Opinion and Commentary
Zaldarriaga: Data centers: Emerging economic pillar
January 23, 2024, 9:56 am
The Philippines in 2023 recorded significant gains in foreign direct investments, strengthening its appeal to global investors as the country welcomed 2024 on the back of widespread strong positive economic sentiment. Last year, foreign investments reached PHP173 billion which is 23 percent higher… Read More
Lu: Leave no one behind in Philippine education
January 22, 2024, 12:11 pm
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has informed state universities and colleges (SUCs) and local universities and colleges (LUCs) to stop accepting senior high school students starting the next academic year. The “next academic year” is 2024–2025. What prompted CHED to issue such a… Read More
Samonte: Why I am in favor of amending the 1987 Charter
January 19, 2024, 4:51 pm
As expected, the move of House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez to revive the on-and-off proposal to amend or change some provisions of the 1987 Constitution has met strong opposition from some sectors even before it is officially presented to the two-chamber Congress upon its reopening on Jan.… Read More
Lauengco: We begin with a survey
January 17, 2024, 7:00 pm
“Survey and test a prospective action before undertaking it. Before you proceed, step back and look at the big picture, lest you act rashly on raw impulse." - Epicetus Lately, I have had several meetings that follow a recurring pattern. The conversation almost always begins with the same… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Business for good
January 16, 2024, 9:42 am
News of Filipino business leaders recognized by the Holy See for their philanthropic work and for advancing humanitarian causes recently made headlines to the delight of many of our fellow Filipino faithful. As Asia’s bastion of Catholicism, it brings pride to see our fellow countrymen get… Read More
Lu: Government assistance to middle-income families
January 13, 2024, 2:59 pm
The news caught my attention at the start of the new year. This is the continuation of DSWD’s Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS). The DSWD has halted the issuance of guarantee letters (GLs) under the AICS program since Dec. 7 last year. It resumed issuing GLs at the onset of… Read More
Samonte: Remembering 5 old friends with the same first name 'Fred'
January 12, 2024, 3:32 pm
At the outset of the dragon-leap year 2024, instead of making new year resolutions like in the previous several years, I reminisced about many of the friends I have gathered since I started working as a journalist more than 55 years ago. In that span of time, I also lost a number of friends, not… Read More
Lauengco: It’s beginning to look a lot like … Mottainai
January 10, 2024, 3:36 pm
“Today will never happen again. Don’t waste it with a false start or no start at all.” - Og Mandino In the Philippines, you know that the long Christmas season has begun when you hear and see the signs of the said season. Christmas carols, bells, Christmas trees and other decorations begin… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Paradigm shift
January 9, 2024, 2:14 pm
I just turned 60 last week, earning what many jokingly refer to as their second citizenship. I must admit that becoming a senior citizen officially is a significant milestone in life and I’m truly blessed, given that not everyone has the privilege to reach this stage. Over the past few days, I… Read More
Lu: Navigating the landscape of jeepney modernization
January 6, 2024, 9:37 am
On Dec. 31, 2023, the provisional authorities that allow individual operators to ply the traditional jeepneys expired. However, this was extended for another month, or until Jan. 31, 2024. This is the second extension when the same expired on June 30, 2023. With the one-month extension, we can… Read More
Lauengco: Feast of the Three Wise Men
January 3, 2024, 10:33 am
“May the wisdom that guided the Magi guide you to your own light” - Anonymous In a few days, we will be celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany or the Feast of the Three Kings as it is most commonly known here in the Philippines. It commemorates the time when, according to the Gospel of Matthew,… Read More
Zaldarriaga: New Year’s Resolutions
January 2, 2024, 10:19 am
Just before the New Year revelries, the Social Weather Stations released the results of its survey that showed 96 percent of Filipinos are entering 2024 “with hope”—the highest since the pandemic hit. The wide scale and record-high optimism sets the stage for the country this year as the… Read More
Samonte: How the first Charter Change proposal started in 1997?
December 29, 2023, 3:03 pm
Did you know that the first proposal or move to amend or change some of the provisions of the 1987 Constitution happened in 1997 and that then President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) became a prime suspect of initiating it to pave the way for the extension of his term which was ending on June 30, 1998?… Read More
Lu: Overseas Filipino workers and the holiday season
December 29, 2023, 11:44 am
An estimated hundred thousand overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are back in the Philippines for the holiday season. This is the time of the year when they bond with their families as they endure a yearlong absence. Christmas and New Year celebrations have profound significance for OFWs. This season… Read More
Lauengco: Onward forward with an eye backward
December 27, 2023, 2:10 pm
“I have squandered my days with plans of many things… For all we ought to have thought and have not thought; all we ought to have said, and have not said; all we ought to have done and have not done; I pray, thee God, for forgiveness.”- Antonio Banderas, from the movie “13th Warrior”.… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Gearing up for 2024
December 26, 2023, 10:08 am
With just a few days left in 2023, many have started drawing up their New Year’s resolutions while preparing for the remainder of the holiday season. It is usually during this season that time pauses for many industries to give way to family gatherings and celebrations. But while many are in a… Read More
Lu: Christmas and Traffic: Navigating the Festive Gridlock
December 24, 2023, 4:22 pm
Why is it that we always experience nightmarish traffic in Metro Manila during the Christmas holidays? We call it the Christmas rush when traffic is not moving at all. Filipinos call it “carmaggeddon” to illustrate the severity of traffic. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA)… Read More
Samonte: Why there is a need for Charter Change
December 22, 2023, 3:54 pm
In my Dec. 8, 2023 column, I wrote that the 1987 Philippine Constitution will turn 37 years old on Feb. 2, 2024 despite a series of attempts by certain groups since the last quarter of the 1990s to change some of its economic provisions or even replace it entirely with a new one that will be more… Read More
Lauengco: Blue Christmas, Red Christmas
December 20, 2023, 9:48 am
“We should learn the true Christmas lesson of gentle and thoughtful kindness…”- J.R. Miller There is a Christmas tradition in the west called Blue Christmas. It happens on the longest night of the year. During this day, some churches hold a church service to honor people that have recently… Read More
Zaldarriaga: A legacy of engineering excellence
December 19, 2023, 4:33 pm
The year 2023 saw many highlights and turning points for various industries and sectors as economies worldwide forge ahead into the new normal. For many businesses, this year was all about revival and steady stabilization. Among those that saw a strong recovery this year was the construction… Read More
