“Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.” —Alan Cohen ONE of the most “private” public officials when it comes to health issues and the kind of medical treatment he is undergoing, is Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo
October 31, 2024
“Home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names, and impossible loyalties!” —Matthew Arnold ILOILO—the city and province—used to grab headlines in the national broadsheets and broadcast networks during the elections owing to quality of aspirants and intense rivalries among candidates for provincial governor, city mayor, congressman. Not anymore. If not
October 30, 2024
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies.” — Ernest Benn IF Iloilo Governor Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. is facing a stronger opponent in the May 12, 2025 midterm elections, he will not dare endorsing candidates running for other local positions
October 29, 2024
“Winning or losing of the election is less important than strengthening the country.” —Indira Gandhi NO clear winner yet. At least this is how the recent national polls were saying although we have been emphasizing that the US presidential race won’t be decided by popularity votes, but by race to 270 electoral
October 28, 2024
By Alex P. Vidal “Turn on to politics, or politics will turn on you.” —Ralph Nader AFTER October 8, 2024–when it became clear that Iloilo City Rep. Julienne “Jamjam” Baronda and former City Hall Executive Assistant Raisa Maria Lourdes Treñas-Chu wouldn’t clash in the midterm elections on May 12, 2025, hostilities between the two camps should
October 26, 2024
“One of the greatest gifts I’ve ever gotten is my daughter.”— Ace Frehley EVEN if she didn’t want to be a candidate for Iloilo City mayor, Raisa Treñas-Chu couldn’t say no to her father, Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas. Even if she didn’t need the highest elective position in Iloilo City, Mrs.
October 23, 2024
By Alex P. Vidal “Freedom of speech is a human right and the foundation upon which democracy is built. Any restriction of freedom of speech is a restriction upon democracy.” — Deeyah Khan I MAY not agree with what Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio declared in her recent very controversial press conference, but I will defend
October 22, 2024
“That’s something I’ve struggled with my entire life—people underestimating me.” —Jurnee Smollett-Bell IF Ilonggos will think Iloilo City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas isn’t getting younger anymore and has been dealing with type 2 diabetes aside from his sinus surgery last month, some of them have good reason to surmise there could
September 10, 2024
“All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work.”—Calvin Coolidge MORE neophyte lawmakers in the House of Representatives are gaining national prominence and attention because of their impressive performances in various committee investigations conducted these past weeks, including the ongoing high-strung quad-committee
September 9, 2024
“We shall heal our wounds, collect our dead and continue fighting.”—Mao Zedong ILOILO City Mayor Geronimo “Jerry” Treñas recently told the Iloilo City Hall press, “There’s nothing to worry about. I am ready to fight”—his pre-election shibboleth after successfully undergoing a sinus surgery last month. “Ready to fight” could be a
September 7, 2024
“Win or lose, we go shopping after the election.” —Imelda Marcos THE 2016 US presidential election was the first official presidential election in the United States that I covered physically as a journalist based in New York. I did “cover” the 2012 presidential tussle between Democrat’s Barrack Obama and Republican’s Mitt Romney,
September 6, 2024
“Only a person who has passed through the gate of humility can ascend to the heights of the spirit.” — Rudolf Steiner ONE of the chief reasons why many famous characters—including public officials—fall in disgrace too soon is because they lack humility. When we don’t have humility, we tend to be haughty,
September 5, 2024