By Farah G. Decano   SOME of those who were invited to the recent State of the City Address of Mayor Belen T. Fernandez intentionally did not attend. They complained to their respective community handlers that they did not receive any padulas from Mayor Belen and even threatened to shift…

By Farah G. Decano   I saw the video of First Lady Liza Marcos drinking wine from the glass of Senator Chiz Escudero after she marched with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. into one of the halls in Malacañang.  She appeared exhausted and thirsty which prompted her to playfully get the…

By Farah G. Decano   ON the birthday of the late Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. this year, I suddenly remembered that the last three ordinances he approved on June 28, 2010 were my authorship: Magna Carta of Women in Dagupan City, Magna Carta of Global Dagupeños, and Gender Equality Ordinance….

By Farah G. Decano   JUNE is Pride Month. The entire Philippines, not just the members of the LGBT plus community, is commemorating the years of struggle for the group’s acceptance, recognition and respect in society. It is also a month of celebration for whatever gains the equality movement has…

By Farah G. Decano   ANCIENT history tells us that war was not China’s bag of chips. Its people were more known to us as traders. In fact, even before the rediscovery of the Philippines by Ferdinand Magellan, our ancestors had been doing business with them.  Unlike the people from…

By Farah G. Decano   UNLIKE in some local government units here and abroad, Mayor Belen’s style of leadership, at least when I was her City Administrator, encompassed political and administrative matters.  She was a micro manager in the good sense because she was aware of the smallest detail in…

By Farah G. Decano   I ENCOUNTERED the term “ghosting” for the first time when actors Bea Alonzo and Gerald Anderson broke up.  I wondered what the word meant when applied to them. As explained later by those in showbiz circles, it means abruptly ending a relationship by sudden disappearance…

By Farah G. Decano   I HAVE just quoted Karl Marx in my last column. Knowing how reckless red-taggers are for the sole purpose of quieting activists, I thought to myself that I might have just placed myself at risk. To my relief, the Supreme Court recently released a press …

By Farah G. Decano             AFTER several weeks, the rains have already fallen, albeit briefly, somewhere in Pangasinan. Last week, the hottest place in the Philippines nowadays – Dagupan City – almost missed the much needed shower. Looks like Heaven is hesitant to alleviate the condition of the already very…

By Farah G. Decano   I got invited to the 91st Annual Induction Ball of the UP College of Law’s Portia Sorority as the event’s Guest of Honor and Speaker.  It was held on April 28, 2024 at the MaraNila by Blue Leaf in Quezon City and was given the…