interested in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict understand the experiences and perspectives of various groups within the two countries –their gaps and their intersections. My key objective is to share what I learned and to deepen the debate on Israel and Palestine.
