By Sonny Angara Forty years ago, delegates from 135 countries, including the Philippines, signed at an international conference the first global declaration affirming “primary health care” as key to upholding every person’s right to a healthy life. Many consider this “Alma-Ata Declaration” among the critical public health milestones of the 20th century, signaling a global …
OPINION
Working daily on our fidelity
By Fr. Roy Cimagala We should never take for granted this duty to work daily on our fidelity. We cannot presume that just because we were fervent when we professed to be faithful to some commitment we made, we can hack it simply by going along with what is expected of us. We need …
How well armed is Iran, and can it replenish missiles?
As the US-Israel war with Iran nears its fourth week, Iranian missiles are still striking Israel and the Gulf states despite US and Israeli claims to have decimated missile stocks. A social media post from the White House on March 14 claimed that “Iran’s ballistic missile capacity is functionally destroyed,” yet Iran continues to demonstrate …
Bank deposits will steer impeachment
By Ade S. Fajardo Reception of evidence on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte will commence tomorrow. It is all systems go for House of Representatives Committee on Justice chair and Batangas Representative Gerville Luistro, after her panel declared the two petitions lodged against Duterte “sufficient in grounds.” There will be three more …
Diskarte beyond the diploma
By Herman M. Lagon The first lesson about diskarte rarely comes from a classroom. It arrives quietly, often early, sometimes uninvited. It is learned while watching a parent stretch a week’s budget across 10 days, or while figuring out how to get to school when the last jeepney has already left. For many of us, …
Why older OFWs won’t leave conflict zones in Middle East
Lily saw flashes of light punctuating the night sky, followed by the thunderous sound of three consecutive booms as intercepted missiles exploded overhead. She has been working in Doha, Qatar, for 17 years, but this is the first time she has felt truly afraid. “It’s really scary because it’s right there above our homes,” she …
Money hunt for views
By Herman M. Lagon If you have not seen it yet, someone in your circle has. A content creator drops hints on social media: There is money hidden somewhere in a public place. A crowd gathers. People run, search, collide, shout, laugh, and sometimes fall. Cameras are ready. The clip is edited tight — quick …
Palm Sunday
By Fr. Roy Cimagala The Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord marks that triumphal procession of Christ as King that would lead to his passion, death and resurrection. We should not fail to note the intimate relationship between what is truly to be a king and the need to go through the passion, …
Coming years ‘critical’ to slash plastic pollution: UN
The world must halve single-use plastics and slash throwaway consumption to stem the tide of environmental pollution, according to a United Nations (UN) report that warns the next few years are critical. Concern is growing about the impacts of plastics, with microplastic fragments found from the deepest ocean trenches to the top of Mount Everest. …
Juan and Maria at the crossroads of crisis
By Ignacio R. Bunye The peso has fallen to its weakest level in history — P60.10 to the dollar. For Juan and Maria, this is not an abstract figure on a trading screen. It is the rising price of rice, medicine and school supplies. It is the shrinking value of their hard-earned wages. It is …