OF TREES AND FOREST The first New Year’s resolutions were made some 4,000 years ago. Since the ancient Babylonians started pledging their allegiance to the reigning king or crowned a new king, and made promises to repay debts in the year ahead in order for the gods to bless them in the new...
FINDING ANSWERS Manila Bulletin’s frontpage story last Jan. 11 titled “Brawner says electing worthy officials, not coup, key to solving society’s ills” is a powerful reminder of the importance of democracy and civic duty. Quoting Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Romeo Brawner,...
PEACE-MAKER Last Jan. 9, 2025, the people of Dagupan City, led by the indefatigable Mayor Belen T. Fernandez, commemorated a pivotal moment in our nation’s history – the 80th anniversary of the landing of General Douglas MacArthur in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, during the final months of World...
OF TREES AND FOREST People who have suggested that I should retire and just sit back and enjoy the “fruits of my labor” do not really know me. I have been working all my life. Since the first time I walked with my mother from our Tondo house to Divisoria until today, I have always been an...
FINDING ANSWERS The largest spectacle of Catholic faith in the Philippines unfolds anew this Thursday as millions of devotees celebrate the Feast of the Jesus Nazareno, highlighted by the phenomenal frenzy of Traslacion when the dark-skinned statue of a suffering Christ inches its way from Luneta...
PEACE-MAKER Hilarion “Larry” Henares Jr., who passed on last Dec. 14, 2024 at the age of 100, was a figure who towered over Philippine media and intellectual discourse for decades. Known for his acerbic wit, booming laughter, Shakesperean eloquence, unapologetic patriotism, and razor-sharp...
OF TREES AND FOREST Why do we celebrate the new year? Why do we go through all the trouble of going back home to the provinces or gathering everyone around the dinner table before the clock strikes midnight? There is a psychological importance to bidding goodbye to the old year and to welcoming a...
FINDING ANSWERS It’s New Year’s Eve, a time to be very hopeful of the coming year. But for those who are so worried of the unknown, who sense danger in the darkness ahead, the following would bring solace. “And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: ‘Give me light that I may...
PEACE-MAKER As we marked our 88th birthday last Dec. 26, 2024, we found ourself reflecting on a life spent in the service of our nation and the greater cause of peace in the world. It has been 60 years since we first entered public life, a journey filled with victories and defeats, successes and...
OF TREES AND FOREST (Second of two parts) One of my staff asked me recently: “Sir, what was your Christmas like when you were growing up 25 in Tondo?” I do not know why but my memory immediately took me back to Mary Johnston. Mary Johnston Hospital (MJH), run by the United Methodist Church, is...
FINDING ANSWERS It’s now Christmas Eve and most people, whether Christians or non-Christians, can be so immersed in celebrating the most joyous time of the year when abundance of love and generosity binds humanity. At the heart of the worldwide celebration lies the birth of our Savior Jesus...
PEACE-MAKER Our nation stands at a crossroads. We are being torn apart, not by external threats, but by internal discord. The acrimonious exchanges, heightened tensions, and political conflicts among our leaders are polarizing our country to an alarming degree. This relentless bickering is...
