FINDING ANSWERS He certainly lived up to his name. For Filipinos who deeply value good governance and unrelenting political will, he was a true modern-day hero whose untimely demise last Friday shocked many of his admirers. I myself was shocked when I learned about the tragic accidental fall of...
OF TREES AND FORESTS One of the things that the Covid-19 pandemic and its attendant lockdowns deprived us of was our mobility. It severely limited our ability to get out of the house, go to work, meet our friends, run our errands and just basically get some fresh air. The pandemic also halted our...
PEACE-MAKER After many years in Philippine politics and in political party and parliamentary diplomacy in the international community, we have spent the last three years just observing political events and developments. We are heartened that our son, Congressman Christopher, has continued our and...
OF TREES AND FOREST A modern, efficient, and sustainable transport system is essential in the life of a metropolis. Population growth and urbanization have a tendency to choke modern cities that in turn reduce the quality of life of its residents. More people are leaving their rural hometowns and...
FINDING ANSWERS With the average Filipino being a voracious rice eater, consuming almost one-third kilo of the staple daily, there’s no doubt that rice is the most basic of all food items needed to survive. So basic indeed that before price control took effect on Sept. 5, the scarcity of rice...
PEACE-MAKER In a period marked by climate change and environmental challenges, planting of trillions of trees worldwide is a visionary solution to combat the climate crisis. The planting of trillions of trees is a practical and essential strategy to mitigate climate change and secure a...
OF TREES AND FOREST The nation lost an outstanding public servant last week. Susan “Toots” Ople, champion of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), Migrant Workers Secretary, protector of workers’ rights and friend to us all, passed away to join the Lord and her father, Ka Blas Ople, in heaven. It...
FINDING ANSWERS When President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended reclamation projects in Manila Bay early this month, the reason he gave mirrored what many people have been worried about. “Kung matuloy lahat ‘yan, maraming ilog mababara eh. Wala na pupuntahan talaga ‘yong tubig. (Because if they...
PEACE-MAKER Vietnam is where we spent our initial foray in international relations, as a 30-year-old presidential assistant, concurrently assigned as minister, economic and press counselor at the Philippine Embassy in Saigon, the South Vietnam capital then (now Ho Chi Minh, capital of the united...
OF TREES AND FOREST The country received some sobering economic news last week. During the first quarter of the current year, the Philippines was able to sustain its economic recovery and expansion with a GDP growth of 6.4 percent, a growth rate that actually exceeded forecasts. But the second...
FINDING ANSWERS As the nation marked yesterday the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, President Marcos Jr. called on Filipinos to “set aside political differences and unite for the country’s welfare and progress.” Referring to love of country as the “compass” that will...
PEACE-MAKER After some 50 years in Philippine partisan politics and 20 years in political party- and parliamentary diplomacy in Asia and the international community, this columnist, now almost 87, has spent these past three years just observing political events and developments. Indeed, the last...
