FIRING LINE

FIRING LINE: Is public order now optional?  By Robert B. Roque Jr. l April 14, 2026 There is nothing novel about enforcing order in the streets. What is new these days is the renewed posturing by this government that it holds the moral ascendancy and political will to get the job of peace and order…

FIRING LINE: When crops rot, government stinks By Robert B. Roque Jr. l April 9, 2026 I’ve read with bitter contempt how farmers are affected by this crisis — and the anger sits heavy because the facts are as plain as they are unforgiving. In Benguet, a Reuters story carried by an online news organization…

FIRING LINE: We can’t afford fuel or panic By Robert B. Roque Jr. l April 7, 2026 Inevitably, and by all indications, fuel prices will rise again. If it has not already, since today is Tuesday. Let’s take liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), for example, which is more of a fuel of necessity for most Filipino households….

FIRING LINE: Lenten look at Bilibid  By Robert B. Roque Jr.  l April 2, 2026 As most Filipinos go about their Catholic traditions this Lenten Season, anchored on reflection and repentance, I believe many sinners are converted. Today, Maundy Thursday, the reflection is on how Jesus washes the feet of the apostles — an act…

FIRING LINE FOR: Straining the elderly on RPT By Robert B. Roque Jr.  l March 31, 2026 It’s tax payment season again — and what troubles me now, that did not before, is how a simple assessment can quietly turn into a long-term threat to one’s home. The numbers on paper look routine enough. But…

FIRING LINE: If only cops could be everywhere By Robert B. Roque Jr.  l March 26, 2026 Not six kilometers away from my neighborhood, a troubling incident had me thinking about the safety of young students. On March 23, 15-year-old Isabelle Sophia Tablate was found dead inside a factory in Barangay Santolan, Pasig City. Days…