LAST Saturday, we took time out to cross the strait of Guimaras and join the simple celebration of the Couples for Christ (CFC) in the island-province held at the Provincial Capitol area in San Miguel, Jordan, to mark its 16th anniversary in the province.
The event was sentimental to us because we were privileged to lead [...]

A CASINO is “For Adults Only” and certainly, its presence will spoil a wholesome and world-renowned vacation resort island like Boracay. Why do we say this?
We have our first-hand observations when we worked as Marketing Director of a hotel with a casino in the 1990s. Although that was years ago, we believe that public attitude [...]

TODAY, our column gives way to an e-mail from One Pissed Off Kano, as he calls himself, giving a strong reaction to the subject of our column of May 26, 2008 entitled “Power rates should be looked into.”
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Dear Mr. Novera,
I was both surprised and pleased to see your article addressing a problem we, the common [...]

A RAGING feud is going on in Metro Manila between major stockholder Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and Manila Electric Co. (MERALCO), concerning high power rates being charged to consumers where even the President has now intervened.
The final showdown between the major parties will come tomorrow when stockholders hold their annual meeting. Will the Lopezes [...]

LIKE the characters in the famous (or infamous?) ZTE deal of the government with China that hogged the headlines when the Senate was investigating it, maybe we should give the same advice to the oil companies. Moderate your greed!
It appears that the agenda of the oil companies in our country is simply profit, profit and [...]

THE BIG headline in newspapers last week was Meralco, with Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) General Manager Winston Garcia threatening to take over the operation of the big power distributor when the stockholders meet on May 27, 2008. In fact, it is now gathering proxies to pursue the move.
It is possible that this can happen because [...]

WE BELIEVE that the Regional Offices of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) have done a very good service for the past few years by facilitating the issuance of passports in five working days for a regular fee of P500 or, if you need it rush, you can pay P750 and you get your passport [...]

WE HAVE undergone 36 years of land reform since Presidential Decree No. 27 of then President Ferdinand E. Marcos, and now under CARP or the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.
Government has spent some P200 billion of public funds in the budget for land reform, but we ended up in 2008 as the world’s biggest importer of rice!
The [...]

OF COURSE, you know FIELDS. It is the government’s answer to the present rice crisis, arrived at during a summit recently held at the Clark Freeport in Pampanga under the auspices of the Department of Agriculture (DA). It is the acronym for F-ertilizer, I-rrigation, E-ducation and training for farms and fisherfolks, L-oans, D-riers & other [...]

OUR PROBLEM on the rice shortage may indeed be serious because, aside from the experts and various consultants that we already have in the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the National Food Authority (NFA), the Palace has additionally created a special position of Adviser on Rice and Fish.
It appointed one Pedro Pelagio, who immediately announced his [...]