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 I spent all my years as a public servant in the legislature. From 1992 to 2001, I represented Las Piñas in the House of Representatives where I was fortunate enough to be chosen as Speaker by my peers. Then from 2001 to 2013, I served as...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar Congress, the body Constitutionally mandated to canvass the votes for President and Vice President, has officially proclaimed Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. and Sara Duterte as the victors of the recently concluded May 2022 national elections. The...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar The votes that have been reflected in the COMELEC Transparency Servers and reported in real time by various media outfits and citizen watchdogs seem to show one thing—a landslide victory for the tandem of former Senator Ferdinand...
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...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar I am what you would call a coffee lover. My mornings are not complete without a morning jolt. My meetings become tedious without a cup of joe. My days are ruined if I do not get my usual fix of caffeine infusion. So yes, “lover” might be...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar One important lesson I have learned is that life always offers us a second chance. Even when we experience failures and setbacks, life always gives us a do-over so we can try again and succeed. This, I believe, is the real message of Easter....
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar Buried in the plethora of election-related news items this past week was the telephone summit between President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to the statement released by the Presidential Communications Office,...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar What is at stake in the May 2022 elections? Why is it so important to vote according to our conscience and, more importantly, with the interest of the nation in mind? Who among the candidates will provide our country with the leadership...
