2005

AETAS; ANCESTRAL LAND; LAND REFORM; MOUNT PINATUBO Mable, Jing A. Return to Pinatubo. {The Aetas are back on their ancestral land and the Department of Land Reform works to make sure they will stay.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 9 12

AGRICULTURE AND ECONOMY Alvarez, Ramiro C. Battered by politics. {The economic managers paint a rosy picture, but agriculture does not agree with them.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 8 12

ARROYO ADMINISTRATION Torre, Ricky S. Standard assurance. {President Arroyo sounds a note of optimism in the wake of a very difficult year.} Philippines Free Press 2005 January 15 2

ARROYO AND CHURCH Sorry, wrong number. {The church explains its misinterpreted statement on President Arroyo’s crisis.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 30 14

ARROYO AND CHURCH Torre, Ricky S. and Wendell Vigilia. Defining their positions. {The Catholic church advises restraint as President Arroyo’s most trusted allies turn against her.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 23 2

ARROYO AND CONGRESS Serrano, Butch and Wendell Vigilia. Breaking the break. {President Arroyo calls Congress to a special session. The legislators come and argue about what to do.} Philippines Free Press 2005 January 15 8

ARROYO AND DE CASTRO Out with you too. {The Veep plays it safe and gets thrown together with President Arroyo as target for people’s action.} Philippines Free Press 2005 December 17 8

ARROYO AND ECONOMY Nuguid, nati. In the deepest valley. {Filipinos give President Arroyo the poorest grade for her tough economic decisions.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 18 10

ARROYO AND HOUSE OF CONGRESS Vigilia, Wendell. For the next fight. {the House minority discovers Mrs. Arroyo war chest for next year.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 8 10

ARROYO AND OPPOSITION Numbers game. {The opposition is finding it hard to force President Arroyo from power in the streets and in Congress.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 30 8

ARROYO AND OPPOSITION Torre, Ricky S. Hobbling along. {Despite her increasing unpopularity, President Arroyo is likely to stay in power—thanks to the shortcomings of her own enemies.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 13 3

ARROYO AND PLOTTERS Serrano, Butch and Wendell Vigilia. Plotters? Who, we? {Drilon and Mrs. Aquino are accused of planning to kill Mrs. Arroyo. Philippines Free Press 2005 October 15 4

ARROYO AND PUBLIC RELATIONS Alvarez, Ramiro C. Hard to sell. {President Arroyo has a pR problem, but she’s getting no help from the amateurs and infighters on the Palace communication staff.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 13 28

ARROYO AND RALLIES Cruising dissent. {President Arroyo’s mailed-fist policy on protests against her rule erupts into violence in a place sacred to fighters for democracy bringing back images of the Filipinos’ struggle against a dictatorship. Philippines Free Press 2005 October 29 2

ARROYO AND RALLIES Serrano, Butch, Ricky Torre and Wendell Vigilia. So the people will not know. {Besides a mailed-fist policy against the protest movement, President Arroyo has issued a gag order on her officials. Is the Philippines really headed toward a new order?} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 15 2

ARROYO AND RALLIES Torre, Ricky S. Hobbling along. {despite her increasing unpopularity, President Arroyo is likely to stay in power-thanks to the shortcomings of her own enemies.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 13 3

ARROYO AND RAMOS Nuguid, Nati. Why can’t he retired? {Fidel Ramos saves President Arroyo by trotting out his constitutional amendment project again, distracting Filipinos from their effort at removing her from office and worsening divisions in a country that wonders why he refuses to fade away.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 13 10

ARROYO AND SENATE Bullying the Senate. {President Arroyo wants the senators to accept that she’s the boss.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 29 6

ARROYO; ESTRADA; OPPOSITION Nuguid, Nati. Failure at first deal. {The administration tries reconciliation, but the opposition drives a hard bargain.} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 3 6

ARROYO TAPES I’m that general. {A military official spills all at a Senate inquiry into the Arroyo tapes.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 8 6

ARROYO TAPES Nuguid, Nati and Wendell Vigilia. The Arroyo tapes. {A Palace official’s mistake blows up in the face of the administration sweeping the President into a corner from where there may be no getting out.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 25 2

ARROYO TAPES Torre, Ricky S. and Wendell Vigilia. Convergence of forces. {The scandal of the Arroyo tapes brings the Philippines back to the last days of the Estrada presidency. How will it end this time for President Macapagal-Arroyo?} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 16 2

ARROYO TAPES Torre, Ricky S. and Wendell Vigilia. Down memory lane. {Old songs are being revived in the scandal over the Arroyo tapes, including digital manipulation and destabilization. Philippines Free Press 2005 August 27 4

