Bob Tacto's columns

  There was a time when boycotting a company meant taking a moral stand against a specific atrocity—unsafe working conditions, environmental destruction, or funding a brutal regime. Today, the call to boycott Amazon is different. It isn't about one scandal; it’s about the fact that Amazon has decided to swallow American democracy whole, digest the remnants of a free press, and spit out a "reality" show that is nothing more than a White House infomercial. This time, the catalyst is the grotesque plan to reboot The Apprentice with Donald Trump Jr. as its host. But this isn't just bad television—it is a flashing neon sign that Jeff Bezos has fully transformed his trillion-dollar empire into a patronage machine for the Trump family, obliterating any ethical boundaries between the White House, the media, and Silicon Valley. It’s time to cancel your Prime subscription. Here’s why. 1. The Art of the Quid Pro Quo A good place to start is the math, because it suggests that Ama...

  Last week, the Philippine Senate—the nation’s bastion of democratic deliberation—descended into a theater of armed chaos. Gunfire echoed through its halls. Security forces clashed. And a fugitive senator wanted for crimes against humanity slipped away in the dead of night, allegedly with the help of his colleagues. The events of May 11-15, 2026, were not merely a political embarrassment. They were an insurrection orchestrated to obstruct justice. To allow the escape of Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa—the self-confessed top enforcer of Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war—Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano and Senator Robin Padilla actively subverted the rule of law. For their roles in this conspiracy, all three must be impeached. **The Crime: Obstructing Justice on an International Scale** Let us recall the facts. The International Criminal Court (ICC) unsealed a valid warrant for Dela Rosa’s arrest on charges of crimes against humanity. The Philippine government, under President Ferdina...

  The image of a Philippine Senate Sergeant-at-Arms firing a gun without a clear target, while journalists and NBI agents scatter for cover, is not a scene from a dystopian film. It is the reality of May 13, 2026, as confirmed by CCTV footage presented by the Philippine National Police. This shocking incident—in which suspended Sergeant-at-Arms Mao Aplasca fired his weapon during a confrontation with NBI agents who never set foot on Senate grounds—represents a catastrophic failure of leadership. Yet, in the ensuing days, Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano repeatedly insisted the Senate was “under attack,” a claim flatly contradicted by evidence. While the situation does not mirror the organized insurrection of the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6th, it does demand a comparable remedy: a special, independent investigative committee in the House of Representatives, modeled on the House Select Committee that investigated the Capitol riot. The U.S. committee was established not becau...

  The moral dilemma of a real-life Dexter Morgan Elected as President and had run a city as a mayor? Tick. Kill bad guys in his spare time? Tick Claim you’re doing a good deed for society? Tick. I’m not referring to the character Dexter from the successful television series of the same name. I’m talking about a real man by the name of Rodrigo Duterte. Let me get the differences out of the way: Rodrigo Duterte killed thousands of people he claimed to be criminals via sending police to kill the accused according to the International Criminal Court allegations. Dexter killed approximately 135 people according to the undisputed reliability of an Internet discussion forum. Duterte killed rapists, murderers, terrorists, drug dealers, pedophiles, psychopaths, political opponents , police officers and politicians accused of corruption who he later argued were bad for society. Dexter killed drug dealers, murderers, rapists, paedophiles, psychopaths, serial killers, police officers, his brot...

  Growing up, I was taught that DDS stands for Doctor of Dental Surgery – a respected and globally recognized degree in dentistry. It’s a title that signifies years of hard work, dedication, and a commitment to improving dental health. However, recently, this esteemed acronym has been tainted by the political antics of the Duterte family in the Philippines. If you see DDS on your Social Media Feeds especially in neighborhoods around the state with significant Filipino populations and it has nothing to do with dentistry then thats what you have to face as in being used to meddle into another country's political issues. The Duterte family, including current Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte and Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, have co-opted DDS to represent Duterte Die-hard Supporters and Davao Death Squad, a move that stands in stark contrast to the moral and ethical values associated with the field of dentistry. This misuse not only dilutes the meaning of DDS but a...

  With the potential merger between Nexstar and Tegna, a significant risk looms over the media landscape - the concentration of media power and the closure of local newsrooms. This is more than just a corporate transaction; it's an alarming step towards silencing diverse voices across California and the nation. As someone deeply concerned about the integrity of journalism and fair representation, I urge you to take action. Newsrooms serve as the heartbeat of our communities, providing essential, unbiased news coverage. Should this merger proceed, many of these newsrooms may be forced to close, restricting access to local news and diminishing community representation. This threatens to turn media into a narrow echo chamber where only a handful of voices are amplified. In line with protecting diversity in journalism, California's Attorney General has joined forces with other states to challenge this merger. Yet they need our support. By cancelling your cable subscription connecte...

  We’ve been trained to think of presidential election years as the main event. The banners are bigger. The turnout swells. The stakes feel existential. Midterms, by contrast, are the political equivalent of a preseason game – lower energy, lower turnout, and a nagging sense that the “real” decision can wait two more years. But here’s what the donors know that you don’t: **Midterms are where your power is actually stolen, one low-turnout election at a time.** Look no further than California’s 2026 governor’s race. According to a recent CalMatters analysis, outside groups – corporations, billionaires and special-interest PACs – have already spent **$79 million** on this contest. That’s more than double the amount spent through the entire 2018 general election when Gavin Newsom won his first term. Who is writing those checks? Chevron. PG&E. Meta. Airbnb. The state Realtors association. The California Chamber of Commerce. These aren’t civic boosters. They are interests with billio...