By ARTHUR L. ALLAD-IW

I had been observing that every time an exposé is done involving the administration anomalous deal, a counter move is being done with its primary aim to divert public attention from the issue being exposed. I observed that this administration’s tactic of deviating from the real issue being exposed proved effective.

A concrete example is the exposé on the anomaly tainted $329 million NBN-ZTE deal. The NBN-ZTE deal reached its height and provided a clearer picture of the anomaly, there arose the rice shortage issue. Since rice is the main staple for Filipinos and the projected rice shortage will surely affect them, the move of the government to address this alleged shortage will now be the focus while the NBN-ZTE deal will wither. Read the rest of this entry →

By MARY ANN MANJA BAYANG

One glaring realization that came out of all these chaos the government and the nation is in – Arroyo and her cronies cannot “moderate their greed” – greed for money and greed for power. They needed to cheat their way into power.

The “Hello Garci” exposé did not even make them budge from their seats. There is a syndicate in Malacañang whose main purpose is to amass wealth at the expense of the country and the Filipino people – and it is only by perpetuating themselves in power can they achieve their goal. Along the way, they have to bribe senators, congressmen, governors and other people. They have to deceive the Filipino people to shut them off from their evil deeds. Read the rest of this entry →

By ARTURO BOQUIREN

Recently, the Earth Council Asia-Pacific and the International Environment Agency for Local Government conducted a focused group discussion on the approaches and methods used to integrate environment and development. One of the things taken up was the concept of sustainable development.

I pointed out that we must go beyond the typical notion of sustainable development as “meeting the needs of the present without jeopardizing the needs of future generations to meet its own needs.” I pointed out that the concept of sustainable development today has been reduced to a byword rather than as a good framework for assessing the correctness of a development strategy. Read the rest of this entry →

By KATHLEEN T. OKUBO

Last week, on Easter Sunday, Vicky Mackay invited me and a friend (an IP advocate) to the opening of a first-of-a-kind photo-exhibit at the Loakan Elementary School. It was very impressive considering that it was a first for the community and an initial attempt at sharing the history and peopling of the old Loakan Ibaloi community.

It was born-out of the efforts of Roselle Bahni, her family and her relatives: Vicky, Aunty Ebek and all the rest I fail to name, to gather as much information and mementos from members (and) relatives in the Loakan district to initiate the documentation of their story as descendants of the original natives of Loakan. Names like Chakchakan, Karyas, Bugnay, Tofeng, Binayan, Batil, Dingbey, Sabot, etc, were listed. Old photographs some of it taken by my late mother and father were re-photographed and enlarged. A very humble beginning but so noble and so worth continuing and a must to complete. Every member of the Loakan community must contribute every bit of their knowledge of thier history and copies of their artifacts towards the building of their own museum or achives. This can make it very interesting and real for the children to discover their history. How the community was built, how they survived through the wars and so on. So they will know how they can help pave the foundations of their communities now as their ancestors did for them. Read the rest of this entry →

By REV. LUNA L. DINGAYAN

“But those who trust in the Lord for help will find their strength renewed. They will rise on wings like eagles; they will run and not get weary; they will walk and not grow weak” — Isiah 40:31

The Eagle Story

A good friend of mine sent me a copy of the story of the eagle which I found to be a good point of reflection for Eastertide.

Eastertide Season celebrates the renewal of life shown in the event of Jesus being raised from death proving to us God’s power to renew our life as a people and as a nation. Read the rest of this entry →