Posts by author
Cecilio Arillo
Historical perspective on national security
THE people who love this country should join me in commending the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School, Political Science and Public Administration Cluster (USTGS-PSPAC) for the timely holding of the conference on National Security Administration.
Unreliability of the study
IF there’s anything to learn from the latest Oxford Economics (OE) study on illicit tobacco trade released recently in Hong Kong to a selective group of mediamen, it is its unreliability as a reference for taxation as it drew a sharp retort from no less than Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim S. Jacinto-Henares.
Economic nationalism
Underneath the straight asphalts
THIS is the title of one of the interesting commentaries I received in reaction to my column, “An illustration of the blame game,” published on August 7.
The usual victim of injustice
THE title aptly describes the sad and vexing experience of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, the Harvard-trained lawyer, who led the 1986 Edsa Revolution that swept to the presidency the mother of President Benigno Aquino III.
If we pursue business as usual, CO2 removal cannot save the oceans
THE Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (Picir) and the Geomar Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GHCORK) in Germany said greenhouse-gas emissions from human activities do not only cause rapid warming of the seas, but also ocean acidification at an unprecedented rate.
An illustration of the ‘blame game’
IN his best-selling book, The Blame Game (published in 2011 by Simon & Schuster), world-renowned psychologist Ben Dattner said, “too often, people and organizations get caught up in ‘the blame game’ and the wrong people get blamed for the wrong reasons at the wrong time.”
Scrutinize the AFP command and control structures first before you modernize
THIS is a job for our legislators in Congress and the Executive branch to look over because the defense budget passes through them and the right mix of national security policies are crafted by them and their expert advisers.
Don’t fix something when it’s excellently working
I agree with Finance Undersecretary Jeremias N. Paul Jr. that introducing at this time a minimum price for cigarettes (MPC) may adversely affect gains made through Republic Act 10351, or the sin-tax reform law (STRL).
Why the country remains an economic laggard
THERE was a time when the Philippines was an economic giant in Asia and Japan’s close rival in economic and infrastructure development. That’s why many are wondering what happened? Why the Philippine economy continuously retrogressed since 1953, the last year of President Elpidio Quirino’s term?
AFP’s failing modernization plan is stuck with a bigger irony
THE bigger irony is that, while the government is vigorously fighting for the allotment of a P70-billion initial budget for the proposed Bangsamoro law cocreated by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the country’s fiercest terrorist organization, it is letting the Philippine Air Force (PAF) settle with obsolete and refurbished helicopters for the supposed Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) modernization program with a miniscule P1.2-billion budget. Worse, the chopper deal is even tainted with corruption.
Prosecution by speculation or by perception
UNKNOWN to many people, Congress—the Senate and the House—cannot investigate a crime. It can only investigate in aid of legislation.
Our Lady of Piat: Strong testament of the Filipino faith
THERE is no doubt that, for centuries now, our society lives within the structures of the Catholic Church. All the 81 provinces, 144 cities and 1,490 towns in the country have churches right at the middle of our social, economic and political life.
No if, ands, or buts
IT’S for the record that none of the senators had dissected with a fine-toothed comb all the 119 provisions of the highly controversial Bangsamoro basic law (BBL) than Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., bearing in mind the interest of the country and its stakeholders, and displaying the eloquence and thoroughness of his father.
The South China Sea (West Philippine Sea)
I spent a lot of time over the week reading an interesting book— The South China Sea (The Struggle for Power)—breathtakingly and comprehensively written by Bill Hayton on the complexity of the subject itself “from virtually every angle.”
Ferdinand Marcos Jr. exercises prudence
UNLIKE his imperious peers in the House who railroaded the passage of the Bangsamoro basic law (BBL) at the ad hoc committee level, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. is exercising prudence in handling the BBL issue.
High rates of white-collar crimes
DESPITE the recent involvement of some members of Congress and other high-ranking government officials in graft, plunder and other white-collar crimes, a lawmaker has bravely filed a bill to stop or minimize the scourge.
BBL or BLBAR: ‘Same dog with different collar’
I FULLY agree with Sen. Mariam Defensor-Santiago that changing the name of the Bangsamoro basic law (BBL) does not make it constitutional.
PDC, a timely idea
THE Philippine Council of Management (Philcoman) strongly endorsed on May 15 the enactment into law of the proposed creation of a Presidential Debate Commission (PDC) for the coming election.
Philcoman strongly opposes BBL
THE Philippine Council of Management (Philcoman), a non-profit federation of professional and technological societies, institutions, academe, business enterprises and professional managers dedicated to the development of management and improvement of its practices in all aspects of the Philippine society, has timely alerted the people and their representatives in the national and local legislatures to the following questions: