YPS

    Senator Manuel A. Roxas II was narrowly elected president of the Philippines last Saturday afternoon. In a crowded race, Roxas received 25% of the votes cast, edging out Senate President Manuel Villar, who received 22%. The next closest candidate was Senator Panfilo M. Lacson, who finished with 17%. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was the poor showing of Senator Loren Legarda, who received just eight percent of the vote.... READ MORE

    Young Public Servants (YPS) is a group of young, dynamic individuals who believe that good citizenship doesn't happen overnight, but is a gradual process that requires each young Filipino to step up and take the lead. Good governance and democratic citizenship are critical elements in nurturing a generation of focused and dedicated leaders.... READ MORE

    We salute Rodolfo "Jun" Lozada Jr. for overcoming his personal fear of the consequences of revealing what he knows about the scandal-ridden National Broadband Network project. He claims that his life was threatened, that he was enticed with assurances of his personal safety and promises of other considerations, and that he was abducted by persons belonging to the state security apparatus. Mr. Lozada chose to walk away from the "dark side"—the lies and cover-up regarding the NBN project being peddled by persons connected to this Administration.... READ MORE

    " The worst form of corruption is the corruption of the best." – St. Thomas Aquinas. A vicious pattern is becoming evident. First, a brazen act. Then blatant and shameless lies to cover up a criminal act. It started with the Garci tapes and Bunye's infamous "I have 2 CDs". More recently, prior to the Lozada revelations, there was the Palace payola payoff scandal – the scam was to have Ulap and Kampi own up to giving out the money, thereby testing the limits of people's credulity. ... READ MORE

    Criminal justice will come, but now is the time to take political action. The testimony of Rodolfo Lozada, Jr., made under oath before the Senate, gives us the moral certainty to condemn the massive corruption in the ZTE-NBN deal. With the suggestion that a similar anomaly most likely attended the South Rail project, along with other previous scandals, the ZTE-NBN is not an isolated case of unbridled corruption. ... READ MORE

    We, the members of the Caucus of Development NGO Networks (CODE-NGO), commend and thank Mr. Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada, Jr. for his courage to tell the public what he knows about the ZTE deal. We are committed to support and protect Mr. Lozada and his family, who have now accepted the risks involved in further shedding light on the ZTE corruption controversy. ... READ MORE

    It was with some hesitation that I agreed to make a few remarks this morning. My views on the controversial National Broadband Project are, after all, nothing new, particularly since a working paper co-written with our former dean, Raul Fabella in late July became the subject of some media attention. (The interested reader is referred to the School of Economics website: http://www.econ.upd.edu.ph.) ... READ MORE

    Magta-Tagalog muna ako ngayon, dahil usapang Pinoy 'to. Magbi-Bisaya din sana ako, kaso ambot eh, kaya Tagalog na lang. Kagabi, habang pinapanood ko sa TV kung paano gulpihin ng mga kawani ng gobyerno si Jun Lozada, parang nagka-amnesia ako. Parang sa isang iglap, hindi ko na maalala kung bakit sa loob ng mahigit dalawampung taon, ipinagpipilitan kong Pilipino ako, kahit alam kong ayaw sa 'kin ng bansang 'to. ... READ MORE

    It was an ordinary Thursday night, and yet Warehouse 135, the hip warehouse-turned-club on Yakal Street in Makati, was filled to capacity. Only it wasn't filled with clubgoers and party scenesters—it was filled with young professionals, creative minds, thinkers, and dreamers who all dared to ask a question that would set the tone for the entire evening's talks: Why not?... READ MORE