The “new beginning” – moral governance – is the biggest challenge for the BTA. The first step is for the BTA members to plant firmly the foundation. The second is for the BTA to indoctrinate the Bangsamoros to appreciate moral governance and to rally behind the BTA. The third is
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/27 March) – Really puzzling! This Duterte-Misuari puzzle! President Duterte coddles and is beholden to Misuari. Evident! The erstwhile top Moro rebel leader, founding chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, has obviously Duterte under his spell.
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 19 January) – A January 17, 2019 MinDaNews photo by Mamman Dejeto (No to BOL inclusion. No to Fake Promise) tells all. It’s “No’ for Cotabato City” on Monday, January 21, when the five provinces
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/15 January) – The cities of Isabela and Cotabato are odd. They live in the House they were born in; have legally denied through election kinship with the members of the House they were born with; but,
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/ 09 Jan) — What is at stake at the Bangsamoro Organic Law plebiscite on January 21 and February 6? Not the ratification of BOL which is a certainty but the assurance of the unity and resolve
(In free verse, in reflection of Christmas past, now and to come.) Gone were the days decades and decades past: Carolers, then, sang from early evening to late dawn, shared Christmas joy with every home, rich or poor, even in
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 27 Dec) – Rodrigo R. Duterte is the most controversial Philippine president counting from President Emilio Aguinaldo. Let’s not deny him the many “good” and “right” that he has done. These, however, have been shrouded
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 18 Dec) – Under no Philippine president other than Rodrigo R. Duterte has the Constitution been so blatantly trivialized and mocked. Abetted by the Supreme Court, this was so in the quo warranto ouster of
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 06 Oct) — You are on your last 50 pesos. What will you do with it? Buy bananas or bet on lotto 6/58? Hitting the P900-million jackpot may be worth missing your favorite lacatanor tundal.
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 05 October) – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, speaking to newly-appointed career officials in Malacañang last September 27, made a statement in Tagalog which his critics gleefully interpreted as an admission of his responsibility for the
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 5 Oct) – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, speaking to newly-appointed career officials in Malacañang last September 27, made a statement in Tagalog which his critics gleefully interpreted as an admission of his responsibility for the
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 24 June) — “BCC BBL”,the Basic Bangsamoro Law that will come out of the Bicameral Conference Committee of the Congress after it has reconciled the Senate (SB No. 1717) and the House (HB No. 6475)
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, June 11, 2018 – From media reports since May 31, it is most indicative that neither of SB No. 1717 and HB No. 6475, the Bangsamoro Basic Law bills as respectively approved in the Senate and in
GENERAL SANTOS CITY, May 29, 2018 – The passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law tomorrow, Wednesday May 30, is assured. What will be left crucially hanging is: How compliant will it be with the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) so
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 18 May) – “If there’s one congresswoman or congressman or a single justice who will say I talked to them, I can guarantee you I will resign,” INQUIRER.net, May 16, quoted President Rodrigo R. Duterte
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 1 May) – Early last week, House Bill No. 1022 was approved by House Committee on Basic Education and Culture (philstar.com) – April 23, 2018). “It is all sounds and fury barely signifying anything”, to
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 20 April) – Last Monday, April 16, the House joint panel, meeting to deliberate on the proposed amendments to the consolidated version of four proposals on the Bangsamoro Basic Law (House Bill Nos. 92, 6121,
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 15 April) — After failing to deliver the Bangsamoro Basic Law by end of December 2017 and before the Congress recessed in March 2018, the Senate President and the House Speaker assured President Duterte and
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 18 March) — President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was mad at the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) – so mad that he declared the immediate withdrawal of the Philippines
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 12 March) — “Putting the cart before the horse” is an adage expressing “oddity” or “reverse order” – “baliktad” in Tagalog; “suli” in Bisaya-Ilonggo; in Bisaya-Cebuano, the President’s native tongue, may someone fill the blank.
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 02 March 2018) — At the February 27 Senate hearing, the senators heaped blame on the NFA (National Food Authority), particularly on Chairman Jayson L. Y. Aquino, for the shortage of NFA rice supply and
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 24 February) — We are unsure if “Señor Presidente, bilang Dictador, Tabang!” is Bisaya-Cebuano. We are only sure, it is Bisaya. In English, “Mr. President, as dictator, help!” We presume this is the collective voice
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 14 February) — “Muingon mo’g diktador? Diktador gyud ko. Kay hindi ko mag-diktador [#*!#*!] walang mangyayari sa bayan na ‘to. Tinuod,” MindaNews quoted President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Other national media online did the same. His
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 07 February) — Hala (Come on)! Magbinisaya (Let’s speak Bisaya). This is the order of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to the members of his cabinet. (Philippine Daily Inquirer, February 03, 2018: Duterte wants meetings in
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 16 January) — Through an executive order, President Duterte has banned foreign travels of officials in the executive branch of the government without his personal authority. Abused, these foreign travels are junkets he considers a
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 10 January) — Two years into his presidency, whereto is President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s DDR heading? The Palace has been painting a very rosy picture. Can the roses hide the thorns? “DDR” is acronym for
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 12 Nov) — That MindaNews report, “DPWH names road in GenSan after WW2 hero” datelined “General Santos City, November 6, 2017” cited sources whose claims abound with glaring inaccuracies and “inventions” as in “fake news”.
