Construct more water impounding facilities. This was the marching order of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. given twice in succession this month — the first was on July 13, 2024, days ahead of the flooding that swamped Metro Manila and neighboring provinces; and the second on July 27,...
Beyond expediting the release of funds and imposing a price freeze on basic goods, the declaration last week of a state of calamity in Metro Manila and five adjacent provinces exposed perennial shortcomings in governance over essential concerns ranging from garbage disposal to environmental...
Nearly a million Filipino teachers, who are admired for their dedication to duty in shaping and developing young learners’ minds and character, have long endured slow progress in their career development. More auspicious horizons now beckon — a good augury for the new schoolyear that starts...
The heavy rains brought by Super Typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat) on June 24, 2024 flooded many areas and showed the preparedness of government agencies to respond to the extraordinary rainfall dumped on the National Capital Region (NCR), Calabarzon, and several...
At his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) last Monday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. elicited 125 rounds of applause and two standing ovations. The entire audience stood up first when he declared anew that the West Philippine Sea is ours, then thanked the armed forces who have...
A recent survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations from June 23 to July 1, had two significant findings. First, 58 percent of the respondents rated their families poor, up by 12 percent from the March 2024 figures. Second, 30 percent rated their families “not poor”, up...
Among the audience segments listening to President Marcos’ third State of the Nation Address (SONA) today, the Filipino youth — “persons whose age ranges from 15 to 30 years totaled to 31.40 million or about 28.9 percent of the household population in 2020” according to the Philippine...
Last week, fake news was serious enough for government agencies to issue advisories to the public. On July 18, two government agencies – the Social Security System (SSS) and the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) – issued warnings about...
A three-year collaboration program with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to enhance the country’s capabilities in geohazards monitoring and information dissemination is currently being implemented. The nationwide adoption of anticipatory action (AA) for disaster preparedness to...
“Prioritize watershed protection in the Upper Wawa Dam as well as the reforestation and biodiversity preservation in the Upper Marikina River Basin Protected Landscape.” This was President Marcos’ clearcut order to stakeholders during the recent ceremonial impounding process of the Upper Wawa...
National Disability Rights Week, observed annually from July 17 to 23, serves as a crucial platform to raise awareness and uphold the rights of persons with disabilities (PWDs). Crucial in this observance is how we integrate this sector into the mainstream of society so they can contribute...
Significant progress was achieved last week in the campaign for climate justice when the Philippines was elected as the host country of the Board of the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage brought about by climate change. The Philippines won the bid over seven other contenders, capping a...
