Elfren S. Cruz
Philstar.com
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Past articles by Elfren:
Philanthropy is not enough
While global wealth has grown, there has been a frightening increase in income inequality all over the world. → Read More
Understanding federalism
Although the topic of federalism has been discussed since the 1971 Constitutional Convention, there are still many areas that are not clear even to political analysts. → Read More
Rising expectations revolution
I remember listening to an international (not Filipino) political analyst explaining the current worldwide political environment. → Read More
Scarborough red line
Will the Scarborough Shoal be the “red line” for the Philippines and the United States against China’s intention to create a new artificial island in the West Philippine Sea? → Read More
Time to unite
The 2016 presidential elections has proven that the Philippines is capable of successfully coping with the challenges of a democratic electoral process and preparing for an orderly transfer of power. → Read More
Leni Robredo for Vice President
The 2016 elections is proving to be one of the most divisive in Philippine electoral history. → Read More
Bishops on Duterte (?)
The pastoral letter of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines is long-winded and difficult even for the more literate members of the Catholic laity. → Read More
Political charisma
In any electoral campaign, anywhere in the world, the candidates must not only present program and policies but also appeal to the emotions. → Read More
Leni Robredo: The impossible dream
Leni Robredo’s candidacy as vice president of the Philippines started as the Impossible Dream. → Read More
Demagogues
Demagogues are politicians who appeal to the worst nature of people in order to gain followers. Instead of using reason, issues and doing the right thing, demagogues use fear and hatred to stir up hysteria, creating a crisis to intensify popular support for their call for immediate action and increased authority. → Read More
Gutter language
If the defense of the use of “gutter language as part of being manly or as being the language of the poor, can be attributed solely to the familiar behavior of one presidential candidate, it would not really be worth writing a column. → Read More
War in Scarborough Shoal?
The announcement that there will be joint US-Philippine patrols in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) is the result of China’s plan to build a base in the Scarborough Shoal located only 123 miles from the Philippine island of Luzon. → Read More
Never again
For those watching the vice presidential debate and who had lived under the Marcos regime, it was uncanny and almost surreal how the young Marcos reminds us so much of Ferdinand Marcos – the gestures, the voice and the arrogance while trying so hard to be charming. → Read More
Pope Francis welcomes all families
Pope Francis has just released another encyclical that many would call as another step in the radical transformation of the Catholic Church. → Read More
April: Buwan ng Panitikan
Language is one of the most important characteristics that separate human beings from other animals. → Read More
Will China occupy Scarborough Shoal?
The New York Times recently had an article with the following report: “ At the Pentagon two weeks ago, the day before a meeting of Mr. Obama’s national security team to discuss Chinese expansion in the Pacific, General Joseph F. Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was talking with Adm. Harry B. Harris, the commander of the United States Pacific Command, in the reception area of… → Read More
Kim Henares: Her legacy
They were known as the three Furies – Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, BIR Commissioner Kim Henares – because of their fearless integrity and dedication to serving the country. → Read More
1st Filipino La Salle Brothers
The Grace To Touch Hearts is a book about the first four Filipino La Salle Brothers. → Read More
Living under Martial Law
A nation’s story is not just chronicled in the books written by historians and social scientists. → Read More
Money laundering: More fun in the Philippines
The Philippine bank secrecy laws , among the strictest in the world, have made our country extremely vulnerable to corruption, tax evasion and money laundering and have made corruption and tax evasion investigations extremely difficult. → Read More