OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar As we enter a new year, the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. endeavored to write a new chapter in Philippine-China relations. In his speech before embarking on a historic trip to Beijing, President Marcos laid out the...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar It’s a brand new year and I feel very optimistic about the direction of our country. The first six months of the new government has shown that our new President is serious about implementing a plan to sustain our economic recovery. On a...
OF FORESTS AND TREES Former Senate President Manny Villar I want to wish my readers and the entire Filipino nation a happy and healthy Christmas! We deserve to celebrate a very merry holiday season after more than two years of lockdown resulting in muted celebrations of a feast, we are famous for....
Editorial This year’s major climate summit may have concluded when world leaders and environment advocates departed Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt with a “call for action.” But that 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of Parties (more commonly referred to as COP27) is just...
OF TREES AND FORESTS Former Senate President Manny Villar A phenomenon amplified by the pandemic is the so-called great resignation. It refers to the extraordinary number of employees quitting their jobs starting 2021. While primarily driven by the pandemic, experts noted that its roots can be...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar It was an aspiration that started blossoming in 2011. We held the 1st OFW and Family Summit on Nov. 24 with the theme “Kabuhayan Para sa Kinabukasan” which encapsulated our vision for Filipinos working abroad — that they acquire the...
LARACHE, Morocco -- Hundreds of Moroccan firefighters and soldiers battled Thursday to put out at least four infernos ripping through forests in the north of the kingdom, officials said. Firefighters stand by small fires in a village near a wild forest fire in Morocco's northern region of Ksar...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar The assassination of Shinzo Abe, Japan’s former Prime Minister, was a shock to all of us. His death was horrific not only because of its suddenness and the fact that it was caught on video but also because Abe was a dear friend to the...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar On a gloomy day, noon of June 30, 2022, Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. became president of the Republic of the Philippines. In simple but refined ceremonies, Bongbong Marcos took his oath of office before Supreme Court Chief Justice Alexander...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar The Philippine Vice President has traditionally been viewed as a mere backup, a spare tire, to the President. Unlike in the United States where the VP serves as the president of the Senate and presides over the Senate's daily proceedings, the...
Former Senate President Manny Villar OF TREES AND FOREST Today, June 15, is the birthday of my friend, the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago. She would have been 77 years old and I imagine still as feisty and loving as I remember her. In my mind, Miriam occupies a place in the pantheon of great...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar By the time this column comes out, it would have been two days after our people have made their choice and cast their ballots. I am not sure if the winner has been clearly established by now but it seems the perfect opportunity to change from...