OF TREES AND FOREST One of the distinct advantages of being taught by my mother the virtues of hard work and perseverance at an early age was that I generally stayed away from all sorts of vices. By making me focus on the virtues of earning your keep and helping me develop a strong work ethic when...
FINDING ANSWERS The conviction of three former cadets of the Philippine Military Academy for the 2019 hazing death of Darwin Dormitorio should serve as a deterrent to the crime of hazing that was the focus of RA 8049, the original anti-hazing law I authored in 1995, and amended by RA 11053 that...
PEACE-MAKER It was in the beautiful city of Sankt Augustin, Germany in 1998 when we addressed a forum organized by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (Foundation), which is affiliated with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), where we first espoused the idea of an “Asian Dialogue” and which would...
OF TREES AND FOREST Huge congratulations to all the Filipino athletes who just finished the country’s most successful stint in the Olympics. Their talent, hard work, and perseverance produced a total of four medals — two golds and two bronzes. Filipina boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas...
FINDING ANSWERS Is a Marcos-Aquino coalition possible in the coming 2025 midterm elections? In the landscape of Philippine politics before the rise of the Dutertes, very few families have resonated as powerfully as the Marcoses and Aquinos. For decades, the two political families belonged to...
Former president Rodrigo Duterte (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (MANILA BULLETIN) Two lawmakers in the House of Representatives have questioned the sincerity of Vice President Sara Duterte’s criticism of the Marcos administration’s...
PEACE-MAKER Triumphant uprisings demonstrate how ordinary citizens in the new countries are courageously claiming their civil liberties and demanding the right to decide their own destinies. “People power” liberations have in recent times taken place in the Arab world and in both South...
Senator Francis "Chiz" Escudero on Friday, August 9 said he finds it "perplexing" for Vice President Sara Duterte to rant about the Marcos administration's inability to come up with a flood masterplan. Senate President Francis "Chiz" Escudero (Senate PRIB photo) Escudero pointed out her...
OF TREES AND FOREST The story of Carlos Yulo is the story of the Filipinos. Despite unimaginable challenges, painful defeats, and countless hardships, Caloy made the country proud by winning not one, but two Olympic gold medals. After Hidilyn ended the Philippines’ 97-year Olympic gold-medal...
FINDING ANSWERS Olympic double gold medalist Carlos Edriel Yulo is the superhero we Filipinos have long been yearning for, ever since the Philippines joined the world’s most prestigious sporting event exactly 100 years ago. His rise to the apex of fame and glory at the ongoing Paris...
OF TREES AND FOREST Let me begin by sending my prayers to fellow Filipinos who were affected by typhoon Carina and the enhanced southwest monsoon. According to the initial report by government agencies, 21 people from Metro Manila, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon died while more than 200,000 people,...
FINDING ANSWERS Right from the beginning of his State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. connected with the Filipino people with a very realistic statement. “Whatever current data proudly bannering our country as among the best-performing in Asia means nothing to a...
