I ACTUALLY survived reading the online transcription of the recent SONA delivered by President Rodrigo Duterte before a joint session of Congress last July 27.  I noted that it was…

SAN Francisco, California is said to be a bastion of liberal and progressive folks. The city has a black mayor, London Breed, who replaced a Chinese-American mayor, the late Ed…

MY last piece on reaching back to one’s roots while growing new fruits as a young Filipino in America seems to have started a discussion on values. In this regard,…

I HAD an interesting exchange on social media with a good friend, over the issues of “colonial mentality” and “assimilation.” My friend stated, with a hint of sarcasm, “Forgive me…

MY dear departed friend Alex Esclamado, publisher and editor of Philippine News, had a practical advice for members of his editorial and reportorial staff: “If you are not 100% sure…

ON June 12, 1998, Filipinos the world over commemorated the first centennial of Philippine independence, based on the establishment of the Philippine Republic by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo on June 12,…

My wife and I have been attending Holy Mass on our laptop for more than two months now because of the coronavirus pandemic. Both of us being in our 80s,…

ABS-CBN signed off after its franchise expired on May 4, 2020. Actually, the franchise was left to expire by the Philippine House of Representatives that preferred to second-guess President Rodrigo…

THERE is a saying, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” In other words, you try to make the best out of what fate has given you. Jessica Cox, a…

HOW long will the coronavirus pandemic continue to scourge the world? We can only guess, based on empirical experience. Did God say how long the world would remain flooded and…

In his book, “The Greatest Generation,” journalist Tom Brokaw extolled those born in the 1900s and up to the 1920s, relating how they survived the Great Depression, fought and won…

Hopefully, none of our readers is positive for COVID-19. Nonetheless, I suggest that each one of us should think positively — meaning, we should consider ourselves positive for the disease….

Several years ago, I produced a special TV report on the topic, “What would happen if Filipino health care professionals in the U.S. do not report for work?” The point…

THE coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is just one more crisis, among the many, that the world has experienced in the 20th century and the present millennium. Each crisis has been a test…

Chris Cuomo, the host of the CNN news-commentary program, “Cuomo Prime Time,” had good news about someone who had been found positive for the strain of coronavirus, known as COVID-19….

There’s a new epidemic being posted on social media: moronavirus. The root word is “moron,” as in idiot, stupid or nincompoop. A more charitable synonym is “incompetent.” An indication of…

They called him The Punisher when he was mayor of Davao City. I guess he can now be called The Terminator (step aside Schwarzenegger). President Rodrigo Duterte appears to be…

I’M almost done with my third book, “The Republic of Santa Banana and other Ad Libs.” It’s a compilation of my most irreverent satires in almost 32 years of column…

President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive banning travel to the U.S. by members of his cabinet is just one more move of the president to curb junkets of officials in his administration. …

Pinoys are punny. When President Joseph “Erap” Estrada was being impeached, the predominantly Catholic Pinoy populace could not resist punning the quintessential Christian greeting, “Peace be with you!”  ”Impeach be…

Fifty-six years ago on December 24, 1963, Gigi and I exchanged marriage vows. We promised to love and honor and care for each other till death parted us. Till then,…

The term ‘Tago Nang Tago’ (TNT) refers to Pinoys in the U.S. who are hiding from immigration officials because of their illegal status. This year, TNT may also mean U.S….

Towards the end of the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, I wrote a biting piece entitled, “May Angal???”  Literally, “Any complaints?” I wrote the piece out of sheer frustration over…

THE 30th Southeast Games hosted by the Philippines will end December 11 with a spectacular show, if we are to base our expectations on the opening ceremony. But more than…

I HAVE been closely following the TV news coverage of the U.S. congressional hearings on the possible impeachment of President Donald Trump and I am reminded of Harry Belafonte’s song,…

For sure it will take more than a day’s visit to truly understand the culture, the nature and the essence of a nation, but there is something about Mexico and…

Remember that sick joke about how fast the cops arrived at a crime scene? Cops in other countries were said to arrive in just a few minutes. But Pinoy police…

Having recently launched my book, “Confusions of a Communications Man” (recounting my experiences in over half a century as a communications practitioner) I was invited to speak before students of Mass Communications…

The Philippines is where my wife and I would love to retire in, but I decided to check out other so-called retirement havens for comparison. An interesting source of information…