ARROYO TAPES Torre, Ricky S. and Wendell Vigilia. Probing the Arroyo tapes. {The scandal worsens, but presidential silence and congressional filibustering have so far tempered its impact.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 2 2

ARROYO TAPES Torre, Ricky S. and Wendell Vigilia. Sorry is not enough. {President Arroyo admits a lapse in judgment, fanning instead of easing public anger over an alleged electoral ripoff.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 9 2

ARROYO TAPES AND CONGRESSMEN Torre, Ricky S. and Wendell Vigilia. Outstanding congressmen. {The chairmen of five congressional committees wrestle with cover-up artists, liars, double dealers and bunglers to discover the truth about the Arroyo tapes.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 30 2

ARROYO TAPES AND OPPOSITION Vigilia, Wendell. Preemption. {The Palace discloses the bugging of the President’s telephone and blames it on the opposition, only to get embroiled in another controversy.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 18 8

BIRD FLU AND AGRICULTURE Alvarez, Ramiro C. Bird flu scare. {Three ducks in Bulacan get sick, sending jitters across the poultry industry. But there’s no danger yet to public health. Philippines Free Press 2005 August 6 28

BIRD FLU PANDEMIC Nuguid, Nati. Now it’s drug grab. {What do you think of breaking the law to fight a bird flu pandemic?} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 29 8

CAGAYAN DE ORO AND CONSTANTINO G. JARAULA Consistency and tenacity in constitutional amendment. Philippines Free Press 2005 October 15 16

CHARTER CHANGE Vigilia, Wendell. The big rush. {De Venecia wants a vote on the constitutional-amendments proposal next week.} Philippines Free Press 2005 December 3 14

CHURCH AND STATE What separation? {The church’s hand shows in the crises pushing President Arroyo to the brink.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 2 10

CHURCH AND STATE Nuguid, Nati. Wanted: fighting shepherd. {Who will replace Cardinal Sin as leader of the church in battles against the state?} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 9 10


COCO LEVY FUND Alvarez, Ramiro C. Coconut juice. {The disclosure of coco levy fund misuse leads to investigations and official exits.} Philippines Free Press 2005 May 28 8

CONSTITUTION AND FOREIGN RELATIONS Amurao, George T. For Filipinos only. {Amending the Constitution is a strictly domestic affair. Filipinos should never allow foreign intervention.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 15 12

CONSTITUTION AND UNITED STATES Serrano, Butch. Changes made in the USA. {The government hires a US consultant for amending the Constitution. Wow!} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 24 10

DE CASTRO, NOLI AND PRESIDENCY Nuguid, Nati. Can he govern. {The vice president says he is ready to become president. Many Filipinos doubt it.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 23 6

DENGUE EPIDEMIC Alvarez, Ramiro C. Deadly wait. {The Health Department waits for 16,000 people to fall ill before it alerts the nation to a dengue epidemic.} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 3 10

DENGUE OTBREAK Nuguid, Nati. It’s working. {President Arroyo’s ratings are improving, though still in the negative.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 20 8

DISASTERS How nature changes history. {If the past is any guide, the response to the December 26 shock will loom larger in history than the wave itself. Philippines Free Press 2005 January 15 22

CONGRESS AND JOSE DE VENECIA Vigilia, Wendell. Called to account. {Unhappy congressmen have an issue against Speaker de venecia: money.} Philippines Free Press 2005 November 26 10

ENERGY; OIL Nuguid, Nati. The coming oil crunch. {Soaring oil prices are threatening the Philippine economy, but all that Filipinos can think of is politics.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 27 2

ENERGY; OIL Oil’s not well. {A threatening energy crunch brings out good and bad ideas for survival.} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 3 4

ENERGY; OIL Satre, Gary L. The crisis hidden in plain view. {The world is not running out of oil. The age of cheap oil, however, is ending.} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 3 2

ENVIRONMENT Alvarez, Ramiro C. Natural disharmony. {The dispute at environment shows the trouble with overstretching in the centralized system.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 4 30

ENVIRONMENT Alvarez, Ramiro C. Your job first. {The environment’s protector must choose between politics and his job.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 15 30

FAMILY PLANNING; POPULATION You don’t speak for us. {A group launches a campaign to educate President Arroyo in family planning and development.} Philippines Free Press 2005 December 17 16

FAMILY PLANNING; POPULATION; POVERTY Rosario, Rico R. Too many people, too much poverty. {Not waiting for the government to stop listening to the church, a legislator goes to the slums and teaches the poor about the link between poverty and overpopulation.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 16 14


