'Let them eat cake'

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo “Let them eat cake,” the famous callous remark attributed/misattributed to Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, went down in history and was used as an example of the powerful rich’s contempt for the poor hungry peasants clamoring for bread. “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” or something similar, historians say, could have been uttered by someone else long before Marie Antoinette’s time. Her...

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Assisi Dev't Foundation gives, not receives

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo The term “nongovernment organization” has been tarnished because corrupt individuals, in connivance with the corrupt in government, put up fly-by-night “NGOs” to which they channeled loot stolen from public coffers. Even the NGOs (nonprofit groups, foundations, etc.) with good track records are sometimes put under a cloud of suspicion simply because they are too eager to do their jobs and...

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To Robin Williams: 'Nanu nanu'

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo And so he’s gone. But not from our memories of laughter and sadness to which his movies moved us. Robin Williams, 63, ended his life two days ago and we are stunned by the suddenness of it all. No final goodbye notes or video (please, let there be) to soften the loss, to make us understand and see why he turned off the lights, closed the door behind him, and left the building without so...

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A garbage-free papal visit

Philippine Daily Inquirer/OPINION/by Ma. Ceres P. Doyo Last week, the announcement on Pope Francis’ coming to the Philippines in January made the headlines. I was not at the press conference at the Arzobispado when this was announced, so I was not able to ask the question I so wanted to be answered. It had nothing to do with doctrinal issues or Church matters crying out to be addressed. (Not that I had nothing lofty or profound in my question...

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