We aren’t gullible

“Just being a commentator is not as easy as people think with going out there and talking for three hours. So, I don't call myself a commentator: I call myself an analyst.”

—Booker T

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF we are not careful, our minds will be poisoned by some self-proclaimed political commentators who have branched out in the social media, particularly in the political vlogs or video blogs, and swamped us with biased, misleading, and pathogenic commentaries and information.

It’s not bad to listen to them and watch their programs from time to time, but we must endeavor to also fact-check their statements and conduct our own independent research and critical analysis as much as possible.

To avoid being hoodwinked and misdirected, we must sharpen our minds and refrain from relying heavily on the words given by these voodoo political brainiacs hook, line, and sinker.

Many if not most of them are paid hacks, motivated by political vendetta and bigotry, false prophets masquerading as “political analysts,” or dark room operators tasked to sabotage the career and future candidacy of certain political personalities.

Some of them aren’t credible and are dangerous and toxic. As bogus media personalities, they are capable and will always underestimate and insult our intelligence.

Self-education and awareness must start with us. Let’s prove to ourselves we are not what they think: uto-uto or gullible.

 

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Pardon me but I didn’t know Lito Lapid is still serving in the Philippine Senate until today. If it was not reported that he recently told Senator Pia Cayetano “I love you” in jest, I wouldn’t know he’s still senator.

Despite his being reticent, this action star-turned-politician is really buenas in politics.

His being a “giant killer” began in 1992 when he became vice governor of Pampanga by ousting the incumbent Cielo Macapagal-Salgado. Lapid became full-fledged governor in 1995 when he trounced the incumbent Bren Guiao.

Like his fellow senators today who are facing cases for plunder and malversation of public funds, Lapid had his own share of shame in 2004 when he was charged by the Ombudsman in the fertilizer fund scam.

He was reelected in 2010. Lapid staged a comeback in 2019 and again in 2025. And that’s the reason why he is still senator until today.

 

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THE refusal of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to grace the Big Apple’s annual Israel Day parade on May 31 was really a big deal.

Why? Because Mamdani’s refusal to participate marked the first time a mayor had boycotted the parade since it was first held in 1965.

New York’s Democratic party leadership alongside tens of thousands of Jews and allies from the city and the surrounding region joined the parade, which maintained its festive atmosphere and went off without a hitch.

Despite the boycott from the mayor and security fears that had prompted heavy precautions from police, the annual parade, officially called Israel Day on Fifth, saw Jewish and pro-Israel groups march up Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.

The event kicked off in Midtown Manhattan with New York leaders led by Governor Kathy Hochul, Sen. Chuck Schumer, other members of Congress, Attorney General Letitia James, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, City Council Speaker Julie Menin and City Comptroller Mark Levine all addressed the crowd, alongside Jewish communal leaders.

 

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The Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, a communal group that organizes the parade, estimated that more than 50,000 participants marched, alongside thousands of spectators, in one of the event’s highest turnouts ever.

“Proud Americans, Proud Zionists” was the parade’s theme this year.

UJA-Federation of New York, a leading Jewish group in the city and one of the event’s sponsors headed by Eric Goldstein, acknowledged political complications surrounding the parade in recent years.

“This parade used to be a simpler time where we would march apolitically to acknowledge and celebrate the extraordinary achievements of this tiny, young nation,” Goldstein said. “We are increasingly isolated and targeted for being Jews. That said, today and every day, we must be proud, we must be public, we must come together.”

Mamdani’s absence, however, did not impact the event as marchers with the EndJewHatred activist group mocked the mayor by carrying life-size cardboard cutouts of Mamdani and his wife, both harsh critics of Israel, showing the pair posing with Israeli flags.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Ilonggo leaders who should be in senate

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”

—Lao Tzu

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE need Ilonggos in the Philippine Senate to replace former Senate President Franklin “Frank” Drilon who has retired from public service.

Based on their recent national exposure, the frontrunners should be Iloilo 3rd district Rep. Lorenz “Nonoy” Defensor, Iloilo first district Rep. Janette Loreto-Garin, DILG Undersecretary Jed Patrick Mabilog, and Iloilo 4th district Rep. Ferjenel “Ferj” Biron.

The three solons actively participated when the House of Representatives Committee on Justice tackled and approved the committee report and resolution setting forth the Articles of Impeachment against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio a month ago.

There is no doubt they were able to give the voters from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao who watched the dramatic event a glimpse of how good they are and what they can do for the country once they are elected in the Upper Chamber.

Defensor has the edge because he is expected to make heads turn as one of the House prosecutors in the vice president’s impeachment trial in July, which will be watched by millions of Filipinos in the Philippines and abroad.