FERTILIZER SCAM Alvarez, Ramiro C. Never so bad. {The Agriculture Department’s fertilizer program hardly benefits small farmers. And now here’s this scam.} Philippines Free Press 2005 December 3 10

FERTILIZER SCAM Serrano, Butch and Wendell Vigilia. Explosive fertilizer. {The fertilizer scam investigation is getting dangerous, especially to the lead investigator.} Philippines Free Press 2005 December 3 8

FERTILIZER SCAM Serrano, Butch and Wendell Vigilia. Really myserious. {The program for which P728 million in fertilizer fund was released is nonexistent.} Philippines Free Press 2005 December 17 10

GAMBLING AND EMPLOYMENT Alvarez, Ramiro C. A way out. {If the government is serious about eradicating jueteng, it must give jobs to the workers in the illegal lottery. But it only has programs.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 2 14

GARCIALLANO, GARCI Nuguid, nati. Hello, Garci. {Where are you? A lot of people want to talk to you-even on the phone.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 2 8

GARCILLIANO, VIRGILIO Torre, Ricky S. and Wendell Vigilia. Well, hello, Garci. {Virgilio Garcillano is back. Would he tell the truth about last year’s presidential election? Philippines Free Press 2005 December 3 2

GARCILLIANO, VIRGILIO Torre, Ricky, Butch Serrano and Wendell Vigilia. The man of the tapes. {Virgilio Garcialliano finally talks to congressional investigators, but tells them nothing.} Philippines Free Press 2005 December 17 2

GIRL SCOUTS OF THE PHILIPPINES Ruaya, Pat. 65 years of serving God and country: Girl Scouts of the Philippines. Philippines Free Press 2005 May 28 28

GLOBAL WARMING Alvarez, Ramiro C. Killer gases. {Unresolved issues continu to bog down world efforts to stop global warming.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 30 24

GONZALES, RAUL Nuguid, Nati. Shut up. {The Justice secretary takes a beating for saying the wrong things.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 30 16

GSIS Mable, Jign A. Doing it right. {Fresh from its success in a boardroom fight, the Government Service Insurance System proceeds to build up its strength.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 20 14

HACIENDA LUSITA Nuguid, Nati Bitter harvest. {Is politics behind the government decision to dissolve the stock option at Hacienda Luisita.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 15 8

HOUSING Satre, Gary L. Building homes, building lives. {By assisting those who need help getting decent and affordable housing, NHA may actually be reducing the potential for terrorism.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 29 10

ILIGAN CITY Vergara, Ricky B. Getting up. {With a new leader, Iligan regains its spirit and rises to restore itself to being the industrial city of the South.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 18 14

IMPEACHMENT Torre, Ricky and Wendell Vigilia. Accounting time. {Suspicion over both sides of the House in the wake of the vote that saved President Arroyo from impeachment.} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 24 2

IMPEACHMENT Vigilia, Wendell. Taking no chances. {Presidential phone calls and releases of funds to congressmen invite suspicions that Mrs. Arroyo is not fighting fairly.} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 3 8

IMPEACHMENT AND HOUSE Vigilia, Wendel. Anything for survival. (The House allows the impeachment complaint to go up, but don’t expect a fair fight.) Philippines Free Press 2005 August 6 8

IMPEACHMENT AND HOUSE Vigilia, Wendell. Dangerous game. {The House majority gets warned against making a mockery of the impeachment process.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 13 8

IMPEACHMENT AND HOUSE Vigilia, Wendell. Striking anew. {Choosing to fight weak charges, President Arroyo asks the House to dismiss the opposition’s impeachment complaint.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 20 6

INDIGENOUS PEOPLES Serious business: the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. Philippines Free Press 2005 July 9 22

SIN, JAIME Imperfect liberator: Cardinal Jaime Sin, 1928-2005. Philippines Free Press 2005 July 2 18


JOURNALISTS Nuguid, Nati. Lamentation of the home chief. {Angelo Reyes draws fire for bewailing journalists’ cry for justice.} Philippines Free Press 2005 May 28 12

JUETENG AND MICHELANGELO ZUCE Serrano, Butch. Big man, BIG TROUBLE. {A new witness comes forward with damaging testimony against President Arroyo.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 13 6

JUETENG Torre, Ricky S. and Butch Serrano. The perils of jueteng. {Congressional investigations threaten to expose officials who accept payoffs from operators of the illegal game.} Philippines Free Press 2005 May 28 2

JUETENG AND SENATE Torre, Ricky S. and Butch Serrano. First draw. {The opening hearing of a Senate inquiry into jueteng rattles the President’s family, the police and Congress.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 11 2

