IN January, I warned our readers against online advertisements selling a mouse-like, plug-in “energy saver” that would reduce electricity bills by half. Speaking from experience, I presented myself as a victim of deceit, having bought the device at five hundred (P500) pesos. Sad to say, these testimonial ads still persist. No doubt, the
November 4, 2024
DURING a recent dinner with a friend who had phoned to see me, he was uneasy. Thus, I encouraged him to tell me his problem. “Money is my problem,” he confessed. “I want to fly to Manila to visit my departed loved ones in the cemetery.” It bothered me that he had
November 1, 2024
WITH due respect to a traditional Christian belief, the Bible does not say anything about the dead waiting to be visited in their graves on November 1, All Saints Day. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, it was on May 13, 609 during the reign of Pope Boniface IV that the Roman Catholic
October 30, 2024
“THANK God, it’s over,” I told myself on Saturday morning as the sun was rising; and there was no indication that typhoon Kristine was “u-turning”. But just as I was turning on the TV early yesterday morning (Sunday), the weatherman was talking about another typhoon, Leon, roaring closer to Eastern Luzon, and
October 28, 2024
IT has been two months since the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Pavia, Iloilo passed a resolution dated August 14, 2024 urging MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) to ink a joint venture agreement (JVA) with the Iloilo Electric Cooperative (ILECO) I. When I asked MORE Power President/CEO Roel Z. Castro about
October 25, 2024
THERE was a time when I attended a seminar on foreign exchange or speculative trading of fluctuating currencies, basically pitting one currency against another. The lecturer started “catching” the audience with the sad reality that keeping money in the bank does not beget more money because its miniscule interest – at most
October 23, 2024
THERE was a time when former Senator Manny Pacquiao, an ex-Roman Catholic, earned the ire of the gay community when he condemned the latter for lobbying to legalize same-sex marriage. He quoted Bible verses, such as: “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both
October 21, 2024
IN this corner a few weeks ago, I warned against Facebook ads selling “energy saver” online at ₱500, claiming that the mouse-like gadget could reduce electricity bills by as much as 50 percent. Not true. It’s a scam that has victimized buyers, including this writer. The manufacturer must have found this scam so
October 18, 2024
WHEN will this ever stop? This was the question that came to my mind on knowing that the price of gasoline had gone beyond ₱62 per liter, or an increase of ₱2.65 per liter. I guess it will cost higher in the forthcoming Christmas. That hurts those of us who have yet
October 16, 2024
IS there a chance for a divorce law to pass despite strong objection from the Roman Catholic Church? “Yes,” according to Rep. Edcel Lagman (1st Dist., Albay), principal author of the Absolute Divorce Act, which was approved by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2024 and is now awaiting Senate deliberation. “I
October 14, 2024
MY column dated October 4, 2024 has turned out right. I said: “The fight has ended before it began. Congresswoman Julienne Baronda has lost her opportunity to defend her House seat against Raisa Treñas-Chu, only daughter of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas.” In other words, both ladies would run unopposed for different
October 11, 2024
THERE was a time when I wrote about a visiting American Jew who expressed surprise why most Filipinos were Christians. He wished there were more Filipinos embracing his religion, Judaism. When I asked him why he chose to be a Jew, he answered, “Why? It’s to follow Jesus Christ. He was a
October 9, 2024