THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Dr. Jun Ynares Several weeks ago, top officials of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) visited the Capitol of Rizal Province. The occasion was a momentous one: DICT and the Rizal provincial government inaugurated a free Wi-Fi service for the...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Dr. Jun Ynares The ongoing process of selecting the next president of the University of the Philippines has caught the attention of many. There have been observations that the process seems to taking place in full public view, with the six nominees who passed the initial...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Dr. Jun Ynares We congratulate the Department of Education (DepEd) and its leadership, as well as the administrators and faculty of both public and private schools. Congratulations are in order because, finally, in most of the country, our schools are back to in-person,...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Dr. Jun Ynares Most schools will begin their face-to-face classes next week. As our children head back to the classroom, this may be a good time to reflect once again on the question, “what is the purpose of education?” Simply put, why do Filipinos send their children to...
THE VIEWS FROM RIZAL Dr. Jun Ynares Public opinion has been divided over the President’s announcement in his first State of the Nation Address (SONA) that he wants a mandatory military training for senior high school students. He included the proposed initiative among the priority items in his...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Dr. Jun Ynares “If you ever leave me, I’ll die.” No, that was not a quote from a letter from one whose lover left and who now threatens to take his or her own life. Those words are the last line of a song which made it in the top 100 hits of 1968 and popularized by...
OFW FORUM Jun Concepcion In spite of the massive financial contribution of overseas Filipinos to the country’s economy, this incontrovertible fact is seldom acknowledged in major speeches. The magnitude of their contribution is amply shown in key statistics in 2021. Their total US$31.4 billion...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Dr. Jun Ynares We join our fellow Rizaleños and Antipoleños in greeting Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo, the leadership and the members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) as it marks its 108th anniversary today. On this occasion, we reflect on the valuable role and contribution...
OFW FORUM Jun Concepcion More often than not, overseas Filipinos are in a much better position than their local counterparts to acquire their dream house while earning double or even quadruple what they used to earn back home. Remy M., 45, a single mother of three, and who now works as a domestic...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Dr. Jun Ynares “Do you think they have what it takes to succeed?” That was the question my wife, Andeng asked me recently. We were watching the replay of the livestreaming of a university graduation ceremony, and she had earlier been admiring “the wonderful look of hope...
OFW FORUM Jun Concepcion Newly-appointed Labor Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma said all the right things during an early morning interview with DZRH anchor Deo Macalma on July 11. Inclusivity in OFW deployment, dialogues with different labor and labor recruitment groups, support for the government...
OFW FORUM Jun Concepcion Which government agency offers the most substantial and helpful livelihood assistance to OFWs or overseas Filipinos?Is it OWWA’s stand-alone “Balik Pinas Balik Hanapbuhay” program that provides a maximum ₱20,000 as start up or additional capital for a livelihood...