Feb. 22-25, 1986, were “four days that shook the world”—the words used by the late journalist and press secretary Teodoro C. Benigno to describe the history of the Edsa People Power Revolution that ousted the dictator Ferdinand Marcos. The peaceful revolt was the culmination of a pent-up desire to get rid of Marcos short of...
Category: Specials
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Roblox: Fun e-game for kids, but beware of unwelcome users
My 8-year-old cousin “Andres” plays Roblox; I do, too. I’m 14 and I’ve been playing the game for a long time with my friends and still enjoy it, although there are some risks of playing online too much. Andres and I play different genres of video games but we both have fun playing Roblox, proving...
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New Year’s Day air space shutdown a ‘blessing in disguise’?
Sen. Miguel Zubiri was close to bursting into an incredulous laugh when he heard that very sensitive air navigation equipment worth billions of pesos wasn’t being monitored by even inexpensive closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that he himself has all over his house in Cagayan de Oro City. The Senate president was unpleasantly surprised by one...
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The conglomerate that a ‘sari-sari’ store built
PANGLAO ISLAND, Bohol—A group of companies that grew from a sari-sari store in Bohol’s capital Tagbilaran City has been so dominant in the commercial center business that mall magnates like the Sys, Ayalas, Gokongweis, Gotianuns or Gaisanos have not gained a foothold in the province. Alturas Group of Companies (AGC) is the clear mall king...
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Going local and green to build 50-hectare, mixed-use ‘family dream’
PANGLAO ISLAND—Bohol’s homegrown conglomerate, the Alturas Group of Companies, began as a sari-sari store 50 years ago in the provincial capital of Tagbilaran. Now it is expanding its beach resort here into a 50-hectare, mixed-use estate at a cost of P25 billion. The expansion is a vote of confidence in the prospects of tourism on...
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Promoting physical, mental wellbeing tops home developers’ agenda
In the not-so-distant past, homebuyers buying a house or condo unit simply involved considering its location, the amenities offered, its size, and finally, the price (does the monthly amortization match one’s budget?). But since early 2020, homebuyers’ considerations have been altered in a big way. When, during the pandemic, people were restricted from going outdoors...
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Doing justice to Ninoy Aquino’s memory
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following message was delivered on Sunday, Nov. 27, 2022, by Kiko Aquino Dee, son of Viel and Dodo Dee and one of the eight grandchildren of the late opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., to mark his 90th birth anniversary. Ninoy Aquino, then a senator, was one of the first to be...
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Oxytocin and a smooth talker are the drivers behind romance scams
“Michelle” would have known it was one of the popular cons had she read more about it sooner, but “Perry” was one smooth operator. Waking up after half a sedative pill had sent her to la la land, she put two and two together. She’d fallen hook, line, and sinker for a romance scam, and...
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Remembering: the rock that grew into an island
Last of five parts The rock lay rooted deep on top of a mountain/ A stone’s throw away stood our little farm hut/ The farm was the homestead father acquired in 1940/ The mountain was broken by two rivers/ From the north and from the south/ The two rivers intersected at the east/ Beyond the...
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Remembering: From Cavite to Upi to greener pastures
(Fourth of five parts) We were 11 in the family. Our tatay, Deogracias, was born in 1902 and died in March 1986; our nanay, Obdulia, was born in 1908 and died in April 2006. We were nine children—two daughters (my eldest sister and the eighth) and seven sons. The eldest was born in 1927 and...