Philippine Daily Mirror

Christmas is bayanihan

Jose Ma. Montelibano — Thu, 26 Dec 2019 21:29:41 +0000

Christmas is not just a day, not even just a season. For Filipinos, Christmas is also a cyclical reminder, a divine gift like the four seasons, to jolt us out of our patterns, from mute submission to aggressive confrontation, two sides of the same coin with everything else in between. I hope that the learning ...

The Real Meaning of Christmas

Fr. Shay Cullen — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 07:36:50 +0000

Christmas is upon us, a celebration of the birth of the most charismatic and influential human being to walk the earth. We should learn what and why we celebrate the birthday of this remarkable person who has inspired millions of people in the past to live lives of sacrifice, dedication and to give their lives ...

Our people’s journey

Jose Ma. Montelibano — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 07:18:21 +0000

No matter which way you cut it, a country’s poverty is basically caused by an inequality applied by societal leaders, often affirmed by the acquiescence of the majority population. It may seem funny that many or most of those who acquiesce are themselves prejudiced, yet they submit or are resigned. There are a few exceptions, ...

Court finds Andal Ampatuan, 24 others guilty

Ronalyn V. Olea — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 06:49:41 +0000

MANILA — The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 found three of the primary suspects — members of the powerful Ampatuan clan — guilty of 57 counts of murder. In a historic verdict, Judge Jocelyn Solis-Reyes declared Andal Unsay Jr., Zaldy, Datu Anwar Sajid, Datu Anwar Sr. and Datu Anwar Jr. and 24 others ...

Fil-Am choir to perform at NYC’s iconic Rockefeller Center Dec. 20

Ricky Rillera — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 01:21:18 +0000

NEW YORK – For a Fil-Am, Queens-based choral group, it will be like singing the old-time favorite song Holly, Jolly Christmas this season. “It’s the best time of the year,” says Joan Cayabyab, one of the core members of The Voice of Friendship Singers. The group will be performing under a 77-foot high Norway Spruce ...

Pooled Editorial | December 19 and the quest for justice

Kobakila News — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 05:51:13 +0000

On December 19, the day set by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221 for the promulgation of its much-awaited verdict on the Ampatuan massacre, it will be 10 years and 25 days since the killings occurred in Maguindanao on November 23, 2009. Let that sink in: a decade of injustice. Ten years since ...

The Defenders of Human Rights

Fr. Shay Cullen — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 05:29:03 +0000

Weimar, Germany- This is a city in central Germany that has had a glorious history marred by a terrible past. At present, it is a small city where the respect and promotion of human rights are celebrated and rewarded. On International Human Rights Day, the city presents the prestigious Weimar Human Rights Award to those ...

Katutubo

Jose Ma. Montelibano — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 05:13:00 +0000

A group of classmates visited the Mount Purro Nature Reserve in Antipolo, courtesy of one classmate and his wife who have dedicated their lives to both the forest and the Indigenous People, the Dumagats, who live there. I had gone to that place before but was pleasantly surprised to see so much improvement. The owners ...

Saving the Planet and Ourselves

Fr. Shay Cullen — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 05:44:21 +0000

As I write this, monster typhoon Kammuri is ravaging the Bicol region in the central Philippines. It is packing winds at 209 kilometers per hour (130 mph) and it is more ferocious than the previous typhoons to hit that part of this nation’s archipelago. Tidal surges are wrecking houses and the wind is ripping away ...

A lost unity

Jose Ma. Montelibano — Sun, 08 Dec 2019 05:23:07 +0000

The past week has been a journey to the past, not just by me, but of two sets of classmates from two competing schools (I had studied in both). By a grand coincidence, reunions were held in the same city – my hometown Bacolod City. The first set was composed of classmates that went to ...