We beg to differ.
The Philippines does not negotiate with terrorists. Or so we are told following the miraculous “rescue” of two German hostages Stefan Viktor Okonek and Henrike Dielen held by the Islamic terrorist group Abu Sayyaf. According to Abu Sayyaf spokesman Abu Rami, the ransom they demanded was paid. According to the Philippine Government no such ransom…
The case of retired General Jovito Palparan who had recently been arrested on charges of grave human rights abuses against activists is an interesting one. On one hand, here is a highly-decorated officer admired by his comrades in the Philippine military for his consistent zeal in the battlefield and singular focus on crushing the enemy…
Read More “Retired General Jovito Palparan is a Filipino soldier” »
Now that two of the three Philippine Senators charged with offenses related to the ‘malversation’ of their pork barrel funds through bogus non-government organisations associated with alleged ‘scam’ mastermind Janet Lim Napoles are in prison, it is Senator Juan Ponce Enrile’s turn to get his wrists cuffed. But this is no ordinary suspect. Enrile is…
Read More “Would you throw a 90-year-old man like Senator Juan Ponce Enrile in prison?” »
If we are to believe Philippine President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino, the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) will “finally seal genuine, lasting peace in Mindanao”. In fact, one can be forgiven for wishing that the President’s statement is true especially since, for too…
Read More “Legal experts say President Noynoy Aquino’s Bangsamoro deal is illegal” »
Indeed, the Philippines is a wild trail that needs to be negotiated. And as experienced trackers and wilderness negotiators will point out, navigating a wild trail is not for the faint-hearted and dimwitted. You need brains, you need stamina, you need guts. Do Filipinos have any of those virtues? Well now, don’t get us started….
Read More “Indeed, the REAL issue is not the Philippines — it is Filipinos” »
So what happens to the Philippines’ claim on the Malaysian state of Sabah following the signing of the Bangsamoro “peace deal” between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF)? It seems this is now conveniently in the backburner as Filipinos, on cue, dance to the tune of Malacanang’s “celebration of peace”. But…
Read More “Next step after Bangsamoro peace deal: Philippines to pay up – drop Sabah claim” »
Further proof that Filipinos have a very flat learning curve. Congressional pork barrel thievery is nothing new. It’s been going on since its re-introduction into Philippine governance back in the late 1980s by former President Corazon Aquino, mother of current President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III. Even back in 1996, the Inquirer had already published…
The root issue in the on-going trouble down under in Mindanao is the way the Philippine government has traditionally cozied up to even the meanest and baddest terrorist and rebel groups “for the sake of peace”. Currently, it is the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) that is being painted as the bad guy, and rightly…
Read More “MNLF head Nur Misuari is the Janet Lim Napoles of the Zamboanga crisis” »