Opinion and Commentary
Zaldarriaga: Safety, fair play in the motorcycle taxi industry
March 5, 2024, 11:01 am
With many Filipinos required to report physically to work whether daily or a few days a week, many have become dependent on alternative modes of transportation including motorcycle taxis to beat traffic in Metro Manila. Despite the safety concerns hounding motorcycle taxi operations, it has become… Read More
Samonte: Usefulness of LEDAC meetings during PFVR's administration recalled
February 29, 2024, 3:52 pm
The five-letter acronym "LEDAC" stands for Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council which has been established under Republic Act (RA) 7640 signed on Dec. 9, 1992 by then President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR). Its primary function is to serve as an advisory and consultative body to the… Read More
Lauengco: The ubiquitous street vendors’ role in economy, governance, politics
February 28, 2024, 5:35 pm
“The best test of a nation’s righteousness is how it treats the poorest and most vulnerable in its midst.” – Jim Wallis Lately, the sari-sari store has been gaining a lot of notice. A recent report by analytics startup Packworks revealed that sales of sari-sari stores in the country posted… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Weathering El Niño
February 27, 2024, 1:13 pm
As the El Niño phenomenon persists in the Philippines, the need to take more proactive measures is further highlighted to help the country weather its impact, especially with the looming dry season. The Department of Agriculture in its most recent report said the damage of El Niño on the… Read More
Lu: Sari-sari stores important for economic growth
February 24, 2024, 9:08 am
A study states that sari-sari stores in the Philippines had a sale of PHP8 billion in 2023. This is a large sum considering that sari-sari stores thrive all over the country – in every nook and cranny. What is surprising is that the sale in 2023 represents an increase of 20 percent from the… Read More
Samonte: Why it's inadvisable for writers to deal with fake news
February 22, 2024, 2:06 pm
Much of the topics I often write about in this column, as can be gleaned from the title itself, is culled from personal experiences and observations, or what I have read and appreciated as very significant and inspiring in one's life. I normally begin with a glance at a certain event and proceed… Read More
Lauengco: Digitalization of national gov’t aid programs
February 21, 2024, 2:13 pm
“Technology is best put to work in the service of building a better world” – Simon Mainwaring Financial and other types of aid for individuals in various sectors of our society is a staple in many government programs. The standard method of distribution of aid is through face-to-face systems… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Soft skills in the digital age
February 20, 2024, 12:51 pm
Last week, I marked my 35th year in Meralco—a career milestone that, looking back, allows me to appreciate the decades of evolution that have changed and defined the way we do communications. While new technologies have disrupted many aspects of communications, the core principles and skills… Read More
Lu: QC vendor business school: in support of ‘nanopreneurs’
February 16, 2024, 9:13 am
Last Feb. 8, Quezon City Mayor Ma. Josefina "Joy" Belmonte launched the country’s first Vendor Business School (VBS), which aims to help market vendors become responsible entrepreneurs. The program was launched by the local government in partnership with the Consultative Group for International… Read More
Samonte: QC almost lost La Mesa watershed to Montalban in 1990s
February 15, 2024, 2:13 pm
This is the story of how Quezon City, the country's former national capital from 1948 to 1976, nearly lost its territorial jurisdiction over the vast La Mesa Dam, Reservoir, Watershed Reservation and Nature Reserve in the northernmost portion of Metropolitan Manila or the National Capital Region… Read More
Lauengco: Political marketing
February 14, 2024, 2:25 pm
“I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy” - John Adams This week, El Salvador’s popular and controversial president, Nayib Bukele, was re-elected by a landslide majority. A stunning 82.66 percent of or 2.7 million of the 3.2 million… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Inclusive digitalization for OFWs
February 13, 2024, 11:03 am
Businessman and philanthropist Manuel V. Pangilinan, who once worked as an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Hong Kong, recently shared that “OFWs work hard because that’s the only way to cope with homesickness”. This leads me to ponder on the role our migrant workers play not just in… Read More
Samonte: How safe are we from those careless and reckless drivers on the road?
February 8, 2024, 4:41 pm
Every now and then, we read in the newspapers or hear from radio and television news reports about grim accidents involving various types of motor vehicles, including buses and big and overloaded cargo trucks along roads in various parts of the country. The usual reason given by the drivers to… Read More
Lauengco: The Traffic Czar: One office to rule them all
February 7, 2024, 10:17 am
“Try to think of new ways to solve old problems.“ – Steve Wozniak There is a renewed call by a business group for the creation of an office or position of a traffic czar. One office that will exist solely to study and know the problems causing traffic. One office that will bring all related… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Holistic support for senior citizens
February 6, 2024, 11:35 am
Just recently, the government started the distribution of social pension payouts for indigent senior citizens in a bid to cushion the impact of inflation on rising prices of basic goods. From a monthly stipend of PHP500, poor senior citizens will now receive double the amount at PHP1,000 per… Read More
Lauengco: January blues and the national backwards day
January 31, 2024, 11:28 am
“No one wins … by only moving forward… sometimes you have to move backward…” - Marc and Angel Chernoff Today is the end of January. For many, it is the end of what seemingly was the longest month of the year. Facebook had been replete with memes like, “tomorrow is January 55th” and… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Leading the way
January 30, 2024, 9:38 am
With the dry season fast approaching and expected to be exacerbated by the ongoing El Niño, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has directed all government agencies – both at the national and local levels – to practice energy efficiency and conservation. Through an administrative order, the… Read More
Lu: Peace toward attaining national development
January 27, 2024, 9:32 am
“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding," said Albert Einstein, one of the greatest and most influential scientists of all time. The voice of Einstein kept ringing in my ears when I participated in the National Peace Advocates Summit last week at the Hive Hotel… Read More
Samonte: There's no need for PH to have another army like the NPA
January 26, 2024, 9:17 pm
One of the most pleasant pieces of news I read in the newspapers and heard from radio-television broadcasts during the second week of the year 2024 was about the announcement by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (PBBM) that "there is no more active New People's Army (NPA) guerrilla front"… Read More
Lauengco: Electric dreams
January 24, 2024, 6:58 pm
“You must be relentless in the pursuit of your goals…” Steve Garvey In a recent trip to Taiwan, I was able to meet several officials from companies producing and operating electric buses and charging station systems. I could not help but notice the increased pace and energy in their… Read More
