THE recent exchange between Malacañang and members of the Duterte family over Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.’s remarks about “pro-China” public officials highlights a question that should rise above political personalities: Where should the loyalty of Philippine public officials lie? Teodoro’s call for officials who refuse to uphold the country’s policy on the West Philippine Sea to consider resigning may be provocative, but the principle behind it is not difficult to

THE enactment of Republic Act No. 12322 marks an important opportunity to rethink how the country approaches basic education. By giving the Department of Education (DepEd) greater flexibility to determine which curricular approach works best for Filipino learners, the law puts a principle that should have always been at the center of education reform: learning and mastery must come first. For years, the spiral progression approach required concepts to be introduced early and

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? More importantly, where in the world is Senator Loren Legarda? According to her office, she’s merely in France on a "pre-scheduled medical leave"—conveniently communicated to Senate President Sherwin Gatchalian right before her departure. Her camp insists this trip was planned well in advance for purely personal health reasons, and definitely not a desperate scramble to dodge any legal proceedings. How reassuring! Official NBI travel rec

Ang acquittal o pagdeklarar na mayong sala an akusado nag reresulta sa pagkakaigwang proteksyon laban sa inaapod na double jeopardy. Ini yaon sa satong Konstitusyon. Gusto sabihon, pag an sarong tawo nakasuhan na sa husgado, nagkaigwa ning arraignment, nagtao nin plea o pag simbag kung may sala o mayo, asin natapos ang kaso sa acquittal o pawalang sala kang akusado, dai na siya pwdeng kasuhan o husgahan giraray para sa parehong kaso. Sa kaso kan dating police officer na si SP

It is not yet a done deal. But another electricity company is challenging the consumer cooperative that has long served Rinconada. Soon, this competitor may enter the territory of CASURECO III, then CASURECO II—as if competition alone could solve Bicol’s power problem. I have written repeatedly about high electricity rates and the burden they put on families, businesses and institutions, especially in Camarines Sur. The solution may still be far away. Competition should never

There is apparently something suspicious about reading a book in public. Put a book on your table at home and nobody cares. Put the same book on the table at a café, and suddenly there is a possibility that you are trying to make a statement. Maybe you’re not even reading it properly. Maybe you’re just holding it there so people can see the title. At least, that’s what someone might think. It is a curious thing about us. We have become remarkably good at assigning motives to

The impeachment trial of the Vice President gave us a window into how the Constitution—and democracy itself—works. What we saw was not always pretty. But perhaps that is the point. DEMOCRACY IS MESSY Democracy is messy. Obstructionist, even. It argues with itself. It moves slowly. It allows people we disagree with to speak—and sometimes win. Sometimes the vote goes against everything you believe. You lose. Your candidate loses. The decision goes the other way. And it hurts. B

As a young lad, I walked on iconic streets, some even date back to the Spanish Colonial Era. Streets, roads, and avenues that existed, when, The City of Naga, was then known as Nueva Caceres. Of course, some are still present and survived but with different names. An example of this is Calle Via Gainza. In modern times, it is popularly known as Peñafrancia Avenue. This historic avenue had taken its name from the illustrious Bishop Francisco Gainza, O.P. — he led the See of Ca

Isa ako sa masugid na nanunuod sa telebisyon ng impeachment trial kahit palagi akong puyat dahil sa magkaibang oras dito sa Amerika at sa Pilipinas. Pinagtiyatiyagaan ko na lang kahit inaantok na ako dahil mahalaga sa akin na malaman at mapag-aralan ang mga dahilan kung bakit dapat ma-impeach si Inday Sara, ang kasalukuyang bise-presidente ng Pilipinas. Nitong nakaraang impeachment trial may halong katatawanan at galit ang naging reaksyon ko sa mga pangalan na binanggit ng pr

Igua kita nin kinatudan na gawe o siguro puede nang magpasar bilang kultura, kadaklan- bako man gabos, mahilig kita magtiripon pag madali na ang deadline o last day nin rehistro. Nadumog ang tao asin nagkakaigwa nin halabang pila ang aldaw bago ang huri asin pinakahuring aldaw. Last day of filing na? Huring aldaw nan in pag-rehistro? Duman kita! Maamay man ngaya para amay man ang tapos. Parareho ang dalagan kan isip, pag abot sa lugar iyo nang laba kan pila. Digdi nalaog ang

Tigsik ko an ki VP na pag-iriba An mga alias talagang comedia An naisip na kalokohan pambihira Agila kuno alagad buwaya! Ining si Solar Boy tigsik ko man Biyong nasibot kan nabuking an kalokohan Sa ibang nacion biglang nag-fly, fly, fly Tibaad an tagong yaman mapeligrohan! Tigsik ko an mag-ina sobrang gulang Bilyon an nakulimbAt sa proyectong solar Nagsurabag sa ibang nacion, baby! An dakulang hapot - sinda magbalik pa daw??? Tigsik ko an pakadakop kuno ki Bato Dakul an nabul

Bago nagin City Administrator kan Naga, si Atty. Noreen San Luis-Lutey nagin Regional Director kan LTO sa Bicol, asin an paglaog niya sa gobyerno may interesanteng istorya: si dating Naga Mayor Jesse Robredo mismo an nag-alok saiya kan posisyon. Sa enot, nagduwa-duwa pa siya ta sanay siya sa pribadong praktis bilang abogado. Sa huri, tig-accept siya—asin nagin importante an saiyang trabaho sa road safety, lalo na an STRUT (Students Today, Road Users Tomorrow), na nagpoon bila

Tigsik ko an mga tawong buta sa katotohanan, Na nagpaparasaramba sa mga diyus-diyusan. An tunay na Diyos nag-oorog na an kaanggutan, Ta an sinasaramba, nilalang bako an Kaglalang. Tigsik ko kun igwa nin problema na inaatubang, Kun sasadirihon mo dai mo kayang solusyunan. An kaipuhan dumulok na sa satong Kagurangnan, Ta Siya sana an makakataong solusyon o tabang. Tigsik ko an mga tawong raot, rebong na an payo, Tugang imbes tabangan pigraraot an pagkatawo? Tangani sanang magp

The year 2076 may seem unimaginably far away, but it is only 50 years from now. The children born today will likely live to see it. The question is not whether they will witness a more advanced world—they almost certainly will. The real question is whether that world will still be a safe and livable place to call home. The warning signs are already before us. Every year, the world experiences stronger storms, longer heat waves, devastating floods, prolonged droughts, raging w

The impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte is more than a legal proceeding. It is a constitutional process that will test not only the strength of the evidence presented but also the integrity of those entrusted to decide the case. An impeachment court derives its credibility from one fundamental principle: no verdict should be reached before all the facts are laid on the table. Evidence—not political affiliation, public opinion, or personal belief—must remain the f