Philstar.com

FROM FAR AND NEAR

+ Follow Column

Why we celebrate the longest Christmas

by Ruben Almendras - December 23, 2024 - 12:00am

We Filipinos claim that we have the longest Christmas in the world, and no other country or nationality has refuted this. There are many Christmas villages in some countries that are open the whole year, but they...

Winners/loser in the fall of Syria’s Assad

by Ruben Almendras - December 16, 2024 - 12:00am

After 41 years of brutal dictatorial rule, or more than 50 years if we include the reign of his father, Bashar al-Assad was driven out of Syria as the rebels entered Damascus last December 8.

Winners/losers in the VP impeachment

by Ruben Almendras - December 9, 2024 - 12:00am

The impeachment process to remove Duterte as vice president has started and ongoing.

Winners/losers in the Marcos-Duterte war

by Ruben Almendras - December 2, 2024 - 12:00am

Even with the toned-down rhetoric of BBM and restraining impeachment moves on VP Duterte, the war between the Marcoses and the Dutertes is far from over.

Classic VP Duterte meltdown or…

by Ruben Almendras - November 25, 2024 - 12:00am

The standoff in Congress of VP Duterte while staying with her chief-of-staff Zuleika Lopez in detention and resistance to have her transferred to the women’s correctional facility was all over the news and...

Why Harris lost the US elections

by Ruben Almendras - November 18, 2024 - 12:00am

I was the speaker at a club forum after the US election on the effects of a Trump presidency in America, the world and in the Philippines.

Trump: a test for US democracy and institutions

by Ruben Almendras - November 11, 2024 - 12:00am

On January 6, 2025, Trump will assume the presidency of the US with the political, social, and economic environment of the US and the world more complicated/complex than in his previous term as president.

Unfit for public office

by Ruben D. Almendras - November 4, 2024 - 12:00am

Recent events have highlighted the issue of the fitness for public office of many of our elected public officials and candidates, with seven months to go before the May 2025 Philippines midterm elections.

Fallout of the Marcos-Duterte war

by Ruben Almendras - October 28, 2024 - 12:00am

Quite a lot and enough has been said and written on the ongoing battle between the Marcos and Duterte families, and the conflict isn’t going to end soon.

Interest rates, inflation and corruption

by Ruben Almendras - October 21, 2024 - 12:00am

Two significant economic events/news in the Philippines happened last week. One was the decrease in the inflation rate in September to 1.9%, and the other was the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas reducing their policy...

Of family political dynasties

by Ruben Almendras - October 14, 2024 - 12:00am

In last week’s filings of the Certificate of Candidacies for the May 2025 elections, there were many cases of four to seven family members submitting their COCs for national and various local positions.

Economic cost of Philippine corruption

by Ruben Almendras - September 30, 2024 - 12:00am

Government corruption has always been a staple story in the Philippines, but the ongoing political fights between previous allies the Marcos and Duterte camps are getting more attention.

Press freedom and social media

by Ruben Almendras - September 23, 2024 - 12:00am

Last week up to September 21, Cebu celebrated press freedom, like it has always done in previous years.

Politicians’ loyalty, an oxymoron

by Ruben Almendras - September 9, 2024 - 12:00am

With the Philippines 2025 mid-term elections just eight months away, billboards of possible candidates are already sprouting all over the cities and provinces, after the court ruled that these are not considered...

Reversal of fortune/Peripeteia

by Ruben Almendras - September 2, 2024 - 12:00am

The diminishing political influence of the Duterte camp/party has taken a steeper dive in the last few months.

Lessons for Bangladesh, Venezuela

by Ruben D. Almendras - August 19, 2024 - 12:00am

On top of the current bloody wars in Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Myanmar which have democratic political implications, in the last two weeks a people power revolt has toppled the government of Bangladesh, and there...

Harris may/will beat Trump

by Ruben Almendras - July 29, 2024 - 12:00am

I am now a week in the US, even with the disruption of our MNL-LA-CLE flights caused by the CrowdStrike glitch that disrupted airline systems.

Is the world getting crazier?

by Ruben Almendras - July 22, 2024 - 12:00am

Watching news on TV and scanning the news in the internet gets quite depressing and unnerving at times.

SONA, SOCA, Palaro as political events

by Ruben Almendras - July 8, 2024 - 12:00am

While we are bombarded daily with global and national events that have consequences in our daily lives, there are local events that grab our attention because of their familiarity and immediate impact on us.

A democracy vs. autocracy war

by Ruben Almendras - June 24, 2024 - 12:00am

If you are still reading, watching and/or listening to the current conflicts all over the world in the main and social media, you have to agree that a cold and hot world war is already ongoing and escalating.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ... | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23

Get Updated: