2023 was the hottest year on record. The report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) placed into hard facts and figures what the world had already been witnessing. Again, we are reminded of what we are facing with climate change. “Climate change intensified heatwaves, droughts and...
Indonesia has long been the Philippines’ steadfast ally and neighbor. The two countries were co-founders – along with Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand – of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1965 that was preceded in 1963 by the formation of Maphilindo, a tripartite...
Early last month, the announcement of the decline of the Philippines’ ranking in the 2022 Program for International Students Assessment (PISA) elicited spirited discussion. From 340 in 2018, the country's 15-year-old learners scored 347 in 2022 for Reading Literacy. For Mathematical Literacy, the...
After a three-year pause brought on by the pandemic, the Black Nazarene procession will take place anew today. Traslacion, or movement, marks the transfer of the image of the Nazarene from the church in Intramuros to Quiapo Church on January 9, 1787. It also commemorates Christ’s torturous walk...
Paying amilyar, or real property tax, that is due on the first day of January each year, is a task performed by Filipino homeowners as a matter of civic duty. Amilyar is imposed on property owners by the local government unit (LGU) where such property is located. It is a colloquial Filipino term...
Today, the first Sunday after January 1, is celebrated as the Feast of the Three Kings. In the church calendar, it is also known as the Feast of the Epiphany, which reference materials say is “celebrated on January 6 each year, though it’s often observed on “Epiphany Sunday” – the Sunday...
Illegal drugs continue to be a menace to society, breaking up families, destroying the future of the users, and causing harm to the community. The fight to eradicate the problem has been an ongoing program from one administration to the next, and countries have cooperated to destroy the...
“Crime never sleeps,” so goes a proverb that should remind casual users of social media of the possibility that they could be victims of cybercrime. Despite the laws and the technology to prevent its incidence, cybercriminals still manage to develop ways to hack social media accounts. The...
After a series of dazzling New Year fireworks displays amazed millions of cable television viewers worldwide, news of a magnitude 7.6 earthquake on the western seaboard of Japan, some 190 miles from Tokyo, brought people back to the reality that natural disasters are integral to human existence. An...
On top of every Filipino traveler’s wish list for the New Year is to depart from and arrive at a hassle-free and comfortable Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). According to the Department of Transportation (DOTr), four groups of companies submitted last week bids for its modernization and...
The transition from 1999 to 2000 was most memorable as it marked the start of a new millennium. For those who are now old enough to remember, it was a much-anticipated New Year’s Eve. Humanity sighed with relief as it passed without incident — despite the hype created by the so-called Y2K or...
If we were to encapsulate the year 2023 using a pop culture reference, it would be considered a year of breakups — long-standing relationships among popular celebrity couples came to an end. These splits not only shook the entertainment industry but also resonated in our society, prompting...
