7 billion concerns
AS WE commemorate the day of the dearly departed, the world also recognizes another milestone for humanity, with the birth of the 7 billionth baby. Baby Danica May Camacho, born…
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Why 6 million Asian-Americans owe the CA Public Utilities commission president a ‘thank you’
THE leader and president of the California Public Utilities Commission is being criticized by groups that are indifferent to the plight of our state’s six million Asian Americans and 600,000…
60% Don’t come for sex
THE furor over the assertion of US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas that 40% of male foreign visitors are sex tourists reminds me of the newspaper headline that declared,…
Apology accepted
US AMBASSADOR to the Philippines Harry Thomas, Jr. may have exaggerated in his statement, but that doesn’t mean the problem of sexual tourism in the country does not exist. In…
Jobs, well done
“ALMOST everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering…
Dancing the Cha-cha—again
The debate on whether or not amendments should be made in the constitution has been similar to an endless dance of Cha-cha; wherein government officials keep dancing to and fro…
Lessons from a dark era
“THE Filipino, it seems, has lost his soul, his dignity, and his courage. We have come upon a phase of our history when ideals are only a veneer for greed…
Fruits of labor
The Philippine coconut industry and the Aquino administration has all reasons to be thrilled with the big time companies in the United States recently expressing their willingness to invest in…
Affirmation
WITH 85% approval for his performance in the past three months, Vice President Jejomar Binay is enjoying the highest approval and trust ratings (85 percent approval rating and 86 percent…
Foot in mouth
IT’S WHAT an idiom would refer to as a “foot-in-mouth” situation. WikiLeaks consecutive release of secret diplomatic cables between the US Embassy and Washington (from 2006-2010) regarding the Philippine affairs…
So far, so good
FRESH from his first state visit to People’s Republic of China, President Benigno Aquino III is set to embark on two more state visits this month. The outcome of Aquino’s…
A step forward
THINGS seem to be looking up for PH-China relations — at least, in terms of trade and investment. President Aquino’s state visit to China seems to be yielding positive results…
Action speaks louder than words
To better respond to criminality and improve on implementing peace and order in the country, the government recently released a P1.75 billion modernization fund for the Philippine National Police (PNP). …
Ordinary heroes
“THE world’s battlefields have been in the heart chiefly; more heroism has been displayed in the household and the closet, than on the most memorable battlefields in history.” – Heinry…
Perspective
Despite reports that the number of unemployed nursing graduates in the Philippines continues to increase, many (including those who already have medical degrees, or are already practicing medicine in the…
The tourism challenge
AS an important weapon of the Philippines’ economic arsenal, tourism is becoming to be an industry built through the country’s natural and cultural environment, where the most negligible and innocent…
A new challenge
AS an important weapon of the Philippines’ economic arsenal, tourism has become an industry built through the country’s natural and cultural environment. Tourism holds the assurance of increased employment and…
Poverty reduction
With the 2012 national budget set to be filed on December of 2011, the economic managers of the current administration recently expressed confidence that poverty incidence in the Philippines can…
Religion vs Right
“Some people just don’t understand what we are doing here. I think we can all work together to uphold artistic freedom and appreciation of art’s place in a democratic society.”…
Surviving an economic downward spiral
NOT everyone understands the implications of fiscal developments in an economy. What a simple citizen realizes (and cares more about) is when there’s not enough money to spend, and not…
Endless Possibilities
2010 posted a good year for the Philippines as its economy grew by 7.3 percent (the highest in 34 years) during the last quarter. Aside from the renewed investor confidence…
Auspicious era
IN his 53-minute speech last July 25, President Benigno Aquino III gathered a collection of both criticisms and praises on his second State of the Nation Address (SONA), before the…
One more time
As another proposed strategy to tourism, the national tourism development plan (NTDP) is expected to double tourist arrivals in the country to 6.5million and generate 2.9million new jobs before President…
Surface tension
ONE by one, they’re coming out of the woodwork. On July 12, former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) Governor Zaldy Ampatuan claimed that former Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA)…
Redemption in the offing
EVER since former President Ferdinand Marcos’ reign as leader, politics in the Philippines is being felt to be dismal and troubling that the fate of the country hangs on such…
The defender
Last July 1, national news sources reported that Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte was caught on video camera punching a court sheriff of the Davao Regional Trial Court Branch 15…
On testing friendship
ALONG with the celebration of the United States of America’s 235th Independence Day, last July 4 was also the Filipino-American Friendship Day, the commemoration of the enduring alliance between the…
United we stand
AS the ongoing dispute between China and the Philippines on the Spratly row heats up, Filipino-Americans, spearheaded by the US Pinoys for Good Governance (USP4GG) will hold demonstrations at China’s…