Opinion-Editorial NEWS

A new bridge connecting Binondo and Intramuros was inaugurated last week by President Duterte. The bridge does not only link two of the busiest and most historical districts in Manila, but also links two countries who have a shared history of friendship, cooperation, and understanding.

Today, the whole of Christendom celebrates the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem, as he was welcomed by a crowd swinging palm branches while exclaiming, “Hosanna!” For every Christian, this event is a double-edged sword. It is a celebration, yes, but also a prelude to the holiest of days in all of Christianity, one that goes through suffering.

Today’s observance of Araw ng Kagitingan commemorates the bravery and heroism of Filipinos who fought in Bataan, Corregidor and Bessang Pass.  

Every election cycle, voters and groups are up in arms to raise concerns about our country’s power supply. They fear that fraud, hacking, or cheating may happen if there will be a shortage in electricity during the May 9 national elections. And in a hotly contested election such as this one, a brownout is the last thing that our country needs. 

Established on June 22, 1963 under Republic Act 3591, the PDIC has taken giant strides toward carving a niche as an exemplary government corporation that performs an essential function: providing insurance coverage to bank deposits while extending financial assistance to distressed banks. Starting from only ₱10,000 per depositor per bank, the PDIC now covers up to ₱500,000 per depositor per bank.

At the start of the pandemic, it was difficult to adjust to the new normal way of work. Workers suddenly found themselves working at home all the time, missing the interaction with co-workers and longing for their office desk. After two years, with life easing back to normalcy given the low Covid transmission, it’s the other way around — a lot of employees are now finding it hard to return to the office. 

In today’s world, it is easy to have an opinion on anything. It is even easier to have that opinion known, all you need is a working internet connection and a number of followers on social media. This has even become more evident in the weeks and months leading up to the 2022 National Elections, with supporters of every candidate from every corner of the world and the world wide web fervently fanning feelings online.

The Covid-19 outlook for the country continues to improve significantly.

Are you sure you’re reading this right? It’s April Fools’ Day.

Without doing much arithmetic, there is a clear difference between how other representatives of the Lower House are elected—i.e., those who run as congressmen for districts or cities because they require a majority based on the total number of voters in their areas. Over the past elections, the number of participating party-lists have been fluctuating, reaching the highest total in 2010, when there were around 178 of them. In this year’s elections, 270 groups filed their certificates of candidacy and 177 of these made it to the final ballot.

Just when the country appears headed toward a return to pre-pandemic levels of business activity, another serious natural disaster disrupted an otherwise serene weekend. Taal Volcano erupted last Saturday and Sunday, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology (Phivolcs) to raise anew Alert Level 3.

Three months before the completion of its term, the Duterte administration could point with justifiable pride to the enactment of three vital economic liberalization laws that would boost the Philippine economy’s global competitiveness — and cushion the impact of external shocks such as those brought about by the raging Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Water is life. So, if water is life, then easy access to fresh water is a basic right that each and every person in this world must enjoy. The reality, however, is far from it.

Today, March 25, 2022, marks the start of the campaign of candidates for local positions such as for governor, representative, mayor, and councilor. Today is the official start yet it feels, to a lot of citizens, that the campaign started way back last year with back-and-forth accusations from opponents filling up news and social media space.
Given the Commission on Elections’ imprimatur as official start, will we see more mature political discourse from our local candidates or does it seem like the circus is now in town? Most of the time, it feels like the latter.

Ten petitions for wage increases have been filed in six regional wage boards according to a report this week of the Department of Labor and Employment’s National Wage and Productivity Commission (NPWC). The petitions have been filed in the National Capital Region – NCR, Region 3 – Central Luzon, Region 4A – Calabarzon, Region 6 – Western Visayas, Region 7 – Central Visayas), and Region 8 – Eastern Visayas.

Should there be a debate whether a debate is important or not? Based on the outcome of the recent debates shown on television and live streamed online, it seemed there is. The ones who were present say that debates are a chance to “court” the voters; the other side said otherwise, saying that debates “are not helpful” and they prefer to just talk directly to the people.

Just as the country is easing toward a possible nationwide enforcement of the least restrictive Alert Level 1 response, shock waves from the Ukraine-Russia war have disrupted the economy. The rapid surge in oil prices has brought on increases in prime commodity prices. Three hard-hit sectors — transport, agriculture and fisheries — have received government subsidies to cushion the impact.

The world celebrates happiness today.