By Raïssa Robles Last night, my hubby Alan called my attention to a poster and a video he saw on the Internet. Let me tell you, Alan has this amazing way of looking into the nooks and crannies of the Web and finding fascinating stuff. I have learned a lot from the techniques he has taught me. Anyway, the poster [...]
Traffic Christmas carol
At the annual gathering of Manila’s foreign press, guests from the American diplomatic corps and the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) surprised us by bursting into song. It was a first for the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP), to be serenaded by those we interview. The song came with this intro - Those who have suffered through Manila’s [...]
Part 2: Why did GMA treat Ampatuans as rebels, not suspected mass killers?
By Raïssa Robles In journalism, you’re not supposed to start your stories with questions. But in the case of the 2009 massacre of 57 people in Ampatuan, Maguindanao, I think the questions are the story itself. I don’t have the answers to these questions two years after the bloodbath. Maybe Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the former President of the Strong Republic, [...]
PNoy agrees to a grilling
By Raïssa Robles In the last five years, no Philippine President has accepted an invitation to meet publicly with the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) to be grilled. Recently, President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III agreed to meet with FOCAP, knowing full well no questions are off-limits. Our historic date is this October 12, 2011 from 10 [...]
Why I believe Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cheated in the 2004 elections
By Raïssa Robles It was a personal encounter with one of Mrs Arroyo’s closest aides that made me realize that she cheated her way to a six-year term that ended last year. I will not name that aide but I will say I had known him for years and years. Which is why what he said to me struck me [...]