In God’s own terms and time
The story is told about a couple in their 60s who were visited by a fairy, who told them to wish for anything and it would be granted. The wife wished for a world cruise with her husband—and poof! Two...
View ArticleA tribute to ‘Lolo Ben’
I was abroad when I received word that my uncle, Ben Labayen, who last served government as an undersecretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform, had passed away. He was 94 years old and was buried...
View ArticleGirls in pretty dresses
Jasmine Curtis-Smith is a pretty girl. She is sister to show biz darling Anne Curtis, and is a “model, actress” who “loves to read books and listen to music.” She is also, according to Bayo Clothing,...
View ArticleWanted: new chief justice
Who should be the new chief justice (CJ)? Before choosing who, we must first know what: What are the qualifications and functions of the CJ? On qualifications, the Constitution requires all members of...
View ArticleThe ethic of responsible restraint
Twice during the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona, petitions were filed before the Supreme Court praying for its intervention in the unfolding process at the Senate. The first...
View ArticlePhysical and moral fitness
As embodiments of law and order, police officers should project competence and capability whenever and wherever they are seen by the citizenry. Simply, this means not only that their uniforms are crisp...
View ArticleFast facts
the year the Philippines overtook India as the world leader in BPO and as the call center capital of the world
View ArticleFirm opens school for undergrad employees
The BPO industry is enticing prospective agents among young professionals, college graduates and even noncollege graduates to stay on the job.
View ArticleCollege students find work in call centers
“I need money for school expenses. Good thing there are call centers,” said Maria Christina Bactol, 22, an industrial engineering student from the University of the Philippines Diliman.
View ArticleImperial Argument: Washington debates ‘Pivot to Asia’ strategy
Over the last two years, the Obama administration has executed what the president has termed the “Pivot to Asia” strategy, whereby the US’ global military force posture is being reconfigured to focus...
View ArticleGo to the People, Go to the People
For five days, the largest and most inspiring volunteer event in Philippines history, the Bayani Challenge, witnessed upwards of 70,000 participants daily. The Bayani Challenge is a joint event of...
View ArticleEquality in government bonuses
Collecting a performance bonus worth millions of pesos is thievery in broad daylight when done by public officials. President Aquino said he authorized the payment of performance bonuses to government...
View ArticleWorries
Every day I have worries, just like everyone else. Just trivial worries, and dilemmas, and complaints, which probably every other teenage girl has—and I never seem to run out of them.
View ArticleA Filipino Christmas story
The old Liberty House in Honolulu, which has become Macy’s, was an iconic department store that was especially popular during the Christmas season.
View ArticleStanding by PH in the long term
Accustomed though it is to disasters, the Philippines has taken an extraordinary pummeling in recent months and endured more than its normal portion of pain and distress.
View ArticleHoliday reflections
Last week I discussed the negatives that happened in 2013 and during the early years of the Aquino administration, negatives that can be corrected for the remainder of President Aquino’s term—if the...
View ArticleLessons in humility
Much has been said about the standoff between Makati Mayor Junjun Binay’s convoy and the Dasmariñas Village security guards who refused to let the former pass through a gate which was supposed to be...
View ArticleNames and their times
The other day, ABS-CBN.com carried an amusing report about unusual names that were spotted among the list of successful examinees in the recent UP College Admissions Test. People at first thought the...
View ArticleModest proposal
I thought I’d round off my articles on “Yolanda” and how it has drawn our attention to the poor by talking about an idea I’ve had for quite some time now. That idea is to launch some kind of “propoor...
View ArticleA true reminder
Christine Joy Sarsosa, a “Yolanda” survivor from Leyte, turned 14 yesterday, in a tent shelter in Cebu City. By contemporary standards, it was an austere birthday and a bleak Christmas. Her aunt, a...
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