Mabilog, on the other hand, will have more opportunity to buoy up his name in the national level now that he is in the helm of the country’s premier department, which is in charge of the 228,000-strong PNP and the local chief executives from Aparri to Jolo.

 

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The senate today has become lackluster and cheap because of the absence of quality Ilonggo senators like the late Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Drilon, the magnificent World War II resistance leader Tomas Confesor, Jose Hontiveros, Jose Zulueta, to name only a fews.

They were some of the most prominent senators in Philippine history produced by Iloilo and were known for their significant contributions to national governance, jurisprudence, and lawmaking.

Defensor-Santiago, the best president the Philippines never had, was hailed as the "Iron Lady of Asia" and a globally recognized legal luminary, trial judge, and multi-term senator known for her fiery speeches and prolific bill-filing.

She “ate death threats” for breakfast.

Drilon, who is still very much active in today’s political discussions, is considered as an influential statesman who served multiple terms as Senate President.

He could have been a presidential timber before he announced his retirement from politics but opted to stay away from political intramural to pave the way for younger candidates for the country's highest elective office.

 

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Drilon is best remembered as one of the most active and prominent secretaries of the late former President Corazon “Cory” Aquino after the EDSA Revolution.

He is credited for sponsoring key economic and revenue laws and championing urban development projects in his hometown. He also served under the administrations of former Presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

Confesor was best known as the "Lion of the Visayas" and served as a senator after the war. He was known for his fierce loyalty to the republic and anti-corruption stance.

Hontiveros was a jurist and delegate to the 1934 Constitutional Convention who served as a Senator of the Insular Government and Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Zulueta was an Ilonggo statesman who served in the Senate and held the position of Senate President during the 2nd Congress.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

In shambles and disarray

“A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame somebody else.”

—John Burroughs

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

THE Marcos Jr. administration is in total disarray.

Many of its officials have been tempted and tainted by graft and corruption, including former House speaker and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, the first cousin of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The law enforcement has become a sitcom in the Sesame Street. If they can’t hunt down a coward and overweight ex-cop in the homeland, they can never net the fugitives cloaking in Paris and Vienna.

Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio has been impeached twice by the House of Representatives, and her trial is now scheduled in the Senate.

The Senate is in shambles. Both members in the majority and minority blocs behave like gangsters and characters in a mafia film. Many senators are facing arrest and jail terms for plunder and malversation of public funds.

Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano, who talks and acts like host of a late-night gossip talk show, is a sitting duck. No one respects him in the media.

 If you are part of the Marcos Jr. administration and you are not embarrassed, your face must be made of adobe.

 

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We first heard the words “tyranny of the majority” when we covered the Iloilo capitol beat in 1989.

That was the time when some members of the provincial board “made life difficult” for then Governor Simplicio “Sim” Griño by flexing their muscles, so to speak, to derail some of the programs of the executive branch.

We also witnessed how dreaded was the “tyranny of the majority" in the city government when some members of the city council choked the administrations of then Mayor Rodolfo “Roding” Ganzon and Mayor Mansueto “Mansing” Malabor.

Tyranny of the majority surfaced once again when members of the Philippine senate minority bloc walked out from the regular session May 26 to protest a contentious proposal by Senator Rodante Marcoleta to amend chamber rules, allowing senators to attend sessions and cast votes remotely.

The minority accused the majority of "railroading" the institutional shift without proper debate, a tactic they claimed was designed specifically to accommodate absent or detained allies.

 

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This time, the target of the tyranny of the majority was its own members, not the executive branch like in the cases we enumerated in the Iloilo capitol and city hall episodes.

Tyranny is an overbearing use of power as it affects other people. Those under tyranny are not in control of their immediate future and lack protections to ensure their safety. Tyranny may be exerted physically, psychologically, or both.

Tyranny of the majority occurs when the majority attempts to use their numbers to exclude the rights of the minority and suppress dissenters. The minority has little or no recourse.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

We need results

“Success isn't a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”

—Arnold H. Glasow

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

OUR friendly advice to officials in charge of law enforcement under the Marcos Jr. administration is to refrain from constantly calling for press conferences and stay away from media limelight, if possible, if there is nothing positive or concrete matter to report to public.

A dozen regular press conferences can’t compensate for failure to arrest or bring to justice a growing number of fugitives like Gerald Bantag, Atong Ang, Harry Roque, Zaldy Co, Raddulan Sahiron, and now Bato Dela Rosa.

If they are effective and doing their job well, there is no need for these law enforcers to advertise their plans on how to arrest the prominent fugitives; there’s no need for empty press conferences.

The question remains to be when, not how. Results not bragging and swaggering.

Instead of showing off and competing for the headlines, officials of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Justice (DoJ), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP) should buckle down to work and prove to all and sundry they deserve to remain in their positions.

