The gridlock plaguing the Senate has plunged the nation into a political purgatory. Day after day, the Senate deadlock befuddles our people, who are already reeling from high prices, rising criminality, flood control corruption, the impeachment trial of the Vice President, and, recently, a devastating earthquake. Amid a clamor for the Supreme Court to step…
The defining milestones of a person’s life—from birth to marriage to death—are officially recorded by the Office of the Local Civil Registrar (LCR) in cities and municipalities. Then, these recorded data are transmitted to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) and preserved in a national archive. Yet, simple mistakes in typing, writing a name, or in…
The continuing “telenovela” of Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa reminds me of the 1993 blockbuster movie “The Fugitive,” starring Harrison Ford as Dr. Richard Kimble, a respected physician wrongly convicted of murdering his wife and condemned to death. He escaped from a police van that was bringing him to prison. Dr. Kimble became a “fugitive…
The Supreme Court, voting 9-5-1, denied Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa’s prayer for a temporary restraining order (TRO) or status quo ante order (SQAO) to prevent his possible arrest arising from a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The controversy has since been broadcast, debated, and even politicized ad infinitum. Let me, however,…
This month, the lawyers’ Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) will mark its third anniversary. Since it became effective on May 30, 2023, the Supreme Court has decided about a hundred cases enforcing its provisions. Of these, around 80 ended in the imposition of disciplinary sanctions, while the other 20 in dismissals for lack…