PEACE-MAKER Jose de Venecia Jr. Former Speaker of the House The mounting violence and racism against Asian Americans, including Filipinos, in various parts of the US are deeply troubling. Reports said that from March 2020 to February 2021, some 3,800 incidents of physical assault, verbal...
Moving to a place outside one’s homeland is a major life event and not everyone is lucky to have a smooth transition. The adjustment period can be tough in many aspects, including having to deal with unfamiliar dishes and practices. Christine Mallon-Odzic, 31, a native of Iloilo City, faced...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar The COVID-19 pandemic has turned our world upside down. It has changed the way we behave in our world. Walking around with face masks and shields, pouring alcohol on our hands every time we touch something, and our inability to do the most...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay As I write this column, Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal have been placed under a “bubble” in an attempt to prevent a further surge in the number of viral infections caused by COVID-19. The Department of Health (DOH) has...
Finding Answers Former Senator Atty. Joey Lina The next two weeks are critical. With the worst of the pandemic now upon us especially in the National Capital Region and nearby provinces, it is imperative that the continuing surge in coronavirus infections is suppressed. The upsurge in COVID-19...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar I received a very uplifting message from my Facebook page last week. It was from Rudy Alquero who recalled that I was the contractor of his family’s house at BF Resort Village in 1977-78. He recalled: “Manny Villar, I could not forget...
FINDING ANSWERS Former Senator Atty. Joey Lina The trend is disturbing and our scientific researchers see it as a portent of horrific times ahead. For three days since last Friday, the three highest single-day tallies so far this year of COVID cases nationwide were reported – 4,578 new cases...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay Looking back, it would be difficult not to feel a sense of frustration, even anger, at the many opportunities that were missed or ignored by government that could have made a difference today. No amount of feigned exuberance or managed events...
PEACE-MAKER Jose de Venecia Jr. Former Speaker of the House Less than two weeks into our government’s nationwide inoculation against COVID-19, we are once again experiencing an alarming spike in new coronavirus cases in our country. More than 4,500 daily infections have been recorded on March 12,...
GOVERNANCE MATTERS Former Vice President Jejomar Binay It is difficult to accept even at face value the claim of the author of the amendments to the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act that the constitutional right of an accused to be presumed innocent until proven guilty remains intact and respected...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar The first anniversary of the COVID-19 lockdown is upon us. It’s an anniversary that doesn’t inspire any celebration. But it should prod us towards introspection and assessment. Looking back, what were the things we should have done...
Finding Answers Former Senator Atty. Joey Lina It’s now exactly a year when in-person learning inside schools abruptly came to a halt starting in the National Capital Region and ultimately throughout the Philippines as the coronavirus pandemic raged. Plans for localized and limited face-to-face...
