By Eva C. Visperas GO to the Capitol area. Hug the trees there. Soon, they will be gone. A total of 192 trees will be cut — vanishing from our sight, living only in our memories. On Monday, September 8, 2025, I went, as I always do, to the…
By Rex Catubig WITH the onrush of high tide, storm surge, and floods that have engulfed the consciousness, that have made life miserable, and have dragged along monumental debris of scandal, I am drawn to haunting memories of catastrophes in the past, similarly destructive and horrific. Yet I was never in…
A Tale of Noah
By Gonzalo Duque THE Senate Blue Ribbon Committee investigation, headed by Senator Rodante Marcoleta, into the botched flood control projects done by unscrupulous contractors under the watch of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) resumed last September 1. It initially gave us a glimpse of how the…
Beyond the investigation
By Leonardo Micua THE recent assurance from Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 1 Director Rommel Tan that there are no ghost projects or substandard flood control initiatives in the region is a welcome relief. Coming from the very agency tasked with implementing all national government-funded infrastructure…
The politics of flooding
By Virginia Jasmin Pasalo IN the NGO community, an umbrella organization is a big organization large enough to manage the interests of its member NGOs, who, individually, could not access funding on their own because they lack the necessary financial and operational documents required by the funding agencies. The…
The umbrella
By Farah G. Decano THE internet whispers about Filipino actress Ellen Adarna’s separation from Derek Ramsey, suggesting she was mistreated during her postpartum period, with hints of verbal or even physical abuse. While we cannot know the truth of this private matter, this narrative throws a glaring spotlight on…
On Ellen Adarna, Women’s Hormones, and a Society’s Blind Spot
By Eva C. Visperas THERE are days in local governance that leave you quietly hopeful, and there are days that leave you unsettled. Last week in Pangasinan, we experienced both—and the contrast could not have been sharper. I was in Calasiao on August 29, standing among local officials, transport…
Of promises fulfilled and broken vows
By Rex Catubig NOTE: I’m reprising this column in support of the Suicide Awareness and Prevention Month, and the World Suicide Prevention Day September 10. This is to give face to the menace of suicide that afflicts even the seemingly normal person, robbing the young of their power to…
Apocalyptic Moment
By Gonzalo Duque WE are getting tired of the exposes relative to the botched flood control projects in the country. We have seen the magnitude of the problem. Can Juan de la Cruz do something about it? My son Nanoy told me that he’s glad that all these shenanigans…
Is Marcos really bent on catching the crooks?
By Leonardo Micua A day before PNP Chief General Nicolas Torre III was relieved of his post by Malacañang, Mayor Belen Fernandez, Vice Mayor Bryan Kua and some members of the Dagupan City council were at the office of Acting City Police Chief, Lt. Colonel Lawrence Keith Calub to test…




