ENDEAVOR After all these years, it’s only while writing this column last week that I came upon an interesting discovery. Ceferino Paz Arroyo, Jr. is the real name of the late former Senator Joker Arroyo whom I admired greatly as one of the non-traditional politicians to have emerged...
ENDEAVOR At an early age, I became aware of Shoemart Carriedo or SM. On my birthday, my mother would bring me to Quiapo church to hear mass, after which we walked over to the Brown photo studio on Dasmariñas street for my solo portrait. Then we would go to SM Carriedo, one of the first...
ENDEAVOR For more than a week last month, Filipinos savored with pride the brilliant performance of 19-year-old Alex Eala on the tennis courts of Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Entering the World Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 event with a world ranking of no. 140 among women...
ENDEAVOR The recent arrest and extradition of former President Rodrigo Duterte to face trial for alleged crimes against humanity has reignited deep divisions in Philippine society. Some view this as a long-overdue act of justice, while others see it as politically motivated. As a Rotarian...
ENDEAVOR It was at the UP College of Mass Communication where I first met Patricia Evangelista, circa 2015, while I was serving as Communications Secretary. She was the first to ask a question during an open forum that followed a talk that I just delivered. Eight years later, I got hold of her...
ENDEAVOR Growing up in Barangay Pio del Pilar, Makati, I played with fellow youngsters who went to the Don Bosco campus on Pasong Tamo (now Chino Roces avenue) and Pasay Road (now Arnaiz street) on weekends to play football and basketball and attend catechism classes. They brought home with them...
ENDEAVOR On Tuesday, February 25, I received sad news about the passing of an esteemed friend, Alberto ‘Bert’ Lina. I had known Bert for many years and worked closely with him when we both served with President Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino. He was a jolly good fellow, always smiling, and ready...
ENDEAVOR Plato and Beethoven verbalized the power of music. “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything,” according to Plato. Beethoven said: “Music is the divine messenger between heaven and the human.” Two songs...
ENDEAVOR Changes in a President’s Cabinet create not just ripples but waves of concern and uncertainty. Yet, serving in the Cabinet provides a fulcrum for learning about governance and statecraft from a strategic vantage point of physical proximity to the President while seeing him in his office,...
ENDEAVOR The recent statement by MMDA Chairman Romando Artes that the EDSA Busway dedicated lane will be phased out once the MRT-3 expands its capacity is deeply concerning. It runs counter to the position of Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, who has supported the privatization of the...
ENDEAVOR Eight years and five months — or exactly 3,077 days — have passed since I first walked into the Manila Bulletin offices as its Executive Vice President. It was Sept. 1, 2016, and I was stepping into a new role after six years as Communications Secretary to President Benigno S....
ENDEAVOR From 2011 to 2016, the Department of Health (DOH) grappled with the complexities of dengue fever, which has long plagued tropical countries like ours. Under the stewardship of Secretaries Enrique Ona and Janette Garin, the government implemented both preventive and curative measures, yet...
