Meeting with reporters after his first Cabinet meeting last July 6, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. said that one of his first directives to his Cabinet members is to streamline the bureaucracy. He said he told them they had “a relatively free hand in deciding who you want to hire and how you...
Eid al-Adha, which means the Festival of Sacrifice, is being observed on July 9 by virtue of Republic Act 9849 that was enacted by Congress in 2009 as a national holiday “in the month of Hajj or Islamic Pilgrimage to Mecca wherein Muslims pay homage to Abraham’s supreme act of sacrifice and...
Red tape, as defined by the dictionary, is an “official routine or procedure marked by excessive complexity, which results in delay or inaction.” A lot of people may not be aware of this term but they have definitely experienced this in a transaction involving officials at the city hall or a...
A year ago today, the Filipino people mourned the passing of Benigno S. Aquino III, popularly known as PNoy, the 15th President of the Philippines. Tributes poured from all over the world and the country. On his first death anniversary, it is well to assess his achievements vis-à-vis what he...
Perusing the map of Luzon, one cannot help but notice the truism that geography determines to a large extent the fate of cities. In the case of Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, previous settlers in the 1250's had the good security and economic sense to establish a settlement along the...
The most meaningful agreement forged at the recently concluded12th Ministerial Conference (MC12) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva is the  Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights ( TRIPS ) waiver on the manufacture of Covid-19 vaccines by non-producing countries,...
Sara Zimmerman Duterte took her oath of office as the 15th Vice President of the Philippines in simple ceremonies held in Davao City on June 19, the birth anniversary of the country’s national hero, and the global celebration of Father’s Day. It was a unique inaugural that conveyed the...
As pandemic restrictions remain in its lowest level ever since an Alert Level 1 was imposed in Metro Manila and in most of the country, with establishments allowed to operate at 100 percent capacity, many workplaces — public and private — continue to struggle with the new realities of working....
Today is the 47th anniversary of Philippine-China relations and the 21st commemoration of the Filipino-Chinese Friendship Day. Both are celebrated on June 9. In 1975, it was also on this same day when the two nations established diplomatic relations; while in 2002, by virtue of Proclamation No. 148...
Even amid a sense of normalcy felt by Filipinos these past few months, a lot of us are aware that we are technically under a health pandemic. It is reassuring, therefore, that Filipinos are still practicing health protocols such as the wearing of face masks, physical distancing, and washing of...
The warm reception by the business community that greeted the announcement of the members of the economic management team of President-elect Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. provides an auspicious sign. Public confidence in a new administration is a key element in attaining what is deemed its primary...
Foundlings, according to the dictionary, are “babies or small children who were abandoned by their parents, usually in places such as hospitals, churches, or government offices.” This is not the same case with orphans as a foundling’s parents are still alive but nowhere to be found. In the...
