Tensions in the Tenses

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Amidst the calm of Holy Week in the Christian world, let’s do some reflection on how the past informs the present and how we want the future to look like. The personal may not always be political but there's no ignoring politics this time. Our story lineup this week represents past, present and future in our Motherland's storied evolution.

The present: As the Duterte administration plods through its end run, it is a good time to look at the big picture and assess its mixed legacy objectively. As political observer and professor Patricio N. Abinales writes, while the poor got the brunt of its drug war, Duterte "also leaves the presidency with a remarkable record of serving the poor even as his police officers and hired assassins continue to kill their fathers, mothers, and children." This contradiction will be scrutinized and argued in the years to come so Abinales fires the first volley to "let the debates begin."

The past: Senatorial hopeful Samira Gutoc rang the memory bell as a Marcos Jr. presidency becomes a possibility. Remember the Jabidah massacre of 1968, she says. More than 20 Muslim recruits for a top-secret mission to reclaim Sabah were gunned down in Corregidor, the training site, when they started protesting their harsh training conditions. The military had since erased all traces of the mission but there were some who escaped death and told the story. The Jabidah massacre triggered the war of Muslim Mindanao against the Marcos regime and led to the founding of MNLF. We post excerpts from the book Under the Crescent Moon: Rebellion in Mindanao by ace journalists Marites Danguilan Vitug and Glenda Gloria.

The future: What we do today will determine how our future will look like. In political terms, "We are whom we choose," former COMELEC chief Andres D. Bautista contends as he looks at the many unprecedented actions  taking place throughout the Philippines right now. Will the future be rosy or blood red? We don't need a crystal ball, just fervor and dedication as we march toward May 9. Most importantly, we have to VOTE.

Read Agains:

Images of Semana Santa

Marinduque’s Mesmerizing Moriones by Wilma Consul

Art and Soul and Fr. Rey by Mona Lisa Yuchengco

[Recipe of the Week] Enjoy this YouTube video of actress Judy Ann Santos cooking her fave Holy Week dishes

[Video of the Week] Remy Martin - NCAA Champion

Philippine Elections 2022

Pulse Asia: 2 out of 10 voters change their minds on election day
https://opinion.inquirer.net/152042/pulse-asia-2-out-of-10-voters-change-their-minds-on-election-day

[Newsstand] Enough time for ‘Ro-mentum’
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/newsstand-enough-time-robredo-momentum/?fbclid=IwAR0rpeUHGU-uKi6hOvMaPw80H_6CRhMtYjVRowwzXh3wbmU6q4jBz-cXAus

Isko Moreno supporters group joins Robredo’s 'pink' wave after attempts of unification
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/04/12/2174088/isko-moreno-supporters-join-robredos-pink-wave-after-failed-attempts-unification

Carpio tells voters: Keep demanding estate tax payment from Marcos Jr.
https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2022/4/8/Bongbong-Marcos-Carpio-estate-tax-payment-demand.html?fb&fbclid=IwAR2kHCpyP-MGAdD3R2bPKeN2DU86lDsD31T7juEGu6UXaoobSamCdbXqWSU

A dictator's son runs for Philippines president in a bid to revive his family's power
https://www.npr.org/2022/04/12/1090802987/philippines-elections-ferdinand-bongbong-marcos-junior?fbclid=IwAR2VNrQ8ZHd4BJzzkUvBsKesFQRzA7g8nalUw7rh4Ij1kDsMm7elzIdCK00

Philippine volunteers in door-to-door blitz for top Marcos Jr rival
https://news.yahoo.com/philippine-volunteers-door-door-blitz-021810361.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9sLmZhY2Vib29rLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAFiv7B7QwjQj_86QCR-k3x8XaEvIhOp4chOIPrES_OphaH_UXSvyFNBN09_mP_sSgnSpzJRzbSTUG-SaPyFRCv3_S2XFNI5fPK7gB3c0fgoyEMqxmc8tBJ0dhjtPyzRN5sAVwDN1U_KjS02HBZQhj9gMw-29ARYLodRIbcRESufw

[OPINION] Rallies, ‘hakot,’ and hope
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/opinion-rallies-hakot-hope/?fbclid=IwAR21sCNZuXJntuscIheoTq0YADyXy-0ZN7TXxQ5pKMz0grqMj2LYkqPvz0o

Why Leni is picking up huge endorsements
https://inqm.news/xqht

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Gemma Nemenzo

Editor, Positively Filipino