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...
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...
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...
OF TREES AND FOREST The American industrialist Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” We cannot stop learning once we step out of the university or once we reach a certain age. And it is not just about learning...
OF TREES AND FOREST Filipinos are world famous for the longest celebration of the Christmas season. We usher in the holidays beginning with the so-called “Ber” months. And so on Sept. 1 when the clock strikes 12:01, Filipinos, who are also world famous for their fun-loving character as...
OF TREES AND FOREST Donald Trump won the US presidential elections by defeating his Democratic opponent Vice President Kamala Harris. By all accounts, it was a stunning victory not only because it was an impressive comeback from his electoral defeat in 2020 but also because his triumph...
OF TREES AND FOREST Faith is something that is deeply personal but also communal. The religion and spirituality that we embrace is our personal relationship with God. What we believe in is rooted in our experience as a person. We are first exposed to it through our family, specifically our parents....
OF TREES AND FOREST The National Capital Region (NCR) was established on June 2, 1978 by the late President Ferdinand E. Marcos through Presidential Decree No. 1396, which also created the Department of Human Settlements. This presidential edict amended PD 824 of November 1975, which...
OF TREES AND FOREST Coffee Project was a passion project for Camille and myself. Before, we would visit Vista Malls and our other projects and lament the lack of a nice, cozy coffee spot where we can meet while enjoying a cup of Joe. So we thought about putting up the coffee shop of our dreams. It...
OF TREES AND FOREST Whenever I travel abroad, in Europe or anywhere in the world really, I am always amazed at how the other peoples of the world are crazy about football. It is regarded as the world’s most popular sport in the world with an estimated 3.5 billion fan base. One of the reasons for...
OF TREES AND FOREST One of the proudest moments of my political career was being elected Senate President, first, during the latter part of the 13th Congress, and later at the beginning of the 14th Congress. It was truly an honor to be chosen by my esteemed colleagues to lead the upper chamber of...
OF TREES AND FOREST When I officially announced Villar City to the public, I called it my legacy project because I believe that this is part of my dream for our country — for our country to be truly world-class in every way. As I have always endeavored, whether in business or as a public servant...
