MindaNews / 02 May – Nineteen people died in Toboso, Negros Occidental on April 19, 2026. Ten were acknowledged fighters of the New People’s Army. Nine were not. Among the nine were a 22-year-old student from the University of the
The impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte is a constitutional moment. It carries implications that extend well beyond national politics. For Mindanao, the region that produced her, the proceedings carry a particular weight. The island watches with acombination of pride,
(This was the commencement speech I delivered for the graduates of St Mary’s Senior High School in Cagayan de Oro last 29 March 2026. The original title of the speech is: TODAY, YESTERDAY, TOMORROW; FLY, WALK, SWIM.) This is a special moment for
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 11 March) — As a Mindanawon from Cagayan de Oro, I watched closely the ICC confirmation of charges hearing last February. It ran from the 23rd to the 27th of that month. It was surreal: A
As we mark the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, some might choose to lament what they see as its unfulfilled promise. Four decades of post-Marcos democracy have brought fluctuating fortunes: incremental gains in democratic governance, persistent inequities
The impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte represent a constitutional reckoning that Mindanao must watch closely. The Supreme Court’s recent rulings in Duterte v. House of Representatives, including its resolution on the motion for reconsideration (ironically filed by the
The Feast of the Señor Santo Niño was celebrated this past Sunday, January 19, and as I reflect on this sacred day and the solemn foot procession that preceded it on Saturday, I find myself contemplating the twin devotions that
(MindaNews / 08 January) — When the Supreme Court released the 2025 Bar Examination results yesterday, revealing that 5,594 out of 11,425 examinees had passed, the headlines naturally focused on the improved 48.98% passing rate. But here in Mindanao, we
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 2 January) – As we step into 2026, I find myself thinking about peace, not as an abstract ideal, but as something tangible we might actually build together this year. This article is about hope tempered
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 28 December) — From Mindanao, the failure of Philippine tourism is even more glaring. This island holds some of the country’s richest tourism assets: long coastlines, living indigenous cultures, biodiversity hotspots, faith traditions, and rivers and
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 23 December) — Once again, the bicameral conference committee has produced a national budget that leaves Mindanao at the margins. The 2026 General Appropriations Act repeats a familiar pattern: selective increases alongside deep structural inequities. While
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 19 Dec) — Christmas is a season associated with mercy, reunion, and hope. Yet in The Hague this year, the season unfolds within the cold clarity of international criminal law. The International Criminal Court Appeals Chamber
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 14 December) — The outcome of COP 30 in Belém marked a decisive shift toward centering justice and human rights in global climate action, a direction long demanded by frontline communities. Negotiators emphasized that emissions targets
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 03 December) — Let me begin with a clear principle. I oppose any military junta, any civilian power grab, and any unconstitutional attempt to change our political system. The Philippines must never return to authoritarian shortcuts
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 30 November) — The First Sunday of Advent begins with a summons. In the Gospel, Jesus urges his followers to stay awake and be ready, for no one knows the hour when the Lord will come.
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 28 Nov) — In the ongoing corruption crisis, the worst the Philippines has seen, the legal system’s initial response to public outrage is as always dramatic. We see the rapid creation of special panels, the filing of
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 24 May) — This Pentecost weekend, we lost two giants, saints in fact, of the Catholic Church in Mindanao. Sister Agnes, a Carmelite Nun in Zamboanga City, and Father Eliseo “Jun” Mercado, Jr., OMI,
My mother Lourdes Maestrado La Viña, Inday to all her friends, lived for ninety years and two hundred eighteen days. On October 4, 2020, on the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, she passed to eternal life. She succumbed to
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 24 August) — Fr. William Kreutz SJ, Fr. Bill to all of us who love him and are grateful for his guidance and support all our lives, first came to the Philippines in 1963. He was
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 18 August) — We often hear and say the African proverb: “It takes a village to raise a child.” One can understand it merely from the point of view of the ‘child’. But a step back
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 16 June) — On Monday, June 15, 2020, a Manila Regional Trial Court convicted Rappler Executive Editor Maria Ressa and Rappler former researcher Reynaldo Santos, of cyber libel. The decision stems from a 2017 case filed
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 08 May) — Since it was incorporated as ABS-CBN from the merger of Alto Broadcasting System (ABS) and Chronicle Broadcasting Network (CBN) in February 1967, ABS-CBN Corporation has evolved into the largest media broadcasting network in
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 18 April) — In a pandemic, we do not need policies or governance decisions that block people, families, groups, and institutions from helping each other. It does not help when local governments prevent essential movement of
The world is groaning under the weight of the coronavirus pandemic with more than a million getting sick, and the lives of thousands barely hanging by the thread. The death toll is staggering. And the end is nowhere in sight.
