OF TREES AND FORESTS I congratulate the Manila Bulletin as it celebrates its 125th founding anniversary! It is amazing to think that the Manila Bulletin started as a shipping journal on Feb. 2, 1900 with its avowed purpose of giving “the public accurate and reliable shipping and commercial...
Senator Joel Villanueva urged President Marcos on Friday, Jan. 31 to certify the legislated wage hike bill in the Senate as urgent, emphasizing the need to improve the standard of living for Filipino workers. Villanueva, who serves as Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Labor, Employment, and...
Eight candidates endorsed by President Marcos are leading the 2025 senatorial race, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. (SWS) The Stratbase-commissioned SWS survey, conducted from Jan. 17 to 20, showed that eight administration-backed candidates are among the top 12:...
The necessity of Senate Bill 1979, also known as the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Bill, has once again sparked heated discussions. (SANTI SAN JUAN / MANILA BULLETIN / FILE PHOTO) This comes after the Department of Health (DOH) expressed reservations about the measure, arguing that the...
OF TREES AND FOREST (Part II) I do not consider myself an alarmist. In fact, I almost always see the glass half-full than half-empty. But I also think that a good manager, whether in government or the private sector, needs to be aware of certain situations that may impact the...
Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sonny Angara on Tuesday, Jan. 28, said that the agency can make do with a temporary suspension of the controversial Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) while it is under review. Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian presides over the Committee on Basic Education...
With 21 affirmative votes, the Senate approved the bill seeking to provide free legal assistance to military and uniformed personnel (MUP) facing charges arising from incidents related to the performance of their duty. Senate Bill No. 2814 or the proposed Free Legal Assistance for...
The Senate has approved the proposed E-Governance Act, which seeks to enhance government operations and promote transparency in state transactions, on third and final reading. Twenty-one senators gave affirmative votes on Senate Bill No. 2781, no negative votes and no abstentions during the...
With 19 affirmative votes, the Senate approved the measure seeking to grant Philippine citizenship to Chinese national Li Duan Wang. Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros opposes the bill granting Philippine citizenship to Li Duan Wang. During Monday’s plenary session, January 27,...
Senate President Francis “Chiz” Escudero on Wednesday, January 22 rejected claims there were supposedly items in the P6.3-trillion General Appropriations Act of 2025 that were left blank. In a press briefing at the Senate, Escudero said he found such claims preposterous considering...
Social Weather Stations (SWS) A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from Dec. 12 to 18, 2024 revealed that public satisfaction with the performance of the Senate, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court remains high, with all three institutions receiving “good” ratings. The...
OF TREES AND FOREST (Part I) Two surveys released by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) one week apart this new year really piqued my interest. No, they are not surveys about the senatorial candidates for the 2025 national elections (although I would find that interesting as well). The two...
