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Inquirer  on  Duterte and presidential elections For months on end, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte kept the public guessing, claiming a lack of interest in the No. 1 post as well as fatigue and a wish to retire. [...]  Now, barely a month later, he announces that he has “crossed the Rubicon” and is firmly in the running. He says he changed his mind as a matter of principle because he cannot stand the decision of the Senate Electoral Tribunal to junk the disqualification suit against presidential candidate Grace Poe. He invokes the law, saying that the Philippines under a president who is not a natural-born Filipino is a violation of the Constitution. [...]  That politicians continue to try the tricks in the books does not bode well for the nation’s future. And neither does the sight of voters lapping up the bombast and drama, the fireworks and swagger that politicians offer in lieu of a platform. The circus has truly come to town. [full page] Sun.Star Ce...

Inquirer  about  Philippines-China diplomacy Like a good Filipino host, President Aquino avoided mentioning any topic that might upset his guests, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders’ Meeting last week. [...] Mr. Aquino made up for lost time, however, when he took part in a series of summits in Kuala Lumpur the following weekend. Xi wasn’t in attendance, but Chinese Premier Li Keqiang was, and he got an earful. [...] In high-level diplomacy, it seems, the Ecclesiastes principle also holds: There is a time for everything. In Mr. Aquino’s view, the time was ripe for the Philippines to use the language of unmistakable criticism. Hence, he no longer merely “expressed serious concerns,” but criticized China in forthright terms, and seized every opportunity throughout the weekend to do so. [full page] Sun.Star Cebu   on  Sun.Star Cebu In more than three decades of community journalism, Sun.Star Cebu has we...