Knife’s edge

Juan Mercado 08/16/2014

Once again, next-door Thailand is tense with uncertainty. As in 2009, it is the revered King  Bhumibol  Adulyadej, now a  frail 86,  who is at  the knife’s edge. The king has ruled for 64 years now and…

Youngsters’ tomorrow

Juan Mercado 08/12/2014

Filipino Catholic youngsters will join delegations from 29 other Asian countries this week when Pope Francis launches the Sixth Asian Youth Day ceremonies in South Korea. “This will be a dialogue with Asian youngsters in their own…

Hawks versus doves

Juan Mercado 08/05/2014

His name doesn’t ring a bell for many here. Friends scratch their heads and mutter: “Kishore – who?” Kishore Mahbubani is dean at National University of Singapore’ school of public policy. He served as ambassador to the…

Silver bullet

Juan Mercado 08/02/2014

Eradication  of poverty is not just about getting to zero”, explains  United Nations Development Program administrator Helen Clark. “It’s  also about staying there.” That’s the main thrust of  the 2014 Human Development Report “Sustaining Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities…

Headline overload

Juan Mercado 07/22/2014

Simultaneous newsbreaks triggered the headline overload. The anti-graft court suspended Sen. Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada for 90 days at the pork barrel scam trial. Detained senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Bong Revilla hold their breaths for similar suspensions.…

Uncorking the genie

Juan Mercado 07/12/2014

Need to update  your must-read list? Include the  book, launched this week, by Asian Development Bank:  “Inequality in Asia and the Pacific:  Trends, Drivers and Policy Implications”. It tackles a paradox.  Gains in reducing extreme poverty set…

Footsteps

Juan Mercado 07/08/2014

Grow old along with me / The best is yet to be,” Rabbi bin Eszra says in the 1850 sonnet. That is not so here, reveal studies presented at the “Philippine and Global Perspective on Aging” at…

Ancient curse

Juan Mercado 06/21/2014

History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce,” Karl Marx said. Isn’t farce what happened while we fixated on reports of those who turned themselves in over the pork scam scandal? Their jail is a class…

Price tag

Juan Mercado 06/17/2014

No, thank you. We chucked a second chance under a new law that enables human rights victims to claim reparation. We cheer those lodging long overdue claims under Republic Act No. 10368, we wrote in a letter…

Wishbone — or backbone?

Juan Mercado 06/10/2014

Applause is the end and aim of “weak minds,”parliamentarian Edmund Burke once wrote. But it also spurs “noble minds.” That’s tailor-fit for Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales. She didn’t dally for the standing ovation that erupted after she hauled…

Restitution

Juan Mercado 06/03/2014

The Court of Appeals Thursday stood pat on its earlier decision that affirmed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales’ order: Fire 10 Navy officers linked to the 1995 murder of the then 24-year-old Ensign Philip Pestaño. Pestaño—who? He studied…

Alternative scenarios

Juan Mercado 05/27/2014

Few Filipinos have visited the Natuna archipelago of Indonesia’s Riau province. It straddles one of the world’s potentially largest gas fields. And over the last two months, Indonesia twice accused Beijing for claiming part of Natuna, reports…

Previous           Next
No tags found for this post.
Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again.
Your subscription has been successful.

Subscribe to our newsletter!

By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy.

This is an information message

We use cookies to enhance your experience. By continuing, you agree to our use of cookies. Learn more here.