WHY are women in the Roman Catholic Church not allowed to join the priesthood? Simply put, the Church prohibits it in keeping with the long-standing tradition that started with Jesus choosing only 12 men as his apostles. In reaction, a number of my province mates from Antique – all members of the
August 26, 2026
IT’S a special non-working day in Iloilo City tomorrow (August 25, 2026), in accordance with President Ferdinand R. Marcos’ Proclamation No. 1388, which marks the city’s 89th Charter Anniversary. In today’s parlance, a charter city in the Philippines is one whose existence, governance, and corporate powers are defined by a specific law
August 24, 2026
WHY did the ACT Teachers Party-list denounce Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro? It’s for her “illogical, disrespectful, and reckless tirade” against teachers, according to Rep. Antonio Tinio. Here’s what Atty. Castro had said in her press briefing at Malacañang Palace on Aug. 18, 2026: “Minsan na po nating nakita, mismong
August 21, 2026
THE month of August has been observed as National Lung Month since July 24, 1978, when former President Ferdinand Marcos declared it as such through Presidential Proclamation No. 1761 in memory of the late Manuel Luis Molina Quezon, the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth. Today, we celebrate his 148th birthday. He
August 19, 2026
As reported by Mariela Angella Oladive for this paper, 63 barangays in Iloilo province have recorded 1,834 dengue victims across 23 towns and Passi City between January 4 and August 8 this year. Of that number, 239 were logged in one week from August 2 to 8. The fatalities are not so
August 17, 2026
YOU surely know why the word “inflation” scares. Simply put, it refers to the sustained increase in the prices of goods and services across an economy, thus reducing our currency’s purchasing power. And now we are coming to terms with what used to be an unfamiliar economic condition known as “stagflation” —
August 14, 2026
THERE was a time when President Roel Z. Castro of MORE Electric and Power Corp. (MORE Power) talked to us about his dream of bringing about unified billing rates among electricity distribution utilities (DUs) in Iloilo. “The benefit of this is,” he said, “is that investors would know where to invest
August 12, 2026
MAY I begin this column with a confession that, while I believe in God, I no longer go to church? That frees me from swallowing religious beliefs that organized religion foists on faithful followers in the guise of “spirit of obedience” nurtured by 505 years of Spanish influence – counting from 1521
August 10, 2026
ONE of the two is our first and only world tennis champion, Alexandra Maniego Eala. But let’s go chronological. First, let’s focus on the fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 28, 2025, where President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lightheartedly lauded the then-Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief General Nicolas Torre III
August 5, 2026
WHY do some people oppose the proposed Pax Silica Economic Security Zone project, which is reportedly aimed at boosting the Philippine economy? Why, when it promises between USD 40 billion and USD 70 billion in foreign investments that would generate more than 100,000 high-income jobs in a 1,620-hectare industrial and technological zone
August 3, 2026
IN a previous column, I told a tale about a housewife who went to the public market to buy meat and veggies, only to find that her usual budget was no longer enough. Indeed, the purchasing power of the Philippine peso has slid to a record low. As of this month, the
July 31, 2026
“WE, the people, request — no, we demand — the immediate amendment of the EPIRA to prohibit charging system loss to consumers, including the value-added tax thereon,” President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday. EPIRA is an acronym for the Electric Power Industry Reform
July 29, 2026
