Editorial Today, Feb. 14, is Valentine’s Day, a special day for couples all over the world. Its origin can be traced back to a Roman festival for fertility, and the day was named after a saint, reportedly Saint Valentine’s who was martyred in February of 270 AD. Historians have said that this origin story was sketchy and there were other more reliable sources; the world, however, didn’t mind and continued to celebrate Feb. 14 as a day of hearts. Through the years, Feb. 14 has become a commercial event filled with events such as concerts, promos from restaurants, and special packages from hotels. Last year’s Valentine’s was a “solemn” event celebrated at home due to the pandemic; this year would be much more different as more businesses are open, a welcome development considering that a lot of them suffered from the strict lockdowns. Today, they need some room to recover in order to prepare and thrive in a post-pandemic economy. Valentine’s brings with it not only a message of love between couples, married or otherwise. It also brings to fore the need of love for fellowmen. After this month, March 2022 will mark two years since the government imposed its strict enhanced community quarantine due to the spread of COVID-19 in highly urbanized spots in the metro. Looking back, what made all of us survive is love—love for fellowmen, friends, and co-workers; love for our grandparents, parents, and families. We also have shown love for our community, for our neighbors, for the less fortunate. Love made our humanity survive as we donated food to frontliners, supported endeavors such as the community pantry, and cared for one another to uplift spirits. We have shown love in direst of circumstances, even donating our meager resources for victims of typhoons and other natural calamities. It is in this spirit of love that we all wish that the world feels love right now. On the international front, tensions are rising at the border of Ukraine and Russia, raising fears of war that would affect so many nations and may risk the lives of thousands. The solution for this is the opposite of war, which is peace. And peace, as we all know, is a manifestation of love for one another. In our local shores—yes, we need love, too! Even before the official start of the campaign season, tensions among political candidates and their followers have reached alarming levels, with each one throwing accusations, even invented or vulgar gossip, at one another. There are still 85 days more to go before election day, so does this mean 85 more days of this kind of campaign? The solution for this is respect. And respect, as we should all know, is a manifestation of love for our fellowmen. With all that’s happening in the world right now, do we really need hate, divisiveness, and animosity? What we need is love, only sweet love, as per the lyrics of the song from prominent songwriters Burt Bacharach and the late Hal David. They wrote, “Lord, we don’t need another mountain. There are mountains and hillsides enough to climb. There are oceans and rivers enough to cross. Enough to last 'til the end of time.  What the world needs now is love, sweet love." May love conquer hate. May love reign in our hearts. And may love endure each day of our lifetime.