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The Biggest Uncertainty in the National Budget
Here’s what I call the big elephant in the room: the huge and ballooning military pension. Nobody’s contributing, yet the number of claimants is rising. The amount involved is enormous at P64.2 billion...
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Can’t President Aquino Do Good Things Without Violating the Constitution?
The Filipino people, through its Supreme Court, have spoken: the core of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) is unconstitutional. They are also telling President Aquino III, being the final...
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The Means Justify the End
The Philippine political scene has turn a side for the worse when the popularly elected President, frustrated by a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court, went to the old fashioned media blitz by a...
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Saving the Executive
14 July 2014 I am writing this column an hour before the President delivers his State of the DAP Speech. For three weeks now, the public has been in an uproar over the unanimous (with one abstention)...
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Unpresidential
When he took office, President Aquino swore that he will ‘preserve and defend its Constitution’. Now that he’s found to have usurped the power of the purse of another co-equal body (Congress), he has...
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The Unstoppable Onslaught of Natural Disasters
Century-old Acacia trees, lamp posts, telephone posts, electrical posts, and power lines. These are only few of the things that were felled by the strong winds brought about by Typhoon Glenda in Ayala...
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The Defenses in Law
There are several sports where “defense” is either a type of player or a manner of strategy. In American football, the separation is distinct in such a way that an offensive team actually faces a...
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There’s No Excusing DAP
This post is based on an interview that Prof. Leonor Magtolis Briones gave after the President’s DAP defence speech was delivered. View Prof. Briones’ whole interview HERE. Benigno Aquino III just...
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Ang ‘Di-mapigilang Hagupit ng Natural Disasters
STORM-DAMAGED TREES Isa sa heavily hit na village sa Metro Manila ay ang Ayala Alabang sa Muntinlupa—hindi sa mga tahanang kongkreto kung hindi sa mga century-old acacia trees na nabunot at natumba...
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DAP as a Tool for Political Domination
The core features of the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) are unequivocally unconstitutional. DAP was crafted to allow the President to mobilize ‘contrived’ savings and to use the same for...
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SONA Red Carpet―Who’s Wearing What
Tomorrow, July 28, is the State of the Nation Addresss (SONA) of PNoy. This will be his 5th and second to the last SONA. Over the years, with the rising number of celebrities crossing over to politics...
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ManilaSpeak’s Google Hangout: State of the Nation Address 2014
ManilaSpeak.com is the country’s first all-opinion website. It seeks to be a venue for well-thought out commentary and hopes to inspire a thinking public. Today ManilaSpeak hosts the first ever...
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Lack Of Energy on the Lack Of Energy: SONA 2014
I am torn between just writing the topic I had planned for this week or to comment on the just delivered State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Noynoy Aquino. I have decided for the latter if...
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Diokno: SONA Economic Statements “Weird”
Explains Real SONA in ManilaSpeak Google Hangout Former Budget Secretary Ben Diokno called the economic statements of President Benigno Aquino III’s in his State of the Nation Address “weird”. Online...
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SONA 2014’s Best Dressed
Last Monday PNoy delivered his fifth and second to the last SONA. As expected, it garnered mixed reviews from the public. While many thought he did a great job, with some critics saying it was his best...
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In an Election Year, 6.9% Economic Growth is No Big Deal
The Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 6.9 percent in the first quarter of 2016, a presidential election year. That’s nothing to brag about. Strong growth in a presidential election...
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SONA 2016: 10 Points that Prove that Duterte Is Serious About Change
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte delivered his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) Monday. Here we highlight 10 points from his speech that prove that his administration means proves it is...
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SONA SEASON, PERIOD OF PROTEST
It’s monsoon season on this side of the globe. It’s also SONA season. It’s the time when the government trumpets out its accomplishments against the gripes and protest by the different political...
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POWER LUNCH WITH JASON GUTIERREZ OF THE NEW YORK TIMES: PRESS FREEDOM STILL...
I love our foreign press. I love that their stories go beyond who, what, when and where to also explore the whys. With a global audience in mind, stories don’t just end with the facts but explore how...
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WHY GMA DID NOT SIT AS SPEAKER DURING THE SONA AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MACE
If he was ousted by former President/Cong. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo before the State of the Nation Address of the President, why did Cong. Pantaleon Alvarez sit as Speaker during the SONA? The answer...
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