Opinion and Commentary
Laurel: Anti-war Luftballons
February 6, 2023, 10:07 am
Reuters Fact Check on Feb. 4, 2023 headlined on its news side the very important and clarificatory news, “Fact Check – HBAL617 balloon tracker online is from US company Aerostar, not China” which shoots down the sensationalized false story of US mainstream media that it was a Chinese “spy… Read More
Samonte: Unsung battle at Novaliches bridge in 1945 liberation of Manila
February 2, 2023, 12:30 pm
Starting the first week of this month, several cities or local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila will be celebrating the 78th anniversary of their liberation from Japanese rule in 1945. As the former town of Novaliches was erased from the country’s map in 1903 or 120 years ago, very little… Read More
Cordevilla: Maharlika fund will ensure a better future for all Filipinos
February 1, 2023, 12:08 pm
Is the Maharlika Investment Fund an idea whose time has come? This administration thinks so, and therefore wants to pull out all the stops to make it a reality. As things now stand, the MIF is still a work-in-progress. That’s because the Senate has yet to examine the key provisions of the bill… Read More
Lauengco: Tax the rich more?
February 1, 2023, 11:34 am
“Instead of taking the pants off the taxpayer, it might be better to take the vest off the vested interests” -- Mark Twain Last Monday, Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda filed a bill which can be argued as another “tax the rich more measure”. House Bill 6993 “seeks to increase the tax… Read More
Zaldarriaga: MMDA’s Artes on the right track in pushing road safety
January 31, 2023, 11:09 am
Traffic congestion has long been an issue in the Philippines. Year in and year out, our country would always be placed in the lower ranks when it comes to transportation and commuter satisfaction. A recent study by UK-based insurance technology site GoShorty showed that Metro Manila ranks as the… Read More
Laurel: US 2023 provocation agenda
January 30, 2023, 3:29 pm
Several news items from the US and Western media came off the press this past week, it gives an indication of the provocations the US is plotting again this 2023 to stir tension in the Asia-Pacific region and provoke China and the countries of Asia and ASEAN. The first news item is US Republican… Read More
Samonte: Spotlighting the queerness of Diocese of Novaliches
January 26, 2023, 2:15 pm
When the 88 Catholic bishops across the country gather for their 125th Plenary Assembly at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center on United Nations Ave., Paco, Manila on Jan. 28-30, there is a likelihood that the 22-year-old Diocese of Novaliches will get a bigger share of the spotlight from most of… Read More
Lauengco: Teen suicides, depression, bullying and rabbits (again)
January 25, 2023, 1:15 pm
“It never hurts to keep looking for sunshine” – Winnie the Pooh Two days ago, a 19-year-old student from one of our universities died after jumping off a school building. Ruling out foul play, authorities have tentatively described it as an apparent suicide. School officials reminded all its… Read More
Zaldarriaga: SIM registration brings safer space to PH mobile users
January 24, 2023, 11:19 am
Before 2022 came to a close, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed into law the Republic Act 11934 or the Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) Card Registration Act which mandates mobile owners to register their sim cards within a certain time frame, or face deactivation. The new law, which was one… Read More
Cordevilla: PBBM at Davos: Rich harvest for PH
January 23, 2023, 3:06 pm
The Swiss Alps is terra incognita for most Filipino tourists, particularly during the dead of winter when the temperature drops to below zero—and teeth-chattering—levels, requiring several layers of clothing that we're all unaccustomed to. But Davos high up in the Swiss Alps beckoned, and… Read More
Laurel: No point in building up armory: PBBM
January 23, 2023, 12:33 pm
This is one quotable quote from PBBM which he uttered during a dialogue at the World Economic Forum with the conference president Børge Brende in Davos, when asked if he would double the defense budget like Japan is doing. PBM answered that “... the belief is that first of all, there is no… Read More
Samonte: Reminiscing on the book 'Behind the Red Pen'
January 19, 2023, 1:59 pm
A couple of days before the 2022 Christmas week, I received through Grab Express delivery a copy of the book titled "Behind the Red Pen: My Adventures with FVR" sent as a gift by its author, Jojo T. Terencio, a former colleague at the Presidential News Desk (PND) of the Office of the Press… Read More
Lauengco: Chat GPT, robot lawyers, rise of AI and how rabbits can save us
January 18, 2023, 1:11 pm
“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race” - Stephen Hawking “A crafty rabbit has three burrows.” -- old Chinese saying Recently, Artificial Intelligence or AI related stories have been popping up in the news and even business forums. First,… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Peace and order crucial to economic development
January 17, 2023, 11:20 am
Peace and order have proven to have a direct positive impact on businesses. It is believed that where there is peace, good opportunities that can support the private sector will follow such as more customers, qualified employees, local suppliers and investors. This is why the Philippines, under… Read More
Laurel: PH-China 'Golden Age' harvest
January 16, 2023, 6:33 pm
On his third day back in Manila from the state visit, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced that “at the very least, close to 10,000 to 30,000 jobs” will be created with the awaited new investments and Chinese-assisted projects in the Philippines. He said “it’s certainly going to… Read More
Samonte: La Mesa Dam and Metro Manila's water supply system
January 12, 2023, 12:59 pm
Most of the over 13 million residents of the 16 cities and one town of the National Capital Region (NCR) may be interested to know that the La Mesa Dam in the former town of Novaliches is the oldest among the three dams consisting of the Angat-Ipo-La Mesa water system that provides potable water… Read More
Lauengco: ESG ratings, inclusive business dev't, progressive capitalism
January 11, 2023, 1:36 pm
“Convincing people they are wrong is difficult” – Stephen Denny Yesterday, there was an item in the news that Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) recently received very high scores from several global ESG rating firms. ALI is one of the very few Filipino companies that gets consistent high ESG rating and… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Managing inflation
January 10, 2023, 10:01 am
Earlier this month, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) announced that inflation in December soared to 8.1 percent, the highest data since November 2008. The pickup was mainly brought about by the acceleration of costs in food, restaurants and accommodation services and housing. This means… Read More
Laurel: PBBM state visit: Walking the talk
January 9, 2023, 3:43 pm
Last Jan. 7, 2022, the Asian Century Philippine Strategic Studies Institute Inc. (ACPSSII) co-sponsored with the Kamuning Bakery Café and the Manila Times, a webinar on the “PBBM sate visit to China: Impact on the Philippines’ economy and future” Speaking in the webinar were: Federation of… Read More
Samonte: Remembering PNA's infancy years since 1973
January 5, 2023, 9:35 am
As the year of the Rabbit 2023 began, I looked back at the year 1973 to reminisce on the infancy of the Philippine News Agency (PNA) which was organized as the government's official newswire service 50 years ago. The then martial law born-PNA, which is celebrating its golden anniversary on March… Read More
