OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo This may not exactly be the best time to be attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) being held in Davos, Switzerland this week of Jan. 16-20. The Philippines is embroiled in serious domestic problems too many to cite. To be sure, the President will talk...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo It was something that did not happen in the Philippines after the May 2022 presidential election. Despite the incredible results, those who lost their bids in the election either conceded or decided to wait for the official results, but no one parroted...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo Putting up the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) cannot save us from the more urgent economic and social problems we face this year. For instance, no government can prevent shear line-induced heavy rainfall that caused flash floods and landslides in Mindanao...
REFLECTIONS TODAY John the Baptist is a character we often hear about during Advent. John’s message challenges us to put right what has gone wrong in our relationships. Today’s Gospel narrates the announcement of the birth of John. The angel Gabriel tells Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will...
Editorial “Let's have a more humble Christmas, with more humble gifts,” Pope Francis said in his weekly general audience at the Vatican. The Pope’s message “to lower the level of Christmas spending” is a plea for help to the people of Ukraine who will be spending winter nearly 10 months...
The parol, or Christmas lantern, shines brighter today as a symbol of faith and hope. After two Christmases of restricted movement due to the pandemic, people are carefully feeling their way back to normal socialization, businesses are open, and the commercial centers are alive with the spirit of...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo Nobody can accuse the Philippines for lack of strategic economic ideas on how to overturn what many believe to be an inexorably uncertain future for this nation of 112 million Filipinos. This is true not only today but also during the previous political...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo Seven years ago, in October 2015, the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) published a study entitled “Demographic sweet spot and dividend in the Philippines: The window of opportunity is...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo It was necessary for the President to have met his economic managers last Oct. 18 and discussed inflation, exchange rate and interest rates. Our people should be reassured that today’s critical situation has the attention of those in the highest places....
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo Hearing those tales of some Mangyan servants of God was more than heartbreaking. Their children had to trek for three hours each way to reach school to get some learning. Instead of entering school at seven years of age, they would wait until around 10...
Diwa C. Guinigundo OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Nothing was trivial for FVR, for at the time he was gunning for the presidency, every little support meant the world for him. There was no mistaking that FVR seemed to hold no chance at all. The New York Times reported on Dec. 1, 1991 that Laban ng...
Over the years, the Brigada Eskwela is a tradition that kicks off a new academic year, highlighted by “bayanihan” where community members help in cleaning up classrooms and school premises to make them ready for the students. Sometimes, there are minor to medium repairs and maintenance work...
