By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW

The canvassing for the Senatorial votes is far from over. The trend, however, is crystal clear: eight from the Genuine Opposition (GO) will surely make it to the 12 slate new Senators for a fresh six years in office. The Senate is sure to be dominated by the opposition based on the tend and the incumbent 12 senators.

The trend, which I think would be the same result, has a clear message to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the people want change from her policies and plans she tried the people to swallow in the past years. The policies include her plan for charter change or cha-cha and moves to further liberalize the economy in favor of foreign capitals. Read the rest of this entry →

By ABIGAIL T. BENGWAYAN

I do not know Jonas Burgos.

I only read about him in the papers, in the Internet.

I do not know him, but I somehow see some connectivity between me and the circumstances of his person and his very background. He finished college at my hometown, in a university with a backdrop of hills, rocks and good summer sky. At the same university where I spent elementary and high school before packing my bags to Los Baños. Read the rest of this entry →

By ALDWIN QUITASOL

“There is a duty that the employer owes to the employee, and that is to give him, by way of compensation, the full value of his labor. The disposition on the part of some rich employers to grind the faces of the poor, taking advantage of their necessities and securing their services at half what they are worth, is a shameful wrong, and it will sooner or later ripen into revolution anywhere.” — Unattributed Author, Southwestern Methodist.

Ligayo is a member of a Cordillera tribe, one of the many tribes in the region still observing much of their indigenous culture. He is a regular miner in a mining firm in Benguet province. He happened to marry a village mate and they were blessed by their tribe elders and chief through a village mass wedding called dunno. Read the rest of this entry →

By ARTEMIO A. DUMLAO

Now, I’ve gathered enough pieces again to bring back “Point and Shoot”.

A few weeks before the May 14 electoral exercise, Commission on Election (Comelec) Baguio officials assured every journalist that they want to redeem back the lost “glory that was” the election body before the Garci scandal. Everyone wished!

During a seminar by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) with other press groups in the region, with the Comelec participating, we were made to think we could be heading for an honest, clean and peaceful elections. Read the rest of this entry →

By REV. LUNA L. DINGAYAN

“You have not lied to people — you have lied to God.” — Acts 5:4

Alarming revelations

“It is very alarming. The election system is being attacked here. This is no good.” These are the exact words of Chairman Benjamin Abalos Sr., as pieces of evidence of massive cheating and other forms of electoral fraud are being unveiled by courageous men and women before the eyes of the Commission on Elections.

Cheating during elections in our country is not actually a new phenomenon. It is already an endemic practice and accepted reality in Philippine politics. In fact, many are jokingly saying that no one in our country really lost an election; either you won, or you were cheated. Read the rest of this entry →