THE VIEW FROM RIZAL As I write this column, there is a steady stream of media reports that the head of the Catholic Church is in critical condition and that the Catholic faithful all over the world are praying for the healing and recovery of the much-loved and sometimes controversial Pope...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL The latest survey done by a number of research outfits appears to confirm earlier speculations that at least 20 of the 24 seats in the Senate up for grabs in the 2025 elections could go to so-called “media or show business personalities.” These results had come under fire...
Japan's Ambassador to the Philippines Endo Kazuya and Rizal Gov. Nina Ynares The Rizal provincial government has received over $100,000 donation from the Japanese government to help around 300 persons with disabilities (PWD) in the province to build their livelihoods. Rizal Gov. Nina Ynares...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL “Could there really be a ‘forever’ when it comes to love and romance?” We are not a “love expert” and so we wonder why we get this kind of question from people younger than we are. It appears they had come across our previous columns where we talked about this...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL There is an ongoing public debate concerning bills passed in both houses of Congress regarding so-called “comprehensive sexuality education” (CSE). The discussion is healthy, even if it seems contentious and bitter at times. We would have chosen to watch the...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Early this week, I overheard conversations by my staff members and even among friends and colleagues. Their conversations centered on what they planned to do to celebrate the occasion we are marking today, the Lunar – or Chinese – New Year. It appears most of them will head...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL It is baffling and funny that a social media platform should be among the prominent issues in the public forum just as the torch of leadership of the United States of America was being passed. Just before President Trump was sworn into office last Monday (Tuesday, Philippine...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL As we write this column, a historic, unprecedented wildfire that started on Jan. 7 is still raging in Southern California, decimating a total of 40,000 acres, destroying more than 12,000 structures, forcing some 155,000 people to flee their homes, and putting another 160,000...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL Tomorrow, Jan. 9, millions of devotees are expected to join the annual religious tradition called “Traslacion” — the procession commemorating the historic transfer of the image of Jesus Nazareno from a church in Intramuros to its present-day shrine in Quiapo, Manila. ...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL One of the social media images of 2024 which carried a lot of meaning was that of the long convoy of Russian soldiers on trucks making a quiet and orderly withdrawal from Syria, days after the country fell into the hands of rebel forces. International media covering the...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL As the world marks the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, I would like to share once again the letter I wrote to my eldest daughter, Cassandra, in 2011. This has been a tradition in our column. She was just three years old when I wrote her this letter. I published that letter and...
THE VIEW FROM RIZAL “How do I make sure I do well in the surveys?” Every time election time looms on the horizon, young, aspiring public servants vying for elective posts approach me and ask me that question. My usual answer is: “Don’t rely on them.” The reliability of election-related...
