THE PHILIPPINES, boosted by its superb showing in the recent 23rd Southeast Asian Games, plans to prepare early for the Asian Games next year in Doha, Qatar.

AFTER cementing relations with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the ASEAN Summit meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, His Excellency, Roh Moo-hyun, President of the Republic of Korea, starts a two- day state visit to the Philippines today. The visit will have the South Korean President in a one-onone talk with President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries. The two Chief Executives will discuss the joint development of natural resources and infrastructure as well as human resources development in the Philippines. They will attend the signing ceremony for agreements on social security, tax exemptions, and tourism cooperation.

AFTER Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide Jr. retires on December 20, he will be succeeded by one of these three SC justices who have been recommended to President Arroyo by the Judicial and Bar Council — Associate Justices Artemio V. Panganiban, Reynato S. Puno, and Leonardo A. Quisumbing.

THAT there are always two sides to a question was proved yesterday with the news that senior military officers said that they uncovered another coup attempt while others said that it was just another rumor. However, the fact that the coup did not materialize, despite "suspicious" troop movements, does not prove there wasn’t an attempt nor that it was just a rumor either. In fact, despite the law of contradiction in logic ("P, not P,") both could be true and false. (A celebrated philosopher once said, "If P, why not Q?" but that doesn’t concern us here.)

TWO nights ago I attended a Christmas gift-giving of the Blessed Sacrament Marriage Encounter Community. There were the usual singing of Christmas carols and raffles, but no parlor games; the affair was held inside a chapel!

THE first AFP response to the Senate demand for it to name the person who ordered the Intelligence Service Armed Forces of the Philippines to produce the Garci tapes was that it has not looked into the matter and would continue to ignore it.

THE Chief Justice was the featured speaker in the concluding Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide Jr., Distinguished Lecture Series held yesterday at the SC Session Hall. Justice Davide talked on "The State of the Judiciary."

OLDER people may suffer a wide range of psychiatric difficulties in late life; those with concurrent physical illness are particularly vulnerable. Although these conditions tend to be underdetected and undertreated, their outcome with appropriate management is often excellent.

THE Philippine government’s proposed shift from the presidential system to a parliamentary one has created much debate especially among our lawmakers over whether it is indeed relevant and urgent for the country to change its system of government. At a time of political instability and economic downturn, it would perhaps be wise for the people to know the features of the plan.

A REVIEW of the late Sen-ate President Blas F. Ople’s life and works show that one can overcome poverty and still become a productive citizen of the country. The many high positions in government that he occupied and the many honorary degrees and innumerable laurels bestowed upon him are evidence that he was one Filipino citizen who served the country well.

ANALYZING the controversial "Garci" tapes as just a hobby does not make Jim Sarthou an expert or an accredited specialist in the field of voice identification, and much less make him a professional audio recording engineer. This man, Sarthou, might have been made himself perceived as an expert to the people concerned with those tapes. Fortunately, Environment Secretary Michael, who had endorsed him to reveal in a press conference the analysis he had made on those tapes, had changed his mind and stopped the conference from going through. Even then, Sarthou said he still continued analyzing the tapes as a hobby. But Defensor cut short the offered analysis by warning Congress that it was being taken for a ride by this man. It’s all right, why not, if the ride is to jail.

PRESIDENT Arroyo has prayed for an end to "rancor’’ that divides Filipinos.

(Sponsorship Speech on the Anti-Terrorism Bill delivered on November 29, 2005)

JOHN summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for another?" When the men came to Him, they said, "John the Baptist has sent us to You to ask, ‘Are You the One who is to come, or should we look for another?’ "At that time He cured many of their diseases, sufferings, and evil spirits; He also granted sight to many who were blind. And He said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at Me."