CEBU CITY—Irish Piscos from Consolacion town could barely recall how she and her family survived Typhoon “Tino.” Their house was submerged in floodwaters on the morning of Tuesday, Nov. 4, in Consolacion town in Cebu province, forcing them to climb onto the roof and plead for help. She said she still cries whenever she remembers...
Category: News
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‘Alon’ is a call for public awareness of plastic pollution and marine protection
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF), in partnership with the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), has brought the acclaimed exhibit titled “Alon” to the Ramon Magsaysay Center in Malate, Manila. Focused on the issue of plastic waste in the oceans, and with surfers as a central theme, “Alon” is the RMAF’s first...
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The tycoons behind the Philippines’ dirty energy
From brewing beer to burning coal, the food and beer giant, San Miguel Corp. of tycoon Ramon Ang, is now one of the Philippines’ largest power producers. Its energy arm, San Miguel Global Power, is a younger player in the industry. But, flush with cash, it aggressively built, acquired, and expanded power plants over the...
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Kabataan lawmaker says young Filipinos are ‘incredibly agitated’ by the theft of public funds and their future
For Kabataan Party-list Rep. Renee Louise Co, there was nothing performative in the halftime gig on Oct. 19 of the University of the Philippines (UP) Varsity Pep Squad and the De La Salle University (DLSU) Animo Squad in which they joined forces in assailing the massive corruption in flood control and other infrastructure projects. Co described...
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Filipino women walk President Corazon Aquino’s path of courage and integrity
Philippine history is filled with Filipino women accomplishing feats of which they were thought incapable because patriarchy deemed so. They were not called leaders, but heroes: Melchora Aquino (aka Tandang Sora) provided medical care, food, and sanctuary to revolutionaries; Gregoria de Jesús guarded the Katipunan seal and documents, and served as secretary of its women’s...
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In one small town, a coal plant may hold the key to Philippines’ dirty energy exit
Bulk carrier ships dot the coast of Villanueva, an industrial town in Misamis Oriental in the southern Philippines. Flying different flags, they deliver raw materials and industrial inputs—coal from Indonesia among them—to power plants and factories. They are constantly arriving, departing, or docking at jetties that jut from small piers. “The ships arrive regularly. The...
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Pottery is part of the heritage and survival of this mountain village
MIAGAO, Iloilo—Tucked among the ancient trees and mountains in this town is Barangay Cagbang, where tradition thrives in the clay molded patiently by its people for generations. The homegrown art and soul of pottery have kept alive not only the local culture but also the community’s livelihood. To reach Cagbang, one travels some 40 kilometers...
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ICC chamber sees Duterte evading prosecution, rejects his plea for temporary liberty
Former president Rodrigo Duterte and his family continue to challenge the authority of the International Criminal Court (ICC) while maintaining significant political influence and a strong network of supporters, thus increasing the likelihood that he would evade prosecution and a potentially lengthy prison term if convicted, according to Pre-Trial Chamber I (PTC1), which rejected his...
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The government’s flood control projects are a systemic failure
A University of the Philippines (UP) study presented this conclusion after an examination of the havoc that flooding has wrought on the country’s infrastructure despite the humongous amounts of taxpayer money spent on flood control projects by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). “Its flood control projects alone are supposed to abate damage,...
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The pandemic exposed the cracks in the health system, and now is the time for rebuilding
Covid-19 was more than a worldwide health crisis. It was a stress test for every nation’s resilience. For the Philippines, the results were sobering. Hospitals overflowed, healthcare workers were stretched to exhaustion, and rural communities were rendered vulnerable and without access to doctors or medicines. Yet the pandemic also provided us clarity. It revealed not...