I snoop around in beauty salons or even taxi cabs. Who are you voting? I get curious on their choices. At the salon of the Makati commercial center, my hairdresser whispered “ Villar is the most favored candidate here followed by Gibo”. That surprised me because Villar is not ranking in surveys of Met...

To vote is not just a right —it is a sacred obligation of every qualified citizen. Our history, as well as the histories of other democratic nations, is replete with the examples of many great men and women who fought valiantly to earn and defend their right to suffrage. Today, it is practically un...

“Who are you voting for?”  Friends and relatives  ask me that question whenever they find out that I interviewed seven  presidential candidates.  I  tell them that I am not supporting a candidate yet but I already have a short list based on a selection criteria. I rattle off three candidates: Manny Vil...

Originally intended to promote comprehensive program-based politics instead of just personality-dependent platforms of governance, the party-list system has nevertheless managed to open itself up to abuses by self-serving groups and traditional politicians or “trapos.”

Much has been said, seen and heard about political parties and individual candidates, but hardly enough about party list representatives. Ask a regular passerby about what he knows about party-list representatives and I bet he will not be able to give you a clear answer. This is the reason why I have ...