With less than two months before the scheduled opening of the summer Olympics in Tokyo on July 21, Asahi Shimbun, one of the media sponsors, has published an editorial entitled, “Prime Minister Suga, please call off the Olympics.” Three reasons were cited for the call to cancel the Olympics. ...
The national government has set into motion the ramping up of the devolution of key functions to local government units (LGUs) starting in 2022. The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) estimates an increase in the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) of LGUs, from P695.49 billion in 2021 to...
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the pace of digital transformation worldwide. In the Philippines, the protracted lockdown has brought about a shift to digital and online payments. Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the catalyst for the increased tempo of what is now widely known as the...
Philippine Red Cross joined the celebration of World Red Cross Red Crescent Day last May 8 to honor the birth anniversary of Henry Dunant, the founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the recipient of the first Nobel Peace Prize . IFRC is the world’s largest...
There are countless awards—Entrepreneur of the Year, National Artists, Best Actress, Miss Universe, Asia CEO Awards, the Nobel Prize—but none as widely known that recognizes excellence in perhaps the most essential of duties, parenthood. What price motherhood? It is a labor of love, but it is...
While restrictive quarantine is still being enforced, the challenges of staying focused and maintaining one’s sense of equanimity persist and intensify. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued some online reminders through its website: “It is normal to feel fearful and anxious during...
This must be the longest countdown held for the Olympics. Originally scheduled in the summer of 2020, the Tokyo Olympics will be held a year later – from July 23 to August 8 this year. Even with the outcome of recent COVID-19 interventions, including widespread vaccinations still uncertain, the...
At a special summit convened in Jakarta over the weekend, ASEAN leaders issued an urgent call for an end to violence in Myanmar and for steps to be taken to restore democracy following a military coup last February 1. Their five-point statement of consensus also called for a visit to Myanmar by a...
Rolando de la Cruz, a 67-year-old balut vendor, died the other day while waiting with hundreds who lined up to answer actress Angel Locsin’s birthday invitation to the community pantry she had set up in Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City. As early as 3 a.m., a long queue had formed; stubs were...
At a Senate hearing last year, the Department of Education (DepEd) reported that enrollment from kindergarten to senior high school for school year 2020-2021 was estimated at 23 million or 83 percent of the 27.7 million enrolled previously. When Senator Nancy Binay asked DepEd Undersecretary...
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic moved back the commemoration of 500 years of Christianity by a year. Instead of a culmination, what was marked last Easter Sunday was the start of year-long activities. Cebu Archbishop Jose Palma pointed out that there are two important milestones: The first mass...
The Department of Health (DOH) announced last April 8 that it has “adopted the recommendation of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to temporarily suspend the use of AstraZeneca vaccines for individuals aged below 60 years old, following recent reports of rare cases of blood clots with low...
