The Manila Times Opinion

26/12/2025

AS I have stated on Tuesday, Dec. 23, I will now reply to the letter of Mr. Joel Locsin, the media relations officer of Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, which was actually in response to my Dec. 19 column titled “From bravado to childish tantrums.”

26/12/2025

Second of a series

26/12/2025

HAPPY Holidays! In keeping with a personal habit, let me diverge from writing about weightier topics.

25/12/2025

IT is the time to be of good will; to wish happiness and friendship, prosperity and comfort; and to recall the events in Bethlehem two millennia ago.

25/12/2025

I read about the great concern being raised by declining populations in a number of countries, and the negative impact it has — and will increasingly have — on those countries’ economies. I’m not concerned, though. I see it differently; I feel relieved. This planet has too many people — people who are destroying the livability of this world. We need 175 Earths to support 8 billion people, but we only have one. I see this as an environmental, even existential problem, not an economic one.

I read about the great concern being raised by declining populations in a number of countries, and the negative impact it has — and will increasingly have — on those countries’ economies. I’m not concerned, though. I see it differently; I feel relieved. This planet has too many people — pe...

25/12/2025

New plan to end the war in Ukraine

25/12/2025

STILL NO PEACE

25/12/2025

STOCKHOLM — Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered a succinct description of the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy (NSS), calling it “largely consistent with our vision.” He’s right. The NSS offers not even a hint of criticism of Russia, neither for its increasingly authoritarian domestic policies nor for its blatant military aggression against Ukraine. Instead, it singles out Europe — America’s longstanding democratic friend and ally — for special abuse.

STOCKHOLM — Earlier this month, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov offered a succinct description of the Trump administration’s new National Security Strategy (NSS), calling it “largely consistent with our vision.” He’s right. The NSS offers not even a hint of criticism of Russia, neither for...

25/12/2025

Just one ray of sunshine is enough to dispel millions of shadows.

25/12/2025

CHRISTMAS is often told with cosmic language: angels singing, stars moving, prophecies fulfilled, eternity breaking into time. Yet at the center of that holy night is a scene almost painfully ordinary — a baby crying, a mother exhausted, a father standing watch. The Word did not only become flesh. He was born into a family.

CHRISTMAS is often told with cosmic language: angels singing, stars moving, prophecies fulfilled, eternity breaking into time. Yet at the center of that holy night is a scene almost painfully ordinary — a baby crying, a mother exhausted, a father standing watch. The Word did not only become flesh....

25/12/2025

CHRISTMAS in the Philippines has always been a season of joy, resilience, and unshakeable hope. Even in the darkest years, we decorate early, sing loudly and show the world that the Filipino spirit refuses to dim. We are a people who believe that no matter how long the night, morning always comes — and that faith guides us through every challenge.

CHRISTMAS in the Philippines has always been a season of joy, resilience, and unshakeable hope. Even in the darkest years, we decorate early, sing loudly and show the world that the Filipino spirit refuses to dim. We are a people who believe that no matter how long the night, morning always comes .....

25/12/2025

ONCE again, my regularly scheduled column appears on Christmas Day, something that only happens every three years or so, and I am happy to use the occasion for what it should be used, to spread a little Christmas cheer. I am personally fortunate to have a remarkable amount of cheer to spread this year, despite 2025 being one of the most tumultuous and worrisome years I can remember. For the first time in seven years, my kids are both home for the holidays, I’ve got a refrigerator stuffed with the ingredients for a feast that could probably feed a battalion, and it’s a sunny day. Not much more I could wish for, really.

ONCE again, my regularly scheduled column appears on Christmas Day, something that only happens every three years or so, and I am happy to use the occasion for what it should be used, to spread a little Christmas cheer. I am personally fortunate to have a remarkable amount of cheer to spread this ye...