Come To Think Of It

  By Ade S. Fajardo The House of Representatives committee on human rights is now holding hearings on the thousands of deaths that resulted from the drug war implemented by the Duterte administration. The House appears to have risen from a stupor. It used to kowtow to the wishes of the former President, even participating in …

  By Ade Fajardo Kabataan party-list’s Representative Raoul Manuel chided former Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea for chuckling at the prospect of the House of Representatives summoning his boss Rodrigo Duterte to shed light on the thousands of drug war deaths during his term. “If they are so proud of their own numbers that they killed 20,000 civilians …

  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 …

  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 …

  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 …

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 …

  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 …

  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 …

  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 …

  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 …