By Dennis Gorecho “Why no car, Judge?” It was a rainy Thursday evening in Iloilo City when good friend, Fiscal Myra Duremdes, mentioned over coffee the death of a female judge due to a motorcycle accident. The 41-year-old Carmela Rosario Pasquin, Presiding Judge of the Municipal Circuit Trial Court (MCTC) of Pinamungajan-Aloguinsan towns in Cebu …
OPINION
Drop the load
By Herman M. Lagon There are days when you think the biggest surprise will be the capping snacks at the hotel, and then a friend across the secretariat table casually says she might need a TAHBSO — “tabsu,” as she called it. It was said half in jest, half in exhausted honesty, and suddenly all …
Super typhoons in PH have become more frequent, scientists say
Stronger typhoons in the Philippines have become more frequent in recent years, according to two climate scientists from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). Dr. Joseph Basconcillo said their study of tropical cyclones from 1996 to 2022 showed a rise in the number of super typhoons that developed in or entered the …
Addressing the plastic problem
By Sonny Angara The problem with plastic materials is that many of them last forever. While some types are considered biodegradable, many require industrial-level processes to be recycled or broken down to harmless materials. Plastics are very useful for many industries. For example, up to a fourth of all packaging used globally are made of …
The integral should give way to the essential
By Fr. Roy Cimagala This was clearly expounded by Christ himself when he said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.” (Mark 9:43) And he continued, “And if your foot …
DOH floats total ban on vape
The Department of Health (DOH) over the weekend floated the idea of a sweeping ban on vape products as it condemned the “deceptive” marketing of the e-cigarettes, which the agency said pose serious health risks. Speaking on dzMM, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa lamented that some high school students were using and flaunting vapes, which are …
Bicol express
By Ade S. Fajardo Former Congressman Zaldy Co of Ako Bicol Party-list has accused President Bongbong Marcos, Jr. of receiving P25 billion in kickbacks, supposedly from P100 billion worth of project insertions in the 2025 General Appropriations Act. “After the approval of the budget in the General Appropriations Act of 2025, I asked the DPWH …
When presence is the first kindness
By Herman M. Lagon There is a particular silence that fills a room when people who have carried too much finally sit down to learn how to help others carry their own pain. That was the silence at the PGCA – Iloilo Convention in Iloilo Grand Hotel early this month when Dr. Ana Panganiban, one …
WHO urges clampdown on nicotine products aimed at kids
Sleek-looking disposable e-cigarettes and candy-flavored nicotine pouches are among a range of new products targeting young people and fueling a new wave of tobacco and nicotine addiction, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned. Speaking at the opening of a global conference on tobacco control, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus decried that surging numbers of children …
Beyond the numbers
By Herman M. Lagon Numbers help us spot patterns. But they rarely tell the whole story. Behind every percentage point is a real person — someone with struggles, dreams and a story that raw data alone cannot explain. This is where qualitative research comes in. It adds depth to issues that are often reduced to …