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 19 September) –– A year ago, to the month, we wrote “Bangsamoro: Fulfillment or Denial Anew?”, published in series as “COMMENT” in MindaNews. The first of the series was published on September 25, 2016; however,
Last of four parts IV. Do Something GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/31 March) — The President, the GPH and MILF implementing panels (IPs) and the Congress – they with authority and power to remove the obstructions and hindrances — must do
III. Uncleared but Clear GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 30 March) – We stated earlier that the IM discussions significantly hewed to the “hindrances” and “obstructions” President Duterte challenged the New BTC commissioners “to navigate” at the launching of the
II. Liked with Fear GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 29 March) — The second main concern focused on the implications on BBL of federalization as the BPDR provides – the “Federalism + Enabling Law Approach” or the “Enabling Law (Legislative)
I. Unity: Heart of the Issue GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/ 28 March) — How shall Bangsamoro be established? As gleaned from two MindaNews reports (3/7/17: Will federalism hold the Bangsamoro hostage?) and (3/8/17: Moro groups race with time, grope for
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/ 10 March) — In “Good! Enough? In All Honesty …” (COMMENT: MindaNews, February 22, 23 and 26), we said the New BTC (Bangsamoro Transition Commission) could craft a new Bangsamoro basic law and present it to
Last of three parts III. Not That Simple GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 26 February) — When Secretary Jesus Dureza hailed the release of the names of the members of the New Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC) as a signal to
2nd of three parts: Worrisome Consequences GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 23 February) — Contrary to the original plan, not all MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) factions are represented in the New BTC. In its “Recasting the Bangsamoro Transition Commission”,
I: Signal to Start GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 22 February) — President Rodrigo R. Duterte finally ordered the much-awaited release of the names of the 21 members of the New BTC (Bangsamoro Transition Commission) last February 9 – three
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/08 Feb) — In the February 7, 2017 MindaNews story, “The Mindanao Cross newspaper: digitized from first issue on Feb. 6, 1948”, by Valerie Ann P. Lambo, I noticed two inaccuracies that I would like to correct
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/05 Feb) — President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed last January 9 the appointment papers of the members of the new 21-member Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC). MindaNews reported this January 13. MILF’s Luwaran echoed the news on the
Last of nine parts Sad notes GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/04 January)– But sad notes mar the “only option”. The odds are stocked against “the only option”. Moro National LIberation Front (MNLF) founding chair Nur Misuari has opted out; he will have
8th of nine parts The Only Option GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/ 03 January) — The only option that will give the Bangsamoro basic law bill a good chance to be filed in the Congress in July 2017 is the revision
7th of nine parts Reconfiguration Speaking to the Muslims during Harirayah celebration in Davao City last July 8, President Rodrigo Duterte talked about “reconfiguration”. In his rambling speech, he did not elaborate. However, from what he said, we might be
6th of nine parts Arbitrary Accommodation GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 01 January) — In allowing Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chair Nur Misuari to deal separately with another government (GPH) implementing panel, President Rodrigo Duterte replicated the arbitrary
5th of nine parts EO No. 08 s. 2016 GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 31 December) — We expected EO No. 08 s. 2016 to be a new executive order. However, that it turned out as amending EO No. 120
3rd of nine parts The Contrary GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 23 Dec) — On the morrow and the days after, media stories played different tunes. Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) chair Misuari was ready to talk peace with the
2nd of nine parts Murad’s suggestion GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 22 Dec) – Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al Haj Murad Ebrahim told MindaNews on June 25, 2016 that the Draft Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), submitted to Congress
1st of 9 parts [Author’s Note: Parts I, II and III of “Bangsamoro: Fulfillment or Denial Anew” were written before the issuance by President Duterte of Executive Order No. 08 on November 7, 2016 mandating the BTC “to draft the
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 1 Dec) – The Supreme Court finally dismissed the petitions filed against the Comprehensive Agreement on Bangsamoro (CAB) in June 2015 by the Philippine Constitution Association (Philconsa), the groups of Tanggulang Demokrasya, Rev. Vicente Libradores
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews/17 November) — Executive Order No. 08 s. 2016 creating a new 21-member Bangsamoro Transition Commission was signed November 7, a week ago. The issuance had been given wide publicity and awaited since last July. The EO