QUEZON CITY (MindaNews / 20 March) — In just a matter of three months, the coronavirus has visited all continents, except Antarctica, and most countries and territories around the globe. In the race to stop the spread of COVID-19, governments
(Last of 9 parts) CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 07 March) — In a statement issued after the Ampatuan verdict was announced, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) welcomed the conviction of key Ampatuan clan members
7th of a series CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 16 February) — Based on the volumes of exhibits and testimonies, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes classified the accused according to six categories: In the first class belong those who had prior
6th of a series CAGAYAN DE ORO (MindaNews / 12 Feb) — In his defense, accused Datu Andal “Unsay” Ampatuan Jr., relying on the defense of alibi and denial, presented 22 rebuttal and sur-rebuttal witnesses in his bid at exoneration.
5th of a series: A pattern of killings and hasty burials CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 03 February) — When presented on the witness stand Datu Esmael “Toto” Mangudadatu testified that he knew Datu Unsay for 10 years since
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 28 January) — As with the earlier installments in this series, this column is based in the evidence submitted to the Regional Trial Court in the Ampatuan Massacre case. This evidence became the basis
3rd of a series: A conspiracy to kill CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 25 Jan) — An accepted badge of conspiracy is when the accused, by their collective acts aimed at the same object, one performing one part and
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 22 January) — Thinking that the presence of journalists would deter his rivals from making good their threat to chop him to pieces once he filed his certificate of candidacy (COC) for Governor of
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 20 January) — With this column, I start a series of around a dozen articles on the Ampatuan Massacre verdict, promulgated last month, on 19 December 2019. My goal is to laymanize the 761-page
(This article is co-authored with E.M. Taqueban, a colleague at the Department of Anthropology in the University of the Philippines in Diliman and the Adviser for the Research and Policy Development of the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, a
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 12 August) – Forty days have passed since Mario Talja — comrade in the fight for planet and people, colleague in the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center (LRC), student leader and activist of
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 19 July) — On July 13, the order mandating the temporary shutdown of 55 Lumad schools operating under the nonprofit Salugpongan Ta’ Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Centre Inc. in the Davao region became public.
As it is, the national elections are a highly emotional affair. We are seeing that now with so much at stake. But while outside the gaze of national media, the heat is more palpable and intense in the local elections where political rivalries are more direct and personal.
Last of a four-part series CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 29 Sept) — This is the final article in my series on the Bangsamoro Organic Law. I reserve the most important issue for the last. In the end, the
3rd of a series CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 16 Sept) — The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) has good provisions on human rights, the justice system, and on regional peace and security. I summarize these provisions in this third
2nd of a series CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 10 Sept) — Article VII (Bangsamoro Government) of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) outlines the government structure of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Government. The seat of government of the Bangsamoro Autonomous
1st of a series CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 01 September) — President Duterte finally signed on July 26 the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) or Republic Act No. 11054. The BOL should have been the highlight of the President’s
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 28 May) — Let me go straight to the point. I am all for the enactment of the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). After what happened to Marawi last year, it became clear to me
Part 5: Resurrection as Final Word (This is the fifth and last part of “Interregnum, Calling, and Resurrection: What is at stake today for young Mindanawon Lawyers,” the commencement address delivered by Professor Antonio Gabriel M. La Viña at the
Part 4: Peace and Charter Change (This is the fourth part of “Interregnum, Calling, and Resurrection: What is at stake today for young Mindanawon Lawyers,” the commencement address delivered by Professor Antonio Gabriel M. La Viña at the Cor Jesus
Part 3 The Second Word: Calling (This is the third part of “Interregnum, Calling, and Resurrection: What is at stake today for young Mindanawon Lawyers,” the commencement address delivered by Professor Antonio Gabriel M. La Viña at the Cor Jesus
Part 2. The Morbid Symptoms (This is the second part of “Interregnum, Calling, and Resurrection: What is at stake today for young Mindanawon Lawyers,” the commencement address delivered by Professor Antonio Gabriel M. La Viña at the Cor Jesus College
PART I: Three Words For Graduates (This is the first part of “Interregnum, Calling, and Resurrection: What is at stake today for young Mindanawon Lawyers,” the commencement address delivered by Professor Antonio Gabriel M. La Viña at the Cor Jesus
Part 1I: Balancing Constitutional Norms in the Rappler caseAntonio G.M. La Viña with Christian Laluna CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 02 February) —The drafters of the 1987 Constitution acknowledged the fear of government regulating mass media (even for laudable purposes) becoming
Part 1: Constitutional choices in the Rappler case Antonio G.M. La Viña, with Christian Laluna CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 01 February) — At the outset, we disclose our bias: We consider the nationality requirement in the 1987 constitution as
