Diva Miriam

Editorial cartoon by VINCENT GO, VERA Files

As senator-judge Miriam Defensor-Santiago was concluding her public tirade on live television on Wednesday, a bishop watching the live proceedings at a café in Intramuros chuckled, "How entertaining."

Indeed, Santiago has been the diva of the afternoon TV and radio courtroom drama called the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, though her every appearance has been more suspense-thriller (which prosecution lawyer or witness will she attack today?), or stand-up comedy (what antics will she pull off this time?).

She was at it again on Wednesday, after the prosecution panel announced it was resting its case, and surrendering the time allotted to argue the five remaining articles of impeachment. Never in her years as a trial court judge had she seen anything like it, Santiago said, prosecutors changing their minds about the case and the evidence they had on hand.

She roared at them, calling them "arrogant but stupid," and told them

Dang Koe, president ermeritus of the Autism Society of the Philippines.

By Yolanda L. Punsalan, VERA Files

Photos by Mario Ignacio

Very soon, a special place for special people will rise somewhere in Batangas.

It will be the answer to the agony of parents with children with autism: who will take care of them when we are no longer around?

The Association for Adults with Autism, Philippines (AAAP) hopes to address this concern through its flagship project "A Special Place," the country's first residential community for adults with autism, launched at Filipinas Heritage Library last Feb. 20.

Autism is a neurological disorder that stunts a person's mental, social and behavioral growth.

In her article in the Philippine Star, AAAP President Dr. Lirio Sobrevinas-Covey said  autism is a complex behavioral syndrome that first manifests during early childhood, usually between the ages of one and four years old.

Dr. Lirio Sobrevinas-CoveyCovey is a  clinical psychologist, senior research scientist and professor at Columbia University, New York. Her  33-year-old son, Mikey, has lived in

Iwa Moto (L) and Jade Lopez (R) (Photos courtesy of GMA-7 and NPPA)

"Starstruck" finalists-turned-sexy actresses Iwa Moto and Jade Lopez -- both making a showbiz comeback -- were among Yahoo! Philippines' top trending search topics from February 13 to 19, 2012.

1. Iwa Moto. Several months after former "Starstruck" finalist Iwa Moto's much-publicized break-up with Mickey Ablan, the Filipino-Japanese actress is now back at work. She landed a part in TV5's afternoon series "Felina: Prinsesa ng mga Pusa" and is rumored to be the new girlfriend of Leandro Muñoz, who also is cast in the new show. Muñoz said he and Moto are still in the getting-to-know-you stage, though the two have been exchanging sweet messages on Twitter.

2. Liz Uy. The celebrity stylist recently celebrated her 30th birthday and signed a management contract with Viva for her endorsement deals and public appearances. However, when asked if she was ready to join the movie industry, she said she's "not so sure about show business." Uy, who dated President Noynoy Aquino shortly after he was

Cristino Naguiat

By Ellen Tordesillas

President Aquino immediately cleared his classmate and friend Cristino Naguiat Jr of allegations by Wynn Resorts that he was the recipient of of the generosity of his former friend and partner Kazuo Okada.

Of course, Aquino later asked Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. to investigate allegations of breathtaking gifts showered by Okada, whose Universal Entertainment Corp is building a casino at the reclaimed Manila Bay area, to Naguiat whom Aquino has appointed chairman ang chief operating officer of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

PAGCOR regulates and operates casinos in the country.

Malacanang has brushed aside the impropriety of the perks that Naguiat, members of his family including their nanny and other Pagcor officials got from Wynn Resorts in one of their visits to Macau (free accommodation in Wynn Resorts luxury suite, $1,673 dinner, $20,000 cash gifts, $1,878I Chanel bag which Naguiat returned) saying that's "industry practice."

In

Gone fishing

Editorial cartoon by VINCENT GO, VERA Files

THE prosecution panel in the impeachment case against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona seems to have scored points in the court of public opinion, but is failing to impress the impeachment court which will decide Corona's fate.

Week 5 was a case in point. Prosecution lawyers called Philippine Airlines vice president Enrique Javier as a witness for Article 3, which accuses Corona of lacking the competence, integrity, probity and independence to sit in the High Tribunal.

Javier was to testify, prosecution lawyers said, that Corona and his wife Cristina were recidivist PAL freeloaders—repeatedly availing themselves of free first class tickets—despite PAL being a respondent in a case filed by the Flight Attendants' and Stewards' Association of the Philippines (FASAP) before the High Tribunal.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, presiding officer of the impeachment court, would not hear of it, rejected Javier and told the prosecutors

By Booma Cruz, VERA Files

IN the last 26 years, Filipinos troop to EDSA to celebrate and commemorate a brief shinning moment in the nation's history that led to the dismantling of the Marcos dictatorship on Feb. 25, 1986.

The 31-kilometer, 10-lane stretch, the birthplace of people power, has since been most identified with the Filipino. It has in fact become the Filipino.

"It's a microcosm. Ito po ay nagpapakita ng kagandahan at minsan naman po yung hindi kagandahang aspeto ng ng ating lipunan (It shows the good and sometimes not so good aspect of our society)," said Francis Tolentino, chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority, the agency in charge of clearing the traffic jams that have characterized EDSA today.

"Yung walang disiplina kita natin yan sa pagmamaneho. Subalit sa kabila makikita natin yung mga kababayan natin nagsusumikap—yung ating mga sidewalk vendors sa Cubao, nakikita nyo po yung mga galing ng lalawigan na bumababa sa mga bus terminals natin naghahanap ng

Jeremy Lin (Reuters Photo)

It was a week of the highest highs and the lowest lows as NBA player Jeremy Lin galvanized all by being an unlikely sports hero and the sudden death of pop diva Whitney Houston sent shockwaves throughout the world. Theater legend Lea Salonga, Queen of Pop Madonna, and football superstar David Beckham were three other celebs that were among the top trending searches on Yahoo! Philippines from February 6 to 12, 2012.

1. Jeremy Lin. "Linsanity" hit Filipino netizens as Taiwanese-American Jeremy Lin, currently the hottest athlete in the United States, tops this week's list of trending search topics on Yahoo! Philippines. On Feb. 10, the 23-year-old New York Knicks point guard outscored Kobe Bryant with 38 points and led the Knicks to a 92-85 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers. What makes his triumph even more jaw-dropping was the fact that last December, the Golden State Warriors, Lin's hometown team, passed on the 6-foot 3-inch Harvard graduate. The Houston Rockets then claimed him,

As we  celebrate  the 26^th anniversary of  EDSA One, the Filipinos' show of  People Power, I look at Senate  President Juan Ponce-Enrile and can't help but be amazed by how he has participated in the different phases of   the Filipino nation's  political life, including one of  its darkest,  and  be regarded  with respect and a source of wisdom and stability.

Sitting as the presiding judge in the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, Enrile's competent handling of  one of the biggest legal events in the country  assures the public that whatever  the decision of the senator-judges,  whether Corona would be acquitted or convicted, Philippine democracy would be enriched.

Enrile was very much part of the two-decade Marcos regime in various capacities in the department of justice,finance, and defense.

As defense minister, he was an enforcer of martial law declared on Sept. 21, 1972, that saw the arrest of  thousands of Marcos political enemies including members of