Opinion-Editorial NEWS

At exactly 12:01 a.m., May 8, 2022, all forms and semblance of campaigning must stop. The miting de avance today of various candidates for national and local posts must also end at that time, formally concluding the 150-day election period that started in Jan. 9. How time flies! And what a ride it has been.  

Better late than never, so it seemed, when President Duterte signed last week Republic Act 11712, or the “Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act.”  This law grants mandatory continuing benefits to public and private health workers during the pandemic and other future public health emergencies.

Tasked with ensuring peaceful and orderly national and local elections, the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) have deployed a total of more than 80,000 personnel ahead of the May 9 electoral exercise.

The Grand Mufti of the Bangsamoro has confirmed the sighting of the crescent moon, and based on this, has declared that the Eid’l Fitr or “the breaking of the fast” during the month of Ramadan would be observed. Hence, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea has announced that May 3 will be a regular holiday throughout the country, in accordance with Republic Act 9177, to honor the country’s Islamic heritage. 

Four and a half years after the end of the five-month long Marawi siege in May to October 2017, Congress has passed Republic Act No. 11696, the Marawi Siege Victims Compensation Act. The law provides compensation to those whose kin were killed, as well as those whose properties were destroyed in the Battle of Marawi between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Islamic State-linked militants.

A curious thing, isn’t it, how a day especially marked to celebrate work and workers is a holiday. Today, it’s even a double holiday, falling on a Sunday. And perhaps celebrating Labor Day on a weekend captures the very essence of why we commemorate this day dedicated to the workforce.

Twitter has been part of the information landscape for many years. In only 280 words, messages known as “tweets” have started conversations, influenced opinions, and stirred controversy and disinformation that have affected actions on health issues, commercial initiatives, and other human activities.
Recently, the quality of information that Twitter will be offering has become a cause of concern for many users after news that billionaire Elon Musk had bought the social networking service for $44 billion.

We are entering the last few days of the campaign season, and soon, 65-million-plus registered voters will cast their votes on May 9, 2022. From today until election day, crowds will be thicker with different campaign sorties of national and local candidates. All these activities will culminate in a grand miting de avance — a show of force, a statement of strength, and a projection of winnability.  

The just concluded three-day World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) meeting held in Manila has highlighted the Philippines, not just as a tourism destination, but as a prime mover in this industry globally.

That authorities still debate on whether to send students back to school, for learning to be done in a traditional, face-to-face setup, is quite baffling. Kids of all ages, after all, are already allowed to visit malls. So why are they still restricted from returning to their classrooms? Of course, the most obvious answer is caution. It is, as the cliche goes, better to err on the side of caution, right? And with a pandemic still ongoing, one can never be too cautious. Yet, the question remains, why are kids allowed to be in malls and every other public space except schools?

Today is Earth Day and our country is one with the world in calling attention to the planet’s plight on multiple fronts. If the earth is a hospital patient, the prognosis is deadly. No less than António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) made the assessment in his “State of the Planet” address in December 2020, when he said, “To put it simply, the state of the planet is broken.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday, April 18, said the projection of at least 300,000 active cases of Covid-19 by mid-May is possible should the public continue to neglect minimum health and safety protocols.

After the two-year ordeal brought about by the pandemic, Filipinos are once again traveling as seen in airports that are full of passengers, roads that are full of vehicles, and restaurants that are full of customers. Last week, hotels and resorts enjoyed high occupancy rates, something they haven’t experienced for a long time. 

The Philippines’ list of preferred areas of economic activities that the government will be granting juicy tax and incentive packages to is undergoing significant makeover with the implementation of the CREATE (Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises) Law.

A total of 8,241 out of 11,402 examinees passed the 2020-2021 bar examinations, or 72.28 percent. This surpassed the 59.06 percent passing rate recorded in 2016 in which there were 6,344 examinees.
The manner in which the 2020-2021 bar examinations was conducted offers many lessons in governance and management; the reforms adopted also point the way forward to progressive education that is crucial in shaping the competence and character of those who would be in the frontlines of upholding the majesty of the law.

Of all the Christian celebrations marked all over the world, Easter Sunday is perhaps the most meaningful as it celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, signifying that He has risen from the grave, three days after crucifixion. This means He has triumphed over death and by that, His resurrection means that eternal life is granted to all those who believe in Him.

Maundy Thursday, or Holy Thursday, is a special date in the Christian calendar.
It celebrates the beginning of many beliefs and traditions in the Catholic Church – Holy Eucharist, the washing of the feet ritual, the institution of the priesthood.

The sanctity of an election lies in the participation of the people. Through an election, a consensus is formed. It may not be forced by the law for each eligible citizen to vote, but in a healthy democracy, it is the people’s way of choosing leaders who will represent them. And in these crucial post-pandemic times, someone who will lead the way to our country’s recovery and resiliency.