MINDFUL
Jay Ledesma
Passing the baton
TODAY, June 30, we saw the passing of the baton from outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte to incoming President Bongbong Marcos. It was a smooth and orderly transition of leadership, power, and authority. We say goodbye and express appreciation to PPRD for his six years of...
LETTERS FROM DAVAO
Jun Ledesma
The children of destiny
THE euphoria spawned by the oath-taking of Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Z. Duterte as the 15th Vice President of the Philippines took a while to ebb. While everybody who is somebody was invited to a reception later, Inday was busy and was and is still busy literally rubbing elbows with the hoi...
Is RSF’s press freedom index a joke?
By Atty. Perry SolisPRESS freedom is alive and well in the Philippines despite the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) release of its annual World Press Freedom Index (WPFI) putting the country in an unenviable position of no. 147 under what it called a new methodology, down from 138 last year.According...
BOOKENDS
Nikki Rivera Gomez
Davao’s allure endures
MY parents were probably some of the most quintessential migrants from Manila. They had literally blazed their own trails in the jungles of Compostela in the 1950s, an ocean away from the upper- and middle-class comforts of Manila.Yet over the years, more and more people have cast a second look at...
FROM WHERE I SIT
Lorraine Marie Badoy
The Ignoble Nobel
I HAD to sit in silence since finding out that one of the most despised and least trusted persons in the Philippines has been given the Nobel Peace Prize for her “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression” in one of the most vibrant democracies in the world with such an excess of...
PHIL-CHINA WATCH
Herman Tiu Laurel
December 2020 cemented the Multi-Polar World
THE European Union and China signed a historic trade pact last December 27, 2020, a trade deal that is as significant as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) cake, which took 10 years to bake and whose icing was completed only last November 15, 2020.History will record the last...
OUTSIDE THE BOX
Ismael D. Tabije
Water is life: The case for massive reforestation
IN the national papers lately was the news that President Rodrigo Duterte has signed an administrative order that will expedite the review and approval of infrastructure flagship projects on water security in the country. It directed all agencies to prioritize and complete review and approval of...
PUBLIC HEALTH LENS
Romulo F. Nieva Jr., RN, MHSS
SPMC and the heartbeat of Mindanao
THE news headlines labeling Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) as “Davao City hospital” are obviously misleading and have underlying malice. Such morbid typecasting is a blatant insult to the good governance and competent workforce of the hospital that have transformed SPMC into...
THE MIND EXPRESS
Prof. Julio O. Castillo, Jr., DBA
Mayor Eric B. Africa ready to defend Lipa
ARRIVING at the Lipa City hall, we can’t help but appreciate the inside office of Mayor Eric B. Africa. PR Excellence, House Rep. Emelie Katigbak, showed us the way and introduces us to the staff of the office. After the pleasantries, we were accommodated by the amiable secretary of the office...
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