The spirit of the season
SINCE it’s that time of the year again – the season for sharing, giving and hope, we are holding off on the issues, the politics, the disputes, the arguments and…
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Endings/beginnings
SINCE you’re reading this, it means the world did not end on December 21, 2012, as predicted by the Mayans. However, our troubles are far from over. On Thursday, House…
Last-minute antagonists
AFTER weeks of excruciating debates, the Philippine Congress reached a verdict to pass the Reproductive Health (RH) bill on Dec. 17. Voting 13-8 in favor of the bill, the Senate…
Rise above
NO one would blame Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao if he suddenly decides to call it a career and walk away from the ring for good after being knocked out…
Survey says
THIS year’s Philippine economic report is a mixed bag. Last week, the domestic economy picked up more steam by expanding its growth to 7.1 percent in the third quarter, as…
Growth spurt
WHILE Europe continues to struggle with an economic crisis and the Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives are still locking horns over what to do with the looming…
Open for business
THE Philippines was ranked 87 out of 141 countries, in Forbes’ annual look at the Best Countries for Business. With a 3.7 percent GDP growth and inflation rate of 4.8…
Malacanang says passage of Sin Tax Bill is a vital step in expanding health safety nets for Filipinos
The move of the Senate to pass the Sin Tax Bill is a vital step forward in improving and expanding public health safety nets for all Filipinos, a Palace official…
Travelogues: Sagada
It’s just hard to imagine that this place was once submerged in water. Rocks that were once in the abyss of the ocean seemed to have risen as the waters…
Smoking damages DNA instantly
For cigarette smokers and those who may be tempted to start, here’s a bit of truly disturbing new information from the American Chemical Society. New research revealed that tobacco smoke…
Oktoberfest and significant October bashes
The month of October greets us with tons of excitement and brings us weeks loaded with grandiosely conceptualized events and pompously celebrated occasions that literally filled up our calendar, aside…
Gifts from Mother Nature
“The juveniles are fun to watch. The young males enjoy sparring, often in the shallow rocky areas off shore. That play, characteristic of male mammals of many species, humans included,…
Community-builder of Happy Pinoys
SOME people are content being average. There are also those who want to make a difference in the world they live in; who want to make their lives count — …
Lasting alliance
A renewed pact is brewing between the Philippines and the United States. By next month, the two countries will sign the visiting forces agreement that will permit for another bilateral…
ASEAN, interrupted
ALLIANCES are supposed to create new and stronger organizations. But history may show that sometimes, integrations may look good on paper but fall short of what is expected. From Nov….
Fence-sitting
SEN. Pia Cayetano is tired of all the bickering and delays in the Senate, over the Reproductive Health (RH) Bill. Outspoken Sen. Miriam Santiago is getting as equally impatient, saying…
Skills, not charms
In order to be the best, a team must have the best. Perhaps such idea was running through the minds of the Philippine Amateur Baseball Association officials who wanted to…
Just reward
THIS week, we glorify the heroism and gallantry displayed by American and Filipino World War II veterans. This celebration encourages those of us who are now enjoying freedom, to pay…
‘Best is yet to come'
And just like that, the highly-anticipated 2012 US presidential elections is finally over. In what turned out to be one of the closest and costliest presidential races in history, President…
Goal-oriented
ONLY two years in office, yet President Aquino’s government has been constantly making efforts to improve the lives of its constituents. Amid upgraded credit ratings, huge investments and renewed business…
Strengthening the Mandate of the UN SPT in Torture Prevention
DR. JUNE Caridad Pagaduan-Lopez reached another milestone in her long and distinguished career. On October 25, the United Nations elected the well-renowned Filipina doctor to its Sub-committee on Prevention of…
Days of veneration
IT’S that time of the year again — for a celebration universally known as Halloween. Spooky decorations of skeletons, ghosts, witches and pumpkins dangle on windows and lawns with almost…
Thicker than blood
HISTORICALLY, it has long been a natural occurrence in Philippine politics that family members or relatives of a political figure would eventually run for a position in government — more…
Average debt up again for new college grads
It’s the latest snapshot of the growing burden of student debt and it’s another discouraging one: Two-thirds of the national college class of 2011 finished school with loan debt,…
