The May 2025 elections in Iloilo City made history by electing three women to the city’s top posts — Raisa Treñas-Chu as mayor, Lady Julie Grace “Love-Love” Baronda as vice mayor, and Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda for a third term in Congress. Heralded as a victory for gender representation, the outcome
May 24, 2025
Carlo Magno Batalla has recently emerged as a high-profile anti-corruption crusader in Western Visayas, but scrutiny over his political connections and previous actions raises questions about the intentions behind his crusade. Batalla, the founding chairman of Crimes and Corruption Watch International (CCWI), filed a graft complaint last May 21 against
May 23, 2025
In a forum in one of the state universities in Iloilo, I was asked by one journalism student on what really is the job of an editor. I answered with the usual clip that editors are “faultfinders” to a certain degree because we always look for mistakes, misspellings, and other
May 20, 2025
The assertion that Bam Aquino and Kiko Pangilinan’s electoral victories are a “blow” to pre-election surveys rests on a common but flawed misunderstanding of what surveys are and what they are designed to do. Public opinion surveys, especially those conducted by established organizations like Pulse Asia, Social Weather Stations (SWS),
May 16, 2025
No traveler dreams of starting a vacation at the airport — much less ending it there. But that’s exactly what happened to a Filipino passenger bound for Bali who was recently denied boarding by Cebu Pacific. His offense? A torn passport page. It might sound petty, but for those familiar
April 26, 2025
The April 2025 survey of WR Numero revealed a widening North-South divide in Philippine electoral preferences, and with it, the deepening ideological fault line between the Marcos and Duterte camps. Senate candidates under the administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas topped voter preferences in Metro Manila, Luzon, and the Visayas. But the
April 24, 2025
The world today bids farewell to one of the most consequential pontiffs in modern history. Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina, made history not just as the first Latin American pope, but as a shepherd who challenged the Roman Catholic Church to look inward—with compassion, humility,
April 22, 2025
In a time of growing inequality, political noise, and social upheaval, the ideal of “balanced” news may no longer be enough — especially for young people, women, and those on the margins of Philippine society. A study published in the International Journal of Communication titled Who Wants Impartial News? Investigating Determinants of Preferences
April 11, 2025
When journalism claims to be “impartial,” we should ask: impartial to whom? A new study published in the International Journal of Communication suggests that the answer often lies in power — and who holds it. Titled Who Wants Impartial News? Investigating Determinants of Preferences for Impartiality in 40 Countries, the research analyzed data
April 10, 2025
On the surface, it sounds like a compelling opposition: “We don’t want incinerators disguised as green technology in our communities.” Who would? But this kind of rhetoric, recently revived in the debate surrounding the Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility (ISWMF) project in Iloilo City, oversimplifies what is otherwise a complex,
April 9, 2025
The Visayas region has historically been less prioritized in the Philippines’ energy sector compared to Luzon and Mindanao, resulting in a greater reliance on power imports and increased vulnerability to supply disruptions. The January 2024 Panay Island blackout, which caused widespread power outages for households and businesses, was triggered by
April 5, 2025