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
Let’s go deeper into the economics of taxes, costs, and inflation per readings from economists and even lawyers. This is now the last part of this column, but our #research continues. If you missed it, read the first part here: https://dailyguardian.com.ph/rpt-saga-the-payer-isnt-always-the-bearer-part-1/ The central concept of tax incidence is that the person or firm who physically
August 22, 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
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