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...
After surveying the damage in Abra due to a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that occurred last July 27, President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. issued a four-point directive to concerned government agencies: first, provide immediate needs of food, shelter and water; second, expedite the clearing of roads and...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo We thought after the BSP delivered a decisive monetary action last Thursday, many market uncertainties would have died down. On the lighter side, as one broadsheet described the move as “surprised,”the BSP appeared to have done a patellar reflex, or an...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo Two weeks ago, we wrote a cautionary tale about Sri Lanka. It was showing an economic meltdown, with grassroots reality of struggling in endless queues for food, fuel and medicine, with rolling blackouts. Power is also in short supply. It was the...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo Two days ago, the Philippine Statistics Authority announced that inflation further escalated to 6.1 percent for June 2022. This was the fourth consecutive month of inflationary trend after peaking last year at 4.4 percent in August 2022. There is nothing...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo It’s difficult not to discern the similarities. But the impact of the crisis in Sri Lanka on the people’s lives is many times more severe even school examinations were called off. Their pupils had no pad paper to write on. People struggle with fuel,...
The camp of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. made a low-key announcement over the weekend about an incoming official of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). Felicito Valmocina (Facebook) A statement from Press Secretary-designate Trixie Cruz-Angeles, which quoted...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo It is good to remain watchful of the impact of sustained increases in oil prices on output and inflation following the Ukraine-Russia war and whatever is left of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC’s leverage in oil pricing...
WORD ALIVE FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD Once an archbishop was discussing Christianity with a learned Japanese writer. The writer told the archbishop, "I can understand God the Father and God the Son, but I can never understand the significance of the ‘Honorable Bird’ (Holy Spirit)." * * * Today is...
OF SUBSTANCE AND SPIRIT Diwa C. Guinigundo W hen Congress finally proclaims the winning candidate for president, as the indelible ink vanishes from our point finger, the so-called transition period from the Duterte administration will then begin. The Comelec partial and unofficial tally shows a big...
ENDEAVOR Sonny Coloma On Monday, May 9, Filipinos will elect a new President and other national and local leaders. The election of a new President is a watershed event in the life of a nation. In 1986, the snap election called by Ferdinand Marcos – widely perceived as a gambit to fortify his grip...