Opinion and Commentary

Ledesma: The unfolding of a grand alliance

SOMETHING there is that the opposition will find discomfiting and could paralyze them to inactivity and defeat. They had been busy speculating on whether or not Pres. Rodrigo Duterte is running for Vice President and cheering Sen. Manny Pacquiao aimless shotgun accusation of alleged corruption in... Read More

Ledesma:  This girl Is on FIRE… and you can be, too

THERE’S no doubt that the past 15 months have prompted many to take a serious look not only at their health status but at their financial standing, as well. The surge in the number of searches and researches on life and medical insurance, investment, and other... Read More

Ledesma: Duterte a lame duck?

PIA Ranada of Rappler did an interview with Ana Tabunda of Pulse Asia. It is obvious that this is part of the pre-SONA (State of the Nation Address) and also a pre-election agenda that Rappler had plotted. Pia came prepared with her questions which were liberally laced with opinions but she failed... Read More

Ledesma: Planning for your retirement just as important 

WHEN you ask most parents if they were able to save or invest in educational plans for their children, there’s a strong likelihood that the answer is a big yes. But ask again if they have secured funds for their own retirement, it’s most likely that their response is the... Read More

Ledesma: The silence of Mindanao

THE International Criminal Court (ICC) has become a domineering institution that is presented as a prosecutor and judge at the same time. It does not respect the justice system of sovereign nations and lump the victims of its misplaced prejudices with countries that have neither functioning... Read More

Ledesma: How pandemic changed our spending behaviors

ANYONE who has attended a webinar, or has hosted a party over zoom, or has ordered groceries or medicines to be delivered at home; or has watched a concert via live streaming for the first time will agree that the covid-19 crisis has profoundly changed our spending behaviors... Read More

Ledesma: Oh no, not again! 

WHILE NCR plus the nearby provinces are now under the General Community Quarantine (GCQ), my beloved Davao City is once again put under the Modified Enhanced Community Quarantine until June 20.  This is following a significant increase in our number of new cases for the past... Read More

Ledesma: Belittling yet scared of Sara 

HOW can Davao City Inday Sara Duterte deter anyone from running for any elective position? For that matter, how can one inherit an elective post making it sound and appear like it can be handed to an heir on a silver platter? Whoever thinks we are a monarchy where power may be inherited might want... Read More

Ledesma: Does CHR condemn Kieth’s murder or the use of APMs?

FINALLY, the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed combatant, the New People’s Army, owned up to the brutal and senseless murder of a young athlete, Kieth Absalon, and his cousin Nolven. There is simply no way for denial as the preponderance of pieces of... Read More

Ledesma: Creating something good out of bad 

 WE'RE nto the 15th month of the covid pandemic. Can you still remember and picture how you were 15 months ago? What were you busy with, what preoccupied your schedule, what did you do during your spare time, etc?  I bet there’s been a marked change between how you were doing... Read More

Ledesma: The doyen and the newbie

NO one is going to argue that the  Minority Floor Leader, Franklin Drilon, is a doyen in the Philippine Senate. He is an old hand, a guru in some respect and a legal luminary. I have always voted for him because I believed that with his knowledge and experience he can help craft and refine... Read More

Ledesma: Life insurance industry: Thriving under a united front  

AS pandemic hit our country’s economy last year, not a few companies and industries experienced either degrowth, slow down, and even closure. We can only count with our fingers in one hand those who managed to perform well in 2020. It’s good to note that one of the few sectors that... Read More

Ledesma: Why is there life in Davao City?

DABAWENYOS have a declarative statement that aptly encapsulates what this southern capital is to its roughly 1.6-million residents: LIFE IS HERE!Let me walk you briefly from where we came from. Since 1988 when Rodrigo R. Duterte took over as Mayor he rallied the people to rise against organized... Read More

Ledesma: The younger, the better 

“THE best thing about growing up is you get to manage your own life”. -- Anonymous  I always look forward to being invited to speak before students on life insurance and investment. Have done this several times for both high school and college graduate students. Though these... Read More

Ledesma: Water is life

LET’S leave the issue of Scarborough now that we knew former Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III and his ilks abandoned it and all this time they had taken us for a ride. Instead, let’s delve into another subject more important than the sea west of the Philippines and south of China. Potable... Read More

Ledesma: Vaccine it is! 

FROM mere numbers and statistics last year, covid now has names and faces on it. The last few weeks took covid closer to home as our own relatives and friends got infected. Most of them were blessed to have recovered but sadly 3 of them did not make it.  If only they were vaccinated, they... Read More

From the Mail: Noynoy plays RPG

AN uncanny similarity exists between the Mamasapano Oplan “Exodus” and the pullout of Philippine vessels in a standoff with China that led to the country’s loss of Scarborough Shoal.Both operations were monumental disasters as a result of then-President Noynoy Aquino designating a... Read More

Badoy: BDP: Changing lives for the better

For the past two days, I sat and listened to the people of Barangay Calantiao in Bubon, Barangay San Miguel in Las Navas, Barangays Hitapian, Osang, Nagoocan in Catubig.All in Northern Samar, hotbed of communist insurgency in our country.All of them living in extreme poverty in communities with long... Read More

Ledesma: It’s not about Scarborough

THIS brouhaha about debates over Scarborough and Duterte on a jet ski is nothing but boredom inducers.The previous administration gave it up and even allowed China to do reclamation work using the soil mined from the mountains of Zambales and mine tailings from Tawi-Tawi islands. Tonying Carpio and... Read More

Ledesma: Respond, don’t just react

WHEN we are faced with a situation, especially stressful ones, we either react or respond. Is there a difference?  In our everyday conversation, we usually use the words react and respond, to mean the same. Yes, there may be a slight difference between these two words, but in practice,... Read More