By Ignacio R. Bunye The Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) marks its 174th founding anniversary with more than solid numbers — it celebrates resilience, relevance and a renewed commitment to enabling dreams and driving inclusive progress. A tradition of gratitude and community As is customary, the celebration began with a Thanksgiving Mass led by …
OPINION
The ‘lame duck’ effect
By Herman M. Lagon It wasn’t a grand proclamation, but it struck a nerve. On Bombo Radyo, Iloilo-based political law professor and arbitration expert Atty. Joenar Pueblo voiced what many have sensed but few dared say out loud: “The lame duck effect is now being felt by the Marcos camp.” The fourth year of a …
Protect your smile — and your heart
By Dr. Joseph D. Lim Chronic gum disease, for example, may cause the development of atherosclerosis which narrows arteries, raises blood pressure and increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Another example is poor oral hygiene. It may increase the risk of infective endocarditis (IE), a serious infection of the heart’s inner lining or …
The iceberg beneath the snowflake
By Herman M. Lagon The phrase “snowflake generation” has become popular in public conversation recently, mostly as a negative moniker for Generation Z (ages 12 to 27) and Millennials (ages 28 to 43). This word conjures images of fragility, oversensitivity and an incapacity to manage conflicting points of view or hardship. Underneath this frigid exterior, …
‘Makibeki. Huwag Mashokot’ reverberates in UP Diliman
By Dennis Gorecho “Makibeki. Huwag Mashokot” is the gay lingo for the activist slogan “Makibaka. Huwag Matakot” that reverberated at this year’s Pride March and Festival on June 28, 2025 held at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman in Quezon City. Not even the heavy rains could dampen the spirit of celebration. The campus …
Impeachment, interrupted again!?
By Herman M. Lagon The Supreme Court’s decision to stop the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte hit a nerve for many of us. I’m no lawyer, but I’ve taken a couple of subjects in constitution, logic, law, and legislation, worked for years in newsrooms, and spent more than two decades as an educator to …
Self-reliance in food
By Sonny Angara Recently, the Senate Committee of the Whole (COW), led by Senate President Tito Sotto, conducted two extensive hearings on African swine fever (ASF) which continues to be a perennial threat not only to the local hog industry, but also the country’s food security. The hearings underscored the seriousness of this other outbreak, …
Zeal for all the things of God
By Fr. Roy Cimagala This is what we can learn from that gospel episode of Christ driving those who converted the temple into a market place (cfr. John 2:13-25), which is the gospel reading. We need to develop this zeal because otherwise our heart can only be captured by earthly things that in the end …
Will the Senate also seek reconsideration?
By Ade S. Fajardo The Supreme Court had stopped an impeachment only two times before the currently sizzling case of Sara Duterte. In 2003, it declared some provisions of the House of Representatives rules on impeachment unconstitutional, and halted the hearings against former Chief Justice Hilario Davide. A status quo ante order was issued while …
The missing Ph in PhD
By Herman M. Lagon There it was, a post quietly tucked between vacation selfies and food reels: “Train PhD students to be thinkers, not just specialists.” I almost scrolled past it. But something about the line arrested me. Maybe it was the exhaustion I had felt from meetings where so-called experts could explain every bit …