THERE is a new word war being prominently carried out on social media. It is between Duterte-aligned Sen. Rodante Marcoleta and retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, one of those who brought the Philippine claim on the West Philippine Sea to the International Arbitration Committee.
Marcoleta belittled Carpio’s argument on our territorial claim of the WPS because, according to him, the Philippines could not present clear boundaries.
Carpio hit back by saying that the Philippines has established clearly the boundaries of the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), even as China’s own claim using the 10-Line literally encompasses all of the South China Sea as part of its territory.
This Carpio-Marcoleta word skirmish is likely to establish who toes the China line or those who subscribe to the legitimacy of the Philippine claim of the area covered by the WPS.
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On Feb. 14, 2026, Valentine’s Day, Fr. Pepe Returta, Parish Priest of Calinan, will be holding mass solely dedicated to married couples, whether they are in their first up to their 75th or over of their married life.
In his announcement after a mass he celebrated in a chapel in our barangay, Ft. Pepe said that the Valentine’s Day mass, which will be held at 6 in the morning of February 14, will be an opportunity for couples to renew their marriage vows
This, the good priest added, will remind the couples of the vows they made to each other during their wedding and thus strengthen their commitment to fulfill their shared promises.
We and the Mrs. are nearing our golden anniversary as man and wife, and this is the first time that a priest takes the initiative to celebrate a mass that will be a common venue for renewal of the marriage vows of couples.
Clearly, this initiative by Fr. Pepe Returta is a welcome development in the Church. We can only hope that, as the Calinan Parish Priest has promised, this will be a continuing program for the Church. But will this church program gain the support of the Catholic Church leadership in the Archdiocese of Davao? Will it be emulated or replicated in other dioceses?
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The series of arrests of illegal drug traders and the confiscation of millions worth of drugs, the total value of which reaches P5.3 million, only indicates that there is no lull in the entry of dangerous substances in Davao City.
Yes, it may look like a major positive accomplishment of the Davao City Police and other law enforcers because the apprehension and arrests made could mean a substantial diminishing of potential victims of illegal drugs.
On the other hand, however, it could also mean that despite the successes in the law enforcers’ drive against illegal drugs, those who are into the drug trafficking believe Davao City is still a safe location for the perpetration of their trade.
The likelihood is that what they might have succeeded in bringing and disposing of their illegal merchandise in Davao City is far bigger in value than those that have been apprehended by the law enforcers.
Therefore, the illegal drug merchants would rather lose that much of their article of commerce but manage to gain a lot more of the illegal drugs that they succeeded in bringing to the lucrative market that is Davao City and nearby municipalities.
Of course, the various law enforcement groups may have a different narrative as far as the illegal drug trade in the city is concerned.
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On Feb. 4, 2026, the House Committee on Justice will again convene and will scrutinize the two impeachment complaints against President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. to find out whether these are sufficient in substance. The other day, the same House body found the impeach raps sufficient in form.
In our column yesterday, we contended that boldly announcing to the public that the impeachment charges were sufficient in form was merely giving the complainants “false” hope that the cases would be deliberated by the House plenary and finally endorsed to the Senate for trial.
Whether or not we are correct in our contention, we will know after the Justice Committee has completed its scrutiny of the impeachment documents.
“Let us to see,” according to Davaoeño maverick late Senator Landring Almendras.
