All Insight at The Manila Times

07/