#MINDANAO John Tria The funeral of the esteemed Pope Emeritus Benedict 16th was a rare event in Catholic Church history, and its significance to me was deeper than I expected. Being the first to resign in 600 years, Benedict’s resignation fueled many ideas and feelings back in 2013, the same year...
#MINDANAO John Tria The recent rains that caused floods in parts of northern Mindanao brought many Filipinos together in solidarity to help those affected by the calamity. It also left me concerned that we must all prepare for future events like this, as I believe there will be more weather-related...
#MINDANAO John Tria In last week’s column I enjoined you all to review 2022 as we take a look ahead to 2023. Indeed the lessons we have learned from post pandemic recovery practices to the responses to the challenges posed by geopolitical realities such as the Ukraine conflict and climate related...
#MINDANAO John Tria At this point, many companies have taken stock of what happened in 2022 and completed their annual or strategic plans for 2023, and perhaps beyond. For many, school and family reunions top the holiday agenda for the last two weeks of the year, events gleefully anticipated since...
#MINDANAO John Tria The recent announcement of the eight percent inflation rate for November was met with some concern for the same reasons I mentioned in my Nov. 21 column where I discussed the four outcomes of inflation. Again, I say that I am not an economist nor prophet. I can only speak as a...
#MINDANAO John Tria The recent meeting between the Mindanao Development Authority and the Department of Transportation is welcome news for many like me who travel and trade around the island. There was a time when airports in Mindanao were limited by the sunset regulation which barred night...
#MINDANAO John Tria The last two months have seen the first face-to-face business conferences in two years. In the face-to- face Davao Agri Trade Expo, the Mindanao Food Congress in Cagayan de Oro, our exchanges were three dimensional, cultivating realizations from a more thorough experience which...
#MINDANAO John Tria The good news of a robust 7.6 percent growth in the third quarter was dampened a bit by a headline story about higher inflation at 7.7 percent for October, pushing year-to-date inflation at 5.4 percent. As expected, higher food and fuel prices, which are key components of Pinoy...
#MINDANAO John Tria If you, like me, spent much time online during the height of the pandemic, you likely came across Filipino chef video bloggers, or “vloggers” who have shared their recipes and commentary on cooking techniques and food culture through popular free online platforms. I thus...
#MINDANAO John Tria Twenty-seven years ago, during the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos, the concept of the Brunei Indonesia Malaysia Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) economic group was born. Its intention was to spur economic exchange between the proximate regions of these...
#MINDANAO John Tria Flying through the Mactan Cebu International Airport in Cebu is both nostalgic and inspiring for many reasons. Nostalgic because Mactan is a historic airport of transit for many Mindanaoans flying to the capital. For many of them, it is their first airplane ride. I remember the...
#MINDANAO John Tria As July ends the festival season begins in Mindanao. Kadayawan in Davao City in mid-August, Cagayan de Oro's Higalaay Festival in late August, Adlaw hong Butuan in the first week of August, the Tuna Festival of General Santos and the Zamboanga Hermosa Festival in September....
