Former Senate President Manny Villar
Fresh start
December 31, 2024 4:28 pm
Why do we celebrate the new year? Why do we go through all the trouble of going back home to the provinces or gathering everyone around the dinner table before the clock strikes midnight? There is a psychological importance to bidding goodbye to the old year and to welcoming a new year. A new year signifies hope and a new beginning. It is as if the turning of the new calendar can erase everything unsavory about the previous year and giving everyone a clean slate for the incoming year. A fresh start to life.
The joys of Christmas past (Part 2)
December 24, 2024 4:13 pm
One of my staff asked me recently: “Sir, what was your Christmas like when you were growing up 25 in Tondo?” I do not know why but my memory immediately took me back to Mary Johnston. Mary Johnston Hospital (MJH), run by the United Methodist Church, is a health care provider that has been in existence since 1906. In its 118 year history, MJH has been tending to the health needs of the people of Tondo. But it is not their glorious history nor their commendable public service that came to mind, it was one of the Christmas parties they organized on behalf of a benefactor for the underprivileged kids of Tondo that I remember the most.
The joys of Christmas past
December 17, 2024 5:08 pm
You hear a lot of people say that Christmas is only for children. Christmas is indeed for children. First, the season is about the birth of child Jesus, our Lord. Second, it is simply wonderful to see the pure and unadulterated happiness in the eyes of children whenever they open gifts or see Santa Claus.
The dawn of an empire
December 10, 2024 4:20 pm
The American industrialist Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” We cannot stop learning once we step out of the university or once we reach a certain age. And it is not just about learning something new. Sometimes you think you understood something all your life then later on you discover a new way of thinking about it.
Sense of humor
November 26, 2024 4:11 pm
Filipinos are world famous for the longest celebration of the Christmas season. We usher in the holidays beginning with the so-called “Ber” months. And so on Sept. 1 when the clock strikes 12:01, Filipinos, who are also world famous for their fun-loving character as well as their presence on social media begin creating and sharing what has become the symbol of the start of the season: Jose Mari Chan.