Editorial

WHEN it was signed early last year, the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was welcomed albeit cautiously as a road map to peace. Nowaways it is often held up as an effigy of hate, a clarion call for war. It appears that Filipinos, Christians and Muslims, have made up to break up.

But could “lasting peace,” a term thrown around these days casually, be attained through the legislation of a 99-page document that many observers believe would literally make or break the peace?

THE FATE of the K to 12 education initiative hangs in the balance as the Supreme Court has given due course to the petition of the Suspend K to 12 Alliance of educators and concerned groups to stop Republic Act 10533, which mandates the full implementation of the new basic education system next year.

Teaching and non-teaching members of higher educational institutions (HEIs) who have formed themselves into the alliance described K to 12 as an “ill-designed education program.”

THE VISIT last Jan. 18 of Pope Francis reaffirmed UST’s status as a Pontifical University and the center of Catholic education not only in the Philippines but in Asia. The latter status was more than underscored when the Pope held a meeting with other Christian groups and with leaders of other religions on campus. Truly the papal visit trained the world’s spotlight on UST as a world-class university and a global hub of learning and dialogue on key concerns affecting humanity.

Even before the Vatican officially announced last July that the Pope would visit the Philippines, word had already leaked that for the fourth time, the Vicar of Christ would address the young people of the Philippines and Asia on campus, repeating in the process the gestures of his predecessors, notably Pope, now Blessed, Paul VI, who came in 1970, and Pope, now Saint, John Paul II, who came twice, in 1981 and 1995.

CHRISTMAS is just around the corner, and if you turn more a little bit, you can take a sneak peek at the Papal Visit.

Slated for Jan. 15 to 19 next year, Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines will mark the fourth time that a Pontiff will come to the pearl of the orient.

On Jan. 18, UST, the only Pontifical university in Asia, will be blessed with the honor of being part of the official itinerary of Francis.

As Thomasians, we are expected to prepare spiritually for the upcoming visit. We are called to uphold the values of mercy and compassion.

THE CIRCUS of Philippine politics is coming back to life as the May 2016 national elections fast approaches. Undoubtedly, all aspiring candidates are starting to go head-to-head, seeking out for the most votes through all means possible.

Vice President Jejomar Binay became the first target of this crab-mentality competition as he is now facing several allegations of corruption back when he was still mayor of Makati.

As soon as he became open to the possibility of running for president in the upcoming elections, controversies and probes rushed like a landslide. All eyes are now on him, especially those who have also expressed their intentions of taking over the presidency.

AMID glaring cases of police corruption and incompetence, notably the kidnapping of two men and stealing P2 million in broad daylight on Edsa by eight policemen, some of them already convicted administratively of graft cases against them, President Aquino has stood by Director General Alan Purisima of the Philippine National Police (PNP), insensitively declaring that he was standing by his man.

Of all the reasons for the Growling Tigers’ forgettable season, the most convenient one is Segundo “Bong” Dela Cruz, the unheralded new coach.

He replaced fan favorite Pido Jarencio, who led the Tigers to the UAAP title in his rookie season and came close to regaining the championship in his last two.

Under Dela Cruz, who was picked from among the likes of Bal David, Estong Ballesteros, Siot Tanquincen and Aric del Rosario, the Tigers played like a whole new squad, one that was only good enough to beat the likes of UP and Adamson (and FEU in the first round).

Naglabas kamakailan lamang ang Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) ng Memorandum Order No. 20 Series of 2013 (CMO 20-2013) na may titulong “General Education Curriculum: Holistic Understandings, Intellectual and Civic Competencies (GEC),” na nagsasaad na alisin ang mga minor subject sa kurikulum ng kolehiyo sa taong 2016 upang magbigay daan sa pagpapaigting ng kaalaman ng mga mag-aaral sa mga major o teknikal na kurso na may kaugnayan sa Agham at Teknolohiya., na siya namang naging dahilan sa pagtanggal ng English, Math, General Psychology, Economics at Filipino.

Going against the grain, going against the tide, going against popularity surveys, the University of Santo Tomas has upheld the stand of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) condemning the Reproductive Health (RH) bill as an anti-poor, social-engineering measure that not only denigrates the natural law but also runs roughshod over maternal health, kowtows to the contraceptive imperialism of the West, and generally blames the poor and their alleged overpopulation for the ills of society, when it’s the Philippine state and its depredations—its mismanagement and appalling corruption—that are to blame.

PRESIDENT Aquino III should be commended for dropping the reproductive health (RH) bill from his legislative agenda. But his minions in the House of Representatives just the same are prioritizing the passage of the bill. They have in fact consolidated several versions of the bill and rammed it through the process so that, despite the denial of House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte that they were rushing the bill, it’s now on its second reading and up for plenary debates. What the right hand giveth, the left taketh.