By Ade Fajardo Should the Philippines finally pass a law on divorce? Part of the ongoing debate is the question of whether such a law would contradict the 1987 Constitution which describes marriage as an inviolable social institution that must be protected by the State. Simply put: Does the Constitution prohibit the enactment of a …
Come To Think Of It
Does Alice Guo have a backer in the Senate?
By Ade Fajardo Senator Chiz Escudero cites the rules of evidence in the Senate’s disposition of the case of Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo. He invokes the presumption of innocence in favor of the mayor, whose Filipino citizenship is evidenced by her Philippine passport and certificate of candidacy that was given due course by no less …
Is it truly a case of late registration?
By Ade S. Fajardo Land deals worth at least a billion pesos have astounded the public who follow the Senate hearings on offshore gaming operations (POGO) that were discovered in Bamban, Tarlac. Condominium buildings, villas worth at least P40 million each, luxury vehicles seldom seen in the streets of Makati, an Olympic-sized swimming pool, and …
Victory vs. red-tagging
By Ade S. Fajardo Red-tagging did not invade the national consciousness until Rodrigo Duterte created the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) at the height of his popularity in 2018. This task force was notorious for branding government critics and dissidents as terrorists, and made them vulnerable to abductions and executions. To …
Maricel Soriano to ignite PDEA probe
ihnBy Ade Fajardo Senator Ronald dela Rosa dignified online babble by actually initiating a Senate investigation into the so-called “PDEA leaks,” which pertain to alleged 2012 documents that link one Bonget Marcos and one Maricel Soriano to illegal drug use. It was actually former President Rodrigo Duterte who first endorsed the rumors started by online …
Will VP Sara hang on to DepEd?
By Ade S. Fajardo Is the President now shopping for a new Secretary of Education? First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos sent the internet abuzz this weekend when her no-holds-barred interview with Anthony Taberna was uploaded and consumed with gusto by an anticipating public. The anticipation rode on the FL’s body language indicating an intense dislike …
Marcos vs. Duterte
By Ade S. Fajardo Vice President Sara Duterte’s “no comment” on the simmering West Philippine Sea issue drew flak from certain groups, with Akbayan declaring that they are “the most traitorous two words uttered by the second highest leader of the land.” President Bongbong Marcos has defended her silence because it is “not the role …
When Duterte weaponized the law
By Ade Farjardo Last week, the Supreme Court announced its junking of Proclamation No. 572 issued by former President Rodrigo Duterte in 2018. The proclamation was declared illegal because it revokes the amnesty granted in favor of Antonio Trillanes, then a sitting senator, in violation of his basic rights under the Constitution, i.e., the right against ex …
Word war over Ayungin
By Ade S. Fajardo What is EEZ? EEZ stands for “exclusive economic zone.” Under the Unclos, or the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the EEZ is an area of the ocean extending up to 200 nautical miles, or 370 kilometers from a country’s coastal baseline. What can a country do in …
World capital of dynasties
By Ade S. Fajardo Will we agree to charter change on the condition that the new Constitution will contain a provision defining and banning political dynasties? Article 2, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution provides that “the State shall guarantee equal access to opportunities for public service and prohibit political dynasties as may be defined …