Gemma Cruz Araneta | LANDSCAPE The spokesman of Filipino farmers, Ka Rene Cerilla of PAKISAMA, lamented that farmers are never consulted, much less invited to significant policy-making meetings. He was one of the panelist-reactors at the “ 21st Jaime V. Ongpin memorial lecture on Public Service in Business and Government” held last October at the Ateneo de Manila University Law … Read more
“What is the dead body saying?” That was how Dr. Raquel Fortun answered when I asked about her profession. What is it like to be a forensic pathologist, and be with cadavers most of the time? She had just returned to the Philippines after giving up a successful career in the USA and was my … Read more
In 1959, while Antonio Araneta, Jr ( my husband) was polishing his undergrad thesis ( “Elites and Economic Development in Underdeveloped Countries”) at the Notre Dame University, a be-medalled sergeant of the Philippine Army, survivor of World War II was applying for a job at an Araneta-owned company. Mr. Aguinaldo Cabe described himself as a … Read more
The phrase “red tagging,” which sends a chill up my spine, did not exist when Antonio S. Araneta (my husband) was writing his undergrad thesis in 1959, titled “Elites and Economic Development in Underdeveloped Countries.” Way back then, he called red-tagging a “weapon” or an “accusation” by “certain American groups that protected their vested interests … Read more
“Elites and Economic Development in Underdeveloped Countries” was the complete title of Antonio S. Araneta, Jr’s (my husband) thesis for a Bachelor of Arts degree at the Notre Dame University (Indiana, USA) in 1959. Since then, terminologies have changed even as most concepts have remained ineluctable. Tonypet (his nickname) could have used “developing countries”, even … Read more
Historians, chroniclers, social scientists, political analysts and the general public continue debating about The Revolution. Whether finished or unfinished, the mere mention of the R word provokes staggering controversies, especially during heightened moments of constitutional chaos. Recently, I joined (virtually) the annual conference of the Philippine Historical Association, now headed by Ma. Luisa Camagay, PhD, … Read more
Two eminent lawyers, Saul and Daniel Hofileña, father and son, authored an elucidating monograph,” Turmoil at the South China Sea” which to me is a veritable dictionary of basic yet misapplied terms. Let us review a few: Archipelago. A group of islands inter-connected by waters and other natural features, so closely interrelated that such islands, … Read more
If you want to get a handle on how the Philippines won its case against People’s China, consult a recently published monograph that explains everything in 148 questions and answers. The authors (a father-son lawyers’ tandem ) untangle the intricacies of the UNCLOS ( United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea) and its … Read more
Does the Republic of the Philippines have any State secrets? If we do have classified, restricted, confidential and top secret files, where are they kept? Are these in a vault of the Department of National Defense, under lock and key in the President’s study in Malacañan, or ensconced in the national Library and Archives? I … Read more
Let us standardize the adobo, said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). What an impossible task, chimed my Rizal lady cousins last Monday, 29 August, as we celebrated National Heroes’ Day at the chalet of Gen. Paciano Rizal. We reminisced about a couple of adobo recipes inherited from respective grandmothers that certainly defy standardization. … Read more