Opinion

All that may illustrate the impact of the El Niño weather phenomenon is the sustained heat index across the country in April – ranging from 35 degrees Celsius in Manila’s outskirts to 42 degrees C in Ilocos Norte. El Niño has been underway since July last year, with the Philippine …

Do not underestimate the persistent push by the labor sector for government to grant an across-the-board hike in the daily minimum wage. That may well be our unsolicited advice to the government as we believe labor groups from various political persuasions are unlikely to give up their petition for a …

We hailed the proclamation issued by the Marcos administration last November granting amnesty to former members of four rebel groups, including the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF). We said then this was an important step forward in restoring peace after decades of armed conflict. But …

THIS Friday (Philippine time), US President Joe Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in a White House summit intended to reinforce trilateral maritime cooperation in the South China Sea. This is a first-of-their kind meetings by the United States and its two …

ASIAN nations will have their eyes and ears glued to Washington this week with the scheduled trilateral summit aimed at boosting defense ties, following the four-way military drills in the South China Sea with Australia. Military and diplomatic observers say this is a key upgrade of US defense ties with …

Amid what appears to be a deliberate campaign by Beijing to distort the truth about what’s really happening in our Exclusive Economic Zone in the South China Sea, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro has correctly warned Filipinos not to believe any ‘‘Chinese propaganda’’ on the issue. The Defense Secretary urged the …

Echoes from so many voices, including the silent ones who speak a lot. Like on March 27, former president Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesperson Harry Roque said the former had struck a “status quo agreement” with China allowing the Philippines to deliver “only water and food” to Filipino troops stationed at BRP …

The newly installed chief of the Philippine National Police, General Rommel Marbil, faces the daunting task of curbing what President Marcos Jr. has described as “emerging threats” to national security: cybercrime, transnational crime and terrorism. The emphasis on fighting cybercrime is borne out by data showing swindling is the top …

The previous administration emphasized the reduction of the supply side of the country’s problem with illegal drugs through the sheer coercive power of the police, who killed in the process no less than 6,000 suspected drug pushers and users from July 2016 to mid-2022. Police invariably claimed the drug casualties …

Conserve water and energy consumption. These, amid what authorities call the peak impact of the El Niño phenomenon which typically leads to reduced rainfall in Southeast Asia where the Philippines is. From droughts and water scarcity to crop failures, forest fires, and economic disruptions, its impact is felt across many …