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Philippine Star   If Filipino voters are showing a strong preference for candidates with authoritarian tendencies plus the only son of a dictator, one of the reasons has to be the  perception that democracy is not working for the country.   Those who suffered during the oppressive days of one-man rule can only shake their heads and sigh that people who support politicians with an authoritarian bent don’t  know what monster they are trying to revive. Beyond warning that Filipinos should be careful what they wish for, however, those who want to nurture hard-won freedoms  should address the public frustrations that are giving rise to a longing for discipline and the kind of leadership that gets things done and brings peace and order.   [full text] Sun.Star Cebu  MARCELO Garbo Jr. has gone a long way since his assignment to Central Visayas in 2011 as director of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 7, which is based in Cebu City.  Garbo, who is set t...

Philippine Star   Those who lived through that dark period in the nation’s history lament that Filipinos, particularly the youth, appear to have forgotten the struggle to end the  abuses of a despotic regime. But young Filipinos don’t have a short memory. When it comes to martial law and the struggle to end a dictatorship, the memories simply  aren’t there. Thirty years is a long time, and a generation has grown up with no personal experience of the days when people lived in fear of their own government.   Freedom, it is often said, is like air – taken for granted and missed only when it is taken away.   [full text] Mindanao Times   In the ever widening urban sprawl, the need for green spaces has taken a more urgent need no matter what real estate companies claim. We are still blessed with nature  but this cannot be sustainable if we turn a big portion of our land to buildings and other commercial complexes. For  residential areas, open sp...