CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 28 Feb) – There are few things a province, city, or municipality that a barangay cannot also do. Provided its planning and implementation processes are in working order, a barangay can undertake anything within
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 27 Feb) – Every community needs to capitalize on its assets and opportunities and out its revenues to better use. As pointed out by Hernando de Soto, the internationally respected economist, there’s capital in
Part 1 CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 25 February) — The barangay is an economy in its own right—with land, labor, and capital. All the nation’s wealth and resources are found in some barangay or other. Except for those
Corruption remains the scourge of our society. It is largely caused by mass poverty and impunity. Battling them should be at the top of the agenda of civil society and the professionals in every community—where the cycle of corruption begins.
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 14 Feb) — If barangay elections will indeed be held, it is essential that aspiring candidates and the barangay community be brought up to speed on the nature of the positions to be filled
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 26 January) – Before Congress succeeds in railroading the shift to federalism, its proponents should be asked to produce whatever empirical evidence they have of its desirability, acceptability, and viability. Given such a momentous
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 29 Dec) – People in a hurry to do away with our unitary form of government and replace it with the federal system are being reckless and cavalier about it. They fail to take
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/22 June) — One wonders whether there is in families that practice dynastic politics sufficient idealism, altruism, or caring for our society—enough to motivate them to set aside family advantage or desire and give way to
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/19 June) — This business of relying on strong men and women to govern our community must cease. It’s what keeps our society politically immature—leader-dependent, spoon-fed, and irresponsible. Reliance on imperious, presumptuous (mis)leaders perpetuates their habit
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/15 June) — It’s a sad commentary on the quality of our leaders that their alleged political parties are nothing more than personal convenience vehicles for their political ambitions. Party labels signify practically nothing but a
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 11 June) – Politics is on full throttle now, with lots of grandstanding all over the place and lots of maneuvering between and among the traditional politicos—trapos—and assorted wannabes. Vying for attention, name recall,
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/09 June)– A federal system must be rooted on local autonomy, in which people are well-informed, serious about self-government—and conscientious in performing their role in it. Otherwise, local issues cannot be addressed adequately, necessitating external intervention,
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/06 June) — People who subscribe to the idea that their family has a right to rule over other families—meaning, the rest of the community—betray an arrogance and an insensitivity that sets them apart from civilized
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 4 June) – How many reformists with progressive ideas and promising leaders are prevented from political careers or elbowed out of politics by avaricious oligarchs who believe only they and their family should enjoy
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/01 June) — It is the supreme irony of our times that no sooner did we rid our society of the curse of dictatorship in 1986 than an epidemic of political dynasties break out on all
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 25 May) – It’s unfortunate that many of the most deplorable abuses that figured in elections past were perpetrated in Muslim-dominated areas of Mindanao including the Ampatuan massacre of the Mangudadatu contingent and dozens
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 21 May) – I guess it’s human to be fascinated by titles—especially “royal” titles like “datu,” “sultan,” or other honorific including the academic variety like “Doctor,” “Attorney,” or “Engineer.” Titles bespeak pedigree, nobility, or
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/17 May) — We should be wary about traditional politicos who want to shift to the federal system of government but who cannot claim to exemplify its workings. If anything, federalism stands for decentralization, for making
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 13 May) – It’s perplexing how we tolerate perverse political behavior, letting corrupt practices contaminate the bureaucracy and the community. Not a day passes but that there’s news of grievous violations of the law,
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/12 May) — The essence of federalism is local autonomy or self-government. In other words, it starts with the people; not with those who initiate it or invest in its establishment so they can cash in
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/09 May) — The Pacman is a billionaire many times over. And he’s getting wealthier by the day—not just from boxing but from all sorts of lucrative endorsements, sponsorships, and other contracts. The amounts, rewards, and entitlements
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 6 May) – When I first came upon Republic Act 7160 (The Local Government Code of 1991), I was impressed with its empowering provisions and its potentials for awakening People Power at the grassroots.
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/05 May) — With the onset of peace and cooperation occasioned by the Bangsamoro Basic Law’s passage, there’s a lot of multi-tasking to be done, implementing measures to be made, monitoring of developments, and the like.