JUETENG CORRUPTION Serrano, Butch. Put out the fire: {With witnesses coming out to link President Arroyo to jueteng corruption, her allies in the Senate come to her rescue by pushing for the termination of the investigation. Philippines Free Press 2005 July 9 6

JUETENG INVESTIGATION Serrano, Butch. Operation: witnesses. {The jueteng investigation loses steam as witnesses withdraw under government pressure.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 16 8

JUETENG SCANDAL Serrano, Butch and Wendell Vigilia. Crackdown. {President Arroyo declares war against jueteng. Her justice chief threatens legal action against charges without evidence.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 4 2

JUETENG SCANDAL Serrano, Butch and Wendell Vigilia. Worse disclosures: the jueteng scandal becomes more explosive, but the Senate inquiry suddenly goes on recess. Philippines Free Press 2005 June 25 6

JUETENG SCANDAL Torre, Ricky S. and Butch Serrano. Witness prevention program. {The turnaround of two key witnesses in the jueteng scandal is a blow on the opposition’s case. But this episode is not yet over for the Arroyo administration.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 20 2

JUETENG SCANDAL Torre, Ricky S., Butch Serrano and Wendell Vigilia. We have seen this before. {The administration insists on blaming the opposition for the jueteng scandal, refusing to see the real hand that drives it.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 18 2

LAND REFORM Alvarez, Ramiro C. Still fighting for land. {After 17 years of agararian reform, farmers are still fighting even for land that has already been given to them.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 2 24

LAND REFORM Mable, Jign A. Consolidating forces and resources: Department of Land Reform after 17 years. Philippines Free Press 2005 July 9 16

LEADERSHIP CRISIS Descent into apathy. {Religious groups lament the Filipinos’ seeming lack of interest to resolve the leadership crisis. Philippines Free Press 2005 November 26 8

LEADERSHIP CRISIS AND CHURCH Nuguid, Nati. This is about morality. {Church leaders tell President Arroyo’s defenders the real issue in the leadership crisis.} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 24 6

LEADERSHIP CRISIS AND RALLIES Torre, Ricky S. Winners and losers. {Which ones are they really in the long-playing leadership crisis in the Philippines.} Philippines Free Press 2005 November 26 2



MAKATI CITY AND JEJOMAR BINAY Showing them. {For Mayor Jejomar Binay, there is no better place for him to demonstrate good government than the Republic of Makati.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 4 12

MANILA CITY AND LITO ATINEZA Champion of local autonomy. {Manila Mayor Lito Atienza has a road map to progress. Care for a ride?} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 25 12

MARTIAL LAW AND ARROYO Alvarez, Ramiro C. Will she call out the military? {No martial law, says Mrs. Arroyo, but Filipinos have begun to feel repression.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 16 10

MARTIAL LAW AND ARROYO Torre, Ricky and Wendell Vigilia. Moving toward martial law. {President Arroyo throws out maximum tolerance in favor of a policy that her critics say is designed to repress democratic rights.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 8 2

MILITARY CORRUPTION AND CARLOS F. GARCIA Nuguid, Nati. Guilty. {A court-martial sends a former military official to prison for undeclared wealth.} Philippines Free Press 2005 December 17 14

MINING Death on the mountain. {Despite regulation, mining remains a highly dangerous business in the Philippines.} Philippines Free Press 2005 November 26 16

MNLF CANDIDATES Breach of alliance. {The government dumps MNLF candidates, endangering the peace agreement with the former separatists rebels.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 20 10

NLRC AND ROY SENERES Nuguid, Nati. The last holdover. {Roy Seneres storms out of the Arroyo’s government. Is he really a plotter or just a target of intrigue?} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 11 12

PCSO Mable, Jing A. Good gaming. {The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office shows the good side of gambling.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 23 12

PEACE PROGRAMS Mable, Jign A. Making peace. {The National Peace Program looks beyond negotiations and plans for development and social transformation.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 8 14


POVERTY Nuguid, nati. It’s incredible. {The United Nations, too, doubts the Arroyo government’s rosy report of decreasing poverty.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 4 10

PUP Mable, Jing A. Power game. {Can a bungled job solve PUP’s leadership problem?} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 16 28

QUEZON AND RAFAEL P. NANTES Blueprint for progress. {Liberal Party Rep. Rafael P. Nantes approaches the economic development of Quezon province with the mind of a builder and an entrepreneur.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 6 14

REVOLUTION; NUEVA CACERES Obias, Jose Fernando. The liberation of Nueva Caceres. Philippines Free Press 2005 September 24 14

ROCO, RAUL S. Torre, Ricky S. The angry reformer: Raul Roco, 1941-2005. Philippines Free Press 2005 August 20 12

