OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar It’s heartbreaking to see the devastation brought about by typhoon “Odette.” According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), the reported death toll has risen to 31. This is expected to increase as...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar Our people deserve a Happy Christmas this year. After prolonged lockdowns, anxiety about their jobs and their future, Filipinos deserve to celebrate this coming holidays with a sense of normalcy and, of course, cautious celebration. And you...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar I have said it before and I will say it again — entrepreneurs will lead our country’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. During the recently concluded Villar SIPAG’s 10th OFW & Family Summit, Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon M....
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar Young people have always been referred to as the “future of the country.” And they are. At some point, those of us who have had the extraordinary opportunity to serve the country will fade away in the background, and our young Filipino...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar Ah, the twists and turns of Philippine politics. Many people watched with bemusement the events surrounding the filing of candidacy and substitution in the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Supporters of the various personalities involved...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar I had the opportunity to peruse the report published by the International Organization for Migration (IOM)-Philippines entitled, COVID-19 Impact Assessment on Returned Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). The study, based on surveys conducted on...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar Buried in all the political noises surrounding the pre-election skirmishes among those seeking elective positions in 2022 was President Rodrigo Duterte’s participation in the 38th and 39th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)...
Former Senate President Manny Villar OF TREES AND FOREST We are entering a decisive moment in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The 7-day moving average of new cases has plummeted to 5,732 from a high of 20,915 around the second week of September. Active cases are down to 66,887 from a high...
OF TREES AND FOREST (Part 1 of 2) Former Senate President Manny Villar When my son, Mark, accepted the offer of then newly-elected President Rodrigo Duterte to be part of his Cabinet, some people expressed doubts. Social media was abound with malicious and baseless accusations. When Mark resigned...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar Why do people run for public office? What motivates people to devote themselves to 60 or 90 days of grueling campaign, cruel and unfair attacks on one’s character, loss of financial resources, and, in some instances, put their lives on the...
Of Trees and Forest Former Senate President Manny Villar In my column last week, I talked about several innovations we introduced in order to adapt to the changing retail experience brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. From self-checkout kiosks that minimize physical contact between staff and...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar Ginni Rometty, the first woman to lead IBM, once said, “The only way you survive is you continuously transform into something else. It’s this idea of continuous transformation that makes you an innovation company”. This idea could not...
