For thirty-nine years, Article II, Section 26 of the 1987 Constitution has remained an unfulfilled constitutional command. In its August 26, 2026 Decision in the consolidated cases of Kapatiran Party…
Category: Feature
Bryce McIntyre:
The State of Learning in Catanduanes: A Province Caught Between Progress and Persistent Gaps
This is Part 1 of a 2-part series on public education in Catanduanes Province. Part 2 will appear in next week’s edition. Available evidence indicates that educational attainment in…
Sacerdos in Aeternum (a priest forever) | Rev. Fr. Rommel M. Arcilla:
Angels and Demons
Last Friday, October 2, the Church celebrated the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels. It is one of those celebrations that can easily pass unnoticed because angels have become so…
NON EXCUSAT | Atty. Rene John M. Velasco:
Verba Legis and Ratio Legis: The Letter and the Spirit of the Law
In the interpretation of statutes, two Latin maxims occupy a fundamental place in legal reasoning: verba legis and ratio legis. The first directs the courts to the words of the…
Bryce McIntyre:
Sara Duterte on Trial: The Case Against the Vice President of the Philippines
While her father, former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, remains in detention at the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity, his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, is fighting…
Sacerdos in Aeternum (a priest forever) | Rev. Fr. Rommel M. Arcilla:
“Ver Es Descansar”
There is something deeply moving about Simeon. We know very little about his life. We do not know his occupation, his family, or even how old he was. St. Luke…
NON EXCUSAT | Atty. Rene John M. Velasco:
BEST EVIDENCE RULE X ORIGINAL DOCUMENT RULE
The recent case of People of the Philippines vs Ybo Lastimosa[1] discussed the historical development of the best evidence rule, to wit: The earliest iteration of the Best Evidence Rule…
Bryce McIntyre:
The Battle Over Nickel Mining on Sibuyan Island
Sibuyan is a small island smack in the middle of the Philippines’ vast 7,641-island tropical archipelago. In 2023, residents formed a human wall across a road, trying to stop trucks…
Sacerdos in Aeternum (a priest forever) | Rev. Fr. Rommel M. Arcilla:
What Will There Be for Us?
“Then Peter said to him in reply, ‘We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?’” — Matthew 19:27 The death of a fellow…