SENATE AND FRANKLIN DRILON Serrano, Butch. Breakaway. {Franklin Drilon’s withdrawal could cost President Arroyo the Senate.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 23 10

SENATE AND FRANKLIN DRILON Serrano, Butch. It’s cold up there. {Franklin Drilon keeps the Senate presidency, but not for long.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 6 12

SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM Vergara, Ricky B. Is social security in danger? {Yes, four years ago. Today, with its resources and investments better managed, reforms under way, and plans drawn for more strength, the fund is on its way to real longevity.} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 24 16

SONA 2005 Torre, Ricky S. A nation in turmoil. {President Arroyo delivers her state of the nation address without touching on the crisis of leadership that, for many, defines the true state of the nation. Philippines Free Press 2005 August 6 2

SUBIC RAPE CASE; VFA Serrano, Butch. Plugging the holes. {Disturbing developments in the Subic rape case spur a senator to take the first steps toward a review of the VFA.} Philippines Free Press 2005 December 3 16

SURVEYS Abcede, Rick M. Reading surveys with a raised eyebrow. Philippines Free Press 2005 December 3 22

TSUNAMI Race against time. {The world moves to save as many as 5 million people left homeless and destitute by one of the history’s worst calamities.} Philippines Free Press 2005 January 15 18

TSUNAMI Unheeded signs. {At obscure scientific conferences and expert conclaves over the last decade, researchers had urged government officials to establish warning systems. But among the many problems that plague South Asia-poverty, disease, civil wars-rare but deadly waves seemed a low priority. They were, until the 9.0 quake hit.} Philippines Free Press 2005 January 15 16

TSUNAMI AND INDONESIA Asian tragedy. {From the heart of the region’s tsunami disaster; a cry for help rises. The world hears and responds.} Philippines Free Press 2005 January 15 12

TUITION FEES The curse of tuition. {School fee increase impoverish parents, force bankcruptcies, and drive students to drop out.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 4 32

URBAN POOR There ought to be a law: the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor. Philippines Free Press 2005 July 9 24

URBAN POOR Rosario, Rico R. & Ed Galvez. Urban poor’s true alagad: Rep. Rodante D. Marcoleta. Philippines Free Press 2005 July 16 18

VAT Going for the VAT. {The new finance chief must save the value-added tax or else.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 30 18

VAT Nuguid, Nati. A coming vattery. {Value-added tax begins to push power rates up. Things will get worse next year.} Philippines Free Press 2005 November 26 12

VAT Nuguid, Nati. The vattle begins. { The opposition takes the VAT to court. The government fights back.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 16 12

VAT BILL Vigilia, Wendell. Third chamber. {Did the conferees violate the Constitution in approving the VAT bill?} Philippines Free Press 2005 May 28 16

VAT; FOOD; PRICES Alvarez, Ramiro C. Taming prices. {The VAT is here, but the price stabilization program is hardly off the planning board.} Philippines Free Press 2005 July 9 30

VENABLE CONTRACT AND NORBERTO GONZALES Serrano, Butch. Crisis in the making. {The stonewalling on the Venable contract could lead to a confrontation between the Palace and the Senate.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 8 8

VIRGIN COCONUT OIL Alvarez, Ramiro C. Healing oil. {Virgin coconut oil can heal not only illnesses but also the coconut industry.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 11 24

WAGE INCREASE Minimal wage. {As expected, the wage boards issue orders for pitiful raises in the minimum wage.} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 11 16

WAGE INCREASE Amurao, George T. For a living wage. {Rep. Roseller Barinaga refuses to give up the fight for a legislated increase for workers.} Philippines Free Press 2005 August 13 14

WAGE INCREASE Vigilia, Wendell. Alms for the poor. {Workers will get a wage increase, but not what they are asking for?} Philippines Free Press 2005 June 4 8

YORAC, HAYDEE Model of honesty: Haydee Yorac, 1941-2005. Philippines Free Press 2005 September 24 12

YUCHENGCO, ALFONSO Torre, Ricky S. His country’s son. {Alfonso Yuchengco-businessman, diplomat, philanthropist and political activist-regards himself as a Filipino before anything else. He has demonstrated this pride in his wide field.} Philippines Free Press 2005 September 3 12

ZAMBOANGA CITY AND CELSO LOBREGAT Southern change. {Having left a successful career in the national political arena, Zamboanga City Mayor Celso Lobregat now helps direct a hard-working city that defies its inaccurate image.} Philippines Free Press 2005 October 29 14

ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE AND ROSELLER L. BARINAGA In the interest of the workingman. Philippines Free Press 2005 August 13 17