OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar It is true what Indian writer Anita Desai once wrote: “Wherever you go becomes a part of you somehow.” Going to other places are not temporary destinations where you merely stop and go. They stay with you — the beauty and the...
The Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) expressed optimism that Congress will approve the Open Access in Data Transmission bill during its Third Regular session stressing the legislative will bridge critical gaps in broadband infrastructure by attracting more firms to invest in the data transmission and...
President Duterte jokingly called Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III as "Vice President," a position reportedly being eyed by the lawmaker and former TV host. Senate President Tito Sotto scratches his head after President Duterte referred to him as 'Vice President' in his speech at the newly...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar A statement released by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and picked up by various news organizations has stirred the pot among Filipino netizens online. In the statement dated July 9, 2021, the DTI’s Bureau of Philippine Standards...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar In my column last June 16, 2021 entitled “Can elections be meaningful in a pandemic?”, I discussed the imperative for our election officials to learn from the lessons of countries who decided to push through with democratic elections...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar I express my condolences to the Aquino family and the entire Filipino nation on the demise of former President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino, III who died and was buried last week. As I said in the statement I issued to the press, I admired the...
Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III’s “One person, one Facebook account” proposal against troll armies may be difficult to implement without violating the data privacy right of users. Facebook logo Bayan Muna Rep. Ferdinand Gaite made this comment as he pointed out that Facebook is...
OF TREES AND FORESTS Former Senate President Manny Villar Last week, the nation paid tribute to two great Filipinos, separated by more than eighty years, who dedicated themselves to the highest level of excellence and to serving the nation. June 19 was the 160th birth anniversary of Jose Rizal, an...
The proposed removal of face shields especially when outdoors will be high on the agenda of the meeting of the government's pandemic task force on Thursday, June 17. Health workers administer coronavirus vaccines to people belonging to A5 priority group at the Baseco compound in Manila on June 16,...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar When we organize elections, our vision has always been to make sure that they are clean, honest and meaningful. They are the benchmark of a democratic system. But given our situation today, we need to add one more: safe elections. Can we...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar The coronavirus seems to be creeping outside the National Capital Region (NCR). The Department of Health has expressed alarm over the increase in COVID-19 infections in provinces specifically in Mindanao. It noted that 25% of fresh cases the...
OF TREES AND FOREST Former Senate President Manny Villar The good news this week was that the country’s vaccination program seemed to have shifted to a higher gear with 229,769 doses administered last May 20 — the highest since we began the program in March. National Task Force against COVID-19...
