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When Cha-cha becomes class war

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - May 1, 2006 - 12:00am

The entry, in an active way, of former president Corazon C. Aquino in the opposition to charter change last Friday has revived the battle lines between the traditional Filipino elite and the masses. Blame this...

Good choice for Equitable-PCIB chief

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - March 6, 2006 - 12:00am

There is a little "coup" that is happening in the board oom of Equitable-PCIB in Makati City. If you remember Ms. Clarissa Ocampo, the trust officer whose testimony in the Senate led to the ouster of Erap - this...

State of emergency just a warning

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - February 27, 2006 - 12:00am

Proclamation No. 1017, declaring a state of national emergency starting February 24, 2006, has produced many lawyers among us. In Manila, there are endless talks about its legal ramifications. But in truth, it is...

Focus: Palace-ABS relations in a test

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - February 6, 2006 - 12:00am

The stampede at the Ultra last Saturday that killed 79 people will put to a test the relations between the GMA administration and the owners of ABS-CBN. Will this tragedy lead to a dialogue between the government...

Mayor Hagedorn for charter change

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - January 30, 2006 - 12:00am

Edward Hagedorn has lent his prestige in the LGU community in support of the government's call for charter change. Speaking at the Kapihan sa Sulo last Saturday, the mayor of Puerto Princesa said: "I thought a change...

FVR mismatch to President GMA

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - January 16, 2006 - 12:00am

The result of the recent meeting of the Lakas-NUCD in the Palace showed that former President Fidel V. Ramos no longer has any following in his own party. When push came to shove, the party members rallied behind...

The new tactic of Erap Estrada

by EAST AND WEST By JULIUS FORTUNA - December 12, 2005 - 12:00am

Appealing to the international community is the latest strategy of former president Joseph Estrada and his followers to seek justice and secure his release from detention. The strategists of Estrada have concluded...

Handling relations with Thailand

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - December 5, 2005 - 12:00am

We should be careful in handling Thailand, a neighbor and a friend in ASEAN. The criticisms of Prime Minister Thaksin aired this week over our handling of the current SEA games should not cloud what has been excellent...

Political truce during the Games?

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - November 28, 2005 - 12:00am

The 23rd Southeast Asian Games started yesterday in Manila. In the nine-day event, the biggest sporting spectacle in our region, eleven nations will compete, mobilizing about 7,000 athletes and officials. If we...

Managing media and Palace relations

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - November 14, 2005 - 12:00am

I do not see anything wrong with the criticisms made by President GMA against media in the recent conference of the KBP in Baguio City. I thought she was just doing her job as head of state -making suggestions on...

Testing the Visiting Forces Agreement

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - November 7, 2005 - 12:00am

The Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA), a security accord between the Philippines and the United States, faces an acid test with this report that a 22-year-old Filipina was raped last week by six US servicemen. The...

Internet cafÃƒÂ© owners and users unite!

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - October 24, 2005 - 12:00am

For this particular column, we would like to articulate the interest of the small-time businessmen who operate Internet cafÃƒÂ©s all over the Philippines. There must be thousands out there...

Manila police should be investigated

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - October 17, 2005 - 12:00am

The dispersal of peaceful protesters by Manila policemen on Friday should be investigated by PNP Chief Arturo Lomibao and also by the Commission on Human Rights. There is certainly no justification for blasting water...

Anti-terror bill is US project

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - October 10, 2005 - 12:00am

The Bush administration is clearly behind the anti-terror bill being pushed in our Congress. Nothing really wrong with that, if the US proposal -now being sponsored by the Arroyo administration- aligns with our national...

Hagedorn does it again

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - September 19, 2005 - 12:00am

Edward Hagedorn, Mayor of Puerto Princesa, is also the chairman of the League of Cities. But more than those tasks, he has credibility in leading the crusade to check jueteng, the illegal numbers game rooted in the...

Impeachment reaches last 2 minutes

by EAST AND WEST By JULIUS FORTUNA - September 5, 2005 - 12:00am

My colleague in media, Mr. Alvin Capino of the Standard, puts it graphically when he wrote that the nation goes into the last two minutes of the impeachment trial. Between now and Monday, both the administration...

Time to release Nur Misuari

by EAST AND WEST By Julius F. Fortuna - August 15, 2005 - 12:00am

The big news from Mindanao is that the Commission on Elections has proclaimed the winners in the recently-concluded elections in the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao. Mr. Zaldy Puti Uy Ampatuan of the famous...

Worst for GMA may be over

by EAST AND WEST By Julius F. Fortuna - August 1, 2005 - 12:00am

Mr. Rigoberto Tiglao, President GMA's chief of the Presidential Management Staff and resident ideologue, told a meeting in La Salle a few days ago that the worst is over for the president. I agree to a large extent. Over...

US stand on the Philippine crisis vague

by EAST AND WEST By Julius F. Fortuna - July 25, 2005 - 12:00am

Finding out or reading how the United States of America stands on the current political crisis is like reading tea leaves. You will never catch the US ambassador in Manila taking sides on the question of whether...

Why GMA continues to be president

by EAST AND WEST By Julius Fortuna - July 18, 2005 - 12:00am

This is the big problem for the crisis managers in the Palace -how to calm down a nation that is now undergoing a political crisis. Talking to the crisis managers in the Palace, the likes of political advisers Gabriel...

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