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1 week ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
IN one of its boldest moves in 1975, the Philippine government under Ferdinand Marcos Sr. broke the Cold War embargo on the world's socialist countries by establishing diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China (PROC). It recognized Beijing as the sole governing authority for all of China, including the Republic of China (ROC), or Taiwan.
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1 week ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
AS the May 12 midterm election approaches, a welter of conflicting hopes and fears confronts the Filipino voters. A complete administration debacle? Register to read this story and more for free. Signing up for an account helps us improve your browsing experience. Continue OR See our subscription options. Already have an account? Log in here
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2 weeks ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
AMID President Trump's efforts to contain China's rise through tariffs, he appears to be moving in a direction that could scale down American diplomacy and allow Beijing to operate with a minimum of US competition in sub-Saharan Africa. This seems to be the initial reading of a recent report published exclusively by the New York Times. The report says Trump intends to overhaul the State Department starting Oct.
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2 weeks ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
ALLEGATIONS of Chinese meddling in the May 12 midterm elections have been heard from President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. (BBM), no less, and from administration candidates at various levels. No concrete evidence has been offered to support the charges, and the Chinese government has categorically denied them. Foreign intervention has a known history in Philippine elections, but it used to be American and European, rather than Chinese or any other.
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2 weeks ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
POPE Francis, who died on Easter Monday, will be finally laid to rest at the Basilica of Sta. Maria Maggiore in Rome on Saturday, April 26. The date was set by the congregation of cardinals at the Vatican, according to news reports, but the threadbare simplicity of the funeral rites was all in accordance with the pope's personal wishes. He did not want anything ornate. United States President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron have announced their plans to attend the rites.
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3 weeks ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
POPE Francis died at 88 on Easter Monday, leaving a sheepfold without a shepherd. At the appointed time, the college of cardinals will meet in conclave to elect a new pope. Francis was the first Latin American pope and first Jesuit pope for the 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. But many will remember him as the pope who tried to bring unity to people of various faiths. He will be remembered for his simplicity and gentleness and his effort to personify humility itself.
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3 weeks ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
UNDER the Bill of Rights, no person may be compelled to testify against himself. This seems to be the problem confronting former president Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague, where he is facing charges of crimes against humanity in connection with his bloody antidrug war when he was president. As the court prepares to confirm the charges against him on Sept.
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4 weeks ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
I HAVE been receiving strange messages from friends and people I hardly know on the May 12 midterm elections. Some friends are asking me to help them pick at least five senatorial candidates who are neither Duterte nor Marcos partisans. They are supposed to vote for 12 senators, but it seems they have decided to vote for only five. Despite the large number of candidates to choose from, many of whom are supposedly leading in some propaganda surveys, they just can't find five worthy ones.
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1 month ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
THERE are 66 candidates campaigning to fill up 12 senatorial seats in the May 12, 2025 midterm elections. They are campaigning under their own names, some cheap political slogans, campaign labels, and expensive advertising, but with no particular party programs under which they hope to deliver in a new government. Many of them are reported to be burning hundreds of millions of pesos to make sure they win. But what happens if and when they are finally elected senators?
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1 month ago | 
manilatimes.net | Francisco S. Tatad
BECAUSE of my desire to be completely uninvolved and neutral in the US presidential election, I tried not to express any opinion for or against any of the candidates. But I found Donald Trump's promise to end "all wars" particularly engaging, so I looked forward to seeing him end the war in Ukraine and in Gaza after his spectacular win.