 

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WHY single out Bato?

The Mayors for Good Governance (M4GG) has criticized the continued absence of ICC-fugitive senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa and for receiving his salary worth P2.1 million (or P300,000 a month) in seven months of absence.

In a statement signed by members on May 25, 2026, M4GG, a national movement of over 200 reform-minded local chief executives committed to integrity, transparency, and people-first governance, called Dela Rosa’s act as “a great insult to millions of Filipinos who work hard and endure to support themselves and their families.”

We agree with the M4GG that Bato should not have been given salary while he was away and hiding from the law in the past seven months.

We also agree it was unfair and somehow anomalous for him to pocket the gargantuan amount, including his staff, when he did not report for work and was avoiding the law enforcers ready to get him by virtue of the warrant of arrest issued by the ICC for crimes against humanity.

 

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But why did the M4GG single out in one statement the fugitive senator when there are other mayors, governors, congresspeople, among other elected officials in the country, who did worse?

Was it because Bato’s case became the talk of the town when he recently surfaced to cast a vote for Alan Peter Cayetano to become senate president only to be allowed to escape after an ICC warrant of arrest was issued against him?  

If Bato’s case did not become earthshaking these past weeks and he did not appear to be a villain for escaping, would the M4GG issue such hard-hitting statement?

How about a statement of condemnation against senators, congresspeople, and cabinet officials who stole billions of pesos from kickbacks and other diabolical means via flood control and other infrastructure projects?   

According to its website, M4GG was founded on August 24, 2023 and “serves as an independent platform for mayors to collaborate, share best practices, and collectively stand against corruption while strengthening local autonomy and public trust.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

Greatest performances of prosecutors, defendants

“Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.”

—Ralph Marston

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE are glad prosecutors and defendants who will clash during the impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio have been identified.

They’re a mix of callow, unripe but sharp and seasoned trial luminaries from some of the country’s top law firms.

There’s no doubt stars and jacklegs among the House of Representatives and private prosecutors will either shine or plunge into the ravine when the historic trial begins in June or July 2026.

It will be the greatest performances of their lives in as far as their reputation and career in the legal and political arenas are concerned.

If they fumble, it will be hard to erase the lousiness from the mind of public. They must come to war armed to the teeth, so to speak.

If they sparkle, some of them will become icons in the legal profession and their political stocks will multiple.

In such a gaseous but peppery legal combat, there should be no room for carelessness and inadvertence. Good luck, attorneys.

 

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The trial involving the second highest elected official in the country will be watched “live” by millions of people, including those living outside the country who follow the political events and intramural in the Philippines.

Doubting Thomases who sneer at the so-called “Duterte or DDS senators” in the upper chamber acting as both "judges" and "triers of law and fact" can’t conclude with finality the “Duterte or DDS senators” will not vote for conviction.

They should give these ornate senator/judges the benefit of the doubt especially if the prosecutors will present incontrovertible and damning pieces of evidence that will leave no room for doubt.

Public opinion and, to some extent, pressure will certainly matter heavily on the decision of each senator/judge. Conscience is another thing.

It’s a vital, God-given internal faculty acting as a "judgment of reason" or moral compass.

Conscience functions as a built-in warning system—similar to pain sensors—that identifies right from wrong, guides behavior, enables moral reflection, and maintains personal integrity, often leading to peace or feelings of guilt.

Thus, even if some of them are dyed-in-the-wool diehards of the Duterte political clan, they might think twice about risking their own political future if they realize there’s no chance the vice president can wiggle out from the huge mess and thereafter say goodbye to her 2028 political ambition.

 

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In my opinion as a ring official and sports scribe, the 12-round WBC heavyweight world championship fight between defending champion Oleksandr Usyk and challenger, world kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven, on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt was stopped prematurely.

DAZN Pay-Per-View and the DAZN Ultimate Tier called it “the worst stoppage of heavyweight title fight history.” Not really.

There were world heavyweight title and non-title clashes in the past that also ended in controversy after the referee “haphazardly” intervened. The Usyk-Verhoeven bout was not the worst.

But I agree that the third man in the ring should have given the Dutch challenger the opportunity to continue fighting until the 12th and last stanza after absorbing a knockdown in the 11th round.

The challenger had the opportunity make history and pull off one of the greatest upsets ever in boxing as he was leading in the scorecards when the stoppage came.

Verhoeven was fighting the perfect fight for nearly 11 rounds, making Usyk look ordinary, and widely led on the scorecards. Usyk dropped Verhoeven with about 25 seconds left in the round. Then Usyk threw a flurry of shots after the bell had sounded, and the referee stepped in to stop the bout.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)