February may be a month of love for many or a time for celebrating the upcoming lunar new year this year. But it is also a month of tragedy as we remember that dark chapter in history that was the Battle of Manila which happened 73 years ago. The Battle of Manila and the greater historical context that was the period of Japanese occupation in the Philippines from 1942 to 1945 has been considered as a part of history that people would rather forget. Part of that tragic tale is the story of the comfort women, young women in Japanese-controlled areas who were forced by the Japanese soldiers to be…
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St. John Bosco Church: Makati’s Understated Landmark
Catholics commemorate January 31 as the feast day of the Italian-born saint, St. John (Giovanni) Bosco, or more popularly known as Don Bosco (in which, by the way, the “Don” was more of affectionate title of respect given to priests in Italy). If you are not familiar with the man, you may be familiar through the schools in the metropolis that bear his name, not to mention the programs in him name that are aimed at street children and out of school youth. Those were the product of the work Fr. Bosco initiated and believed in during his lifetime. He espoused the idea of helping street children become better citizens…
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Federalism and Metro Manila – Part 2
Previously, we have discussed the matter of federalism and how it can help address the issue of congestion in Metro Manila for the region to achieve a more meaningful development. But as was pointed out last time, decongestion is just part of the equation to achieve this goal of a meaningful development. The other part of the equation is equally important, and that is governance. A metropolis of 17 kingdoms Metro Manila, sadly, presently suffers from an ill-conceived system of government that has often prevented measures that would have enabled meaningful development for the metropolis. The thing is, Metro Manila today is nothing more than a set of 17 little…
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Federalism and Metro Manila – Part 1
In the coming weeks and months, the discussions to amend the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines will go full force. These amendments, if passed by the constituent assembly and ratified by the people, will mean a radical transformation of the way things are being run in the country. One of these key amendments is the shift from a unitary form of government to a federal form of government. This means that the traditional highly-centralized powers based in Metro Manila will be devolved as the different regions of the country will have more say with regards to their respective development. With that said, the question being asked is what and how…
