Let’s talk about the unsung heroes of our modern era: politicians. They brave the fluorescent lights of committee rooms, wrestle with unwieldy binders, and occasionally, with truly staggering effort, manage to cut the ribbon on a public works project that was already scheduled for completion. And what is our default
November 3, 2025
President Donald Trump’s return to Asia for the first time in his second term is being framed as a high-stakes diplomatic tour, a chance to reassert American influence through a series of critical summits and bilateral meetings in Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea. He will arrive to an audience of
October 27, 2025
Welcome to the “Chronicles of Cracks and Amnesia,” a tale of two maladies – one in Iloilo and the other in the Philippines. On one hand, we have a Iloilo Hall of Justice so structurally anxious it closes every time the earth hiccups, trapping legal proceedings in a state of
October 21, 2025
Every time I drive around Iloilo City and province, I feel a sense of pride. A new high-rise here, a wider road there. Cranes dot the skyline, and the sound of progress is everywhere. We are a city on the move. But a recent conversation with a professor from the
October 1, 2025
Our September 30 editorial, “A Blueprint or a Warning?” got a lot of interest as to its aim and voice. It identified the Iloilo Central Market redevelopment as a pivotal moment for our city, and the questions it raises about the long-term welfare of our vendors are valid and necessary
September 30, 2025
The classroom often feels worlds away from the frontlines of global conflict, but a recent forum in Manila brought the stark reality of modern warfare into sharp focus. It became clear that the battlegrounds of the 21st century aren’t just fought with armies but through insidious gray zone operations, lawfare,
September 22, 2025
Despite warnings from city officials that an extended 40 percent real property tax (RPT) discount may weaken Iloilo City’s service delivery, audited financial statements from the Department of Finance and Commission on Audit (COA) indicate that the city has sufficient fiscal reserves to absorb the revenue loss while continuing essential
August 29, 2025
Ever tried to rearrange the group chat admins without asking the group creator first? Yeah, it’s awkward. Now imagine doing that, but the admins are top police generals and the group creator is, well, the entire system. Welcome to the latest episode of: Gen. Nicolas Torre: The Fall from the
August 27, 2025
Somebody asked the media to research on the effects of taxes on inflation. But what is inflation, by the way? Imagine your money has a superpower: buying power. Last year, you could go to a store with a PHP100 bill and buy a specific set of snacks—let’s say a drink, a
August 21, 2025
So, things just got messy. It started as a simple, painful truth: the city’s massive property tax hike was squeezing our budgets. Now, it’s become a full-blown drama about who to believe, complete with a mayoral meltdown and a public official awkwardly walking back her own words. Let’s get the
August 20, 2025
Iloilo City officials celebrated via a press release in February 2025 the rise in business registrations in 2024 as proof of “overwhelming confidence” from the private sector. On the surface, the numbers seem to support this rosy picture. But a deeper analysis of the city’s own data reveals a narrative
August 8, 2025