The year 2015 ends at midnight tonight with the usual exuberance that marks the passing of one year and the coming of a new one. Whatever difficulties were encountered in the old year, the new year offers hope for a new beginning. This is reflected in the results of a survey conducted by Pulse Asia early this month, in which 89 percent of the respondents said they were facing the new year with hope. It was same overwhelming sentiment all over the Philippines – from Metro Manila to the rest of Luzon to the Visayas and Mindanao. If there is any part of the country where people might have reason to keep their hopes down, it is Mindanao. It was in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, last January where 44 special Action Force commandos of the Philippine National Police were killed in fighting with armed groups while on a mission to get a [...]
