OF TREES AND FOREST One time when I was having my coffee at one of the branches of Dear Joe, I observed a couple just sitting there enjoying their coffee while flipping through their iPads presumably reading an e-book. That imagery made me realize how times have changed. It has also made me...
FINDING ANSWERS The Children’s First One Thousand Days Coalition (CFDC) has gotten significant support in its mission to tackle malnutrition during the critical period in a child’s life—from conception to age two. No less than First Lady Marie Louise “Liza” Araneta Marcos led the June 15...
PEACE-MAKER Last June 20, our hometown Dagupan City marked its 77th founding anniversary, a milestone that invites both celebration and reflection. Dagupan has faced, and overcome, tremendous challenges, emerging each time with a renewed sense of resilience and community spirit. We were 10...
FINDING ANSWER At the Senate youth and sports committee that I chaired when I was senator in the late 1980s and early '90s, some of us hoped that an NBA team would eventually emerge the ultimate winner after being down 0-3 in the Finals. At that time, only around 40 teams found out that a...
PEACE-MAKER As the whole world pays tribute to all fathers, we wish to reprint our Father’s Day columns dated June 11, 2023 and May 19, 2022 as our modest homage to our beloved father, the late Jose Ravago de Venecia Sr.: After World War II, our father served as Judge at Large for the entire...
Sen. Robinhood Padilla said on Friday, June 14, that he wants the Senate to investigate the Philippine National Police's operation on the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) premises in Davao City last June 10. He raised the issue of the alleged "unnecessary and excessive force" used by PNP members...
OF TREES AND FOREST Happy 126th Independence Day to all Filipinos! Whether you are here in the country or you are one of the millions of Filipinos working abroad, let us recommit ourselves to the vision of great Filipinos — Andres Bonifacio, Jose Rizal, Apolinario Mabini, et al — to build a...
FINDING ANSWERS At last week’s Kapihan sa Manila Prince Hotel news forum, discussion focused on divorce and it became clearer why the dissolution of the permanent bond of marriage must not be legalized in the Philippines. Retired Supreme Court Justice Adolfo Azcuna said that House Bill 9349,...
PEACE-MAKER The Thai parliament hosted last week in Bangkok the second meeting of the ICAPP Business Council, an affiliate group under the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP). The ICAPP Business Council was established to promote and facilitate potential business...
BETTER DAYS For many people in countries like the Philippines where a judge decides a court case, getting to know how a jury goes about its work and reaches its conclusion can be fascinating. Although just like that of a judge, the verdict of a jury can save lives or destroy the future of the...
PEACE-MAKER We were elected congressman of Pangasinan for the first time in 1969, at the age of 32, after serving as presidential assistant and economic minister and press counselor at the Philippine Embassy in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh) from 1966 to 1969. Among our colleagues in the Seventh...
OF TREES AND FOREST The recent political rigodón in the Senate brought back memories from my time as a legislator. As my readers probably know, beginning 1992 I was a member of the House of Representatives, later on becoming its speaker. I was also fortunate to have been given the mandate...