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/02 May) — What happens if we adopt the federal form of government? Not much, really; not especially at the local level—and more so in constituencies that seem enamored of political dynasties and strong-arm tactics. A
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 29 Apr) – As the final phase of Congress’s consideration of the Bangsamoro Basic Law nears the end, let us reflect on some of its implications at personal level, where its ultimate impact will
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/25 April) — Ignoring international rules of engagement, especially United Nations protocols, China defies diplomatic efforts to settle its wild claims to ownership of islands in the West Philippine Sea. They just barge in and take
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 22 April) – The MILF Panel Chairman, Mohagher Iqbal, has been asking—as does PNoy as well as the government negotiating panel—that we “fast-track” the acceptance or approval of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL).
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/21 April) — The proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) is really a step towards reconciliation, the smoothing out of historic grievances, differences, even enmity, of fraternal peoples. It calls on us to draw a social contract
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/19 April) — It is good that the truce with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has held fast thus far, prevailing more or less throughout the negotiation process (although marred by the Mamapasano incident). As
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 9 April) – As they say, hindsight is 20-20 vision. Looking back, it is clear now how myopic the central government had been in its treatment of Mindanao, failing to help its peoples build
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/07 April) — It’s unfortunate for our electorate that the days of formal political parties seem to be gone. As we approach the 2016 elections, party labels still survive in people’s memories, but not what they
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 2 Apr) – Middle and upper class citizens ought to show more interest and participation in local governing activities, even if only to show agreement or disapproval of what’s going on. Their failure to
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/29 March) — One wonders what good the synchronized barangay assemblies do for the grassroots in terms of empowering the people, good governance for the community, and its development. Given an agenda consisting mostly of reports
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 26 March) – Do attend and take part in the session of your Barangay Assembly on Saturday, March 28. It is a synchronized nationwide event decreed by Proclamation No. 260 which President B.S. Aquino
[This takes off from previous pieces on the same topic, which dealt with steps in empowering a citizen (Step Nos. 1 to 4), as a way to prepare for the synchronized Barangay Assemblies scheduled on Saturday, March 28, 2015.] CAGAYAN
[This takes off from previous columns on the same topic, which dealt with empowering a citizen (Step Nos. 1 and 2), as a way of preparing for the synchronized Barangay Assemblies scheduled on Saturday, March 28, 2015.] CAGAYAN DE ORO
(This takes off from the previous column on the same topic, dealing with the need to empower citizens in their own community. It is offered here in anticipation of the nationwide conduct of Barangay Assemblies scheduled on Saturday, March 28,
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 19 March) – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is urging everyone throughout the nation to attend their respective Barangay Assembly on Saturday, March 28. It is in compliance with PNoy’s
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews) — If we shift to the federal form of government at this time, it’s unlikely that things will change for the better. The traditional politicians (trapos) who dominate government today will also be the dominant
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/07 March) — The best peace dividend we, Mindanawons, can earn from a successful conclusion to the Bangsamoro issue would be law and order, one instituted with an iron resolve to respect and enforce uncompromisingly. Such
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 5 March) – Most people think governing is a task performed by people in power only, that it only concerns public officials, while the rest of the people (who are not in office) are
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/03 March) — A federal system is best instituted where people are already conditioned for autonomy and have actual, hands-on experience of self-government. And it’s not wise to entrust the shift to a federal system to
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/27 Feb) — Federalism should not be viewed as a panacea for our problems in politics and government. Shifting to a federal system can also be a ploy of entrenched traditional politicians (trapos) to expand and
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 25 Feb) – Advocates of the federal system of government had better be sure about how they define it, how it is implemented, what role the people will play in its dynamics, and how
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 18 Feb) – If the first floor of an edifice is unstable, chances are that the upper floors become unstable as well. And if the basic unit of a republic is weak and unassertive,
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/17 February) — The Local Government Code (R.A. 7160) must be among our least apprehended pieces of legislation, especially as regards its provisions for governing the barangay, the primary level of our government. For one, very
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/14 February) — Government and media reports on police and military operations in Mindanao’s localities and other regions rarely mention the role, if any, of the local governments or the people in them. This is bad;
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 5 Feb) – Had the spirit of autonomy been promoted since the Local Government Code (R.A. 7160) was enacted in 1991, we would all have developed proficiency in autonomy or self-governance by now, easing
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 4 Feb) – Those who want to shift to the federal system with a parliamentary government shouldn’t find it such a big challenge. Such a system has been prescribed by law since long ago
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews/02 February) — Widespread corruption in our country stems largely from the capture of the political system by greedy, shameless, or corrupt traditional politicians (trapos) who dominate virtually every jurisdiction. The scandalous extent of trapo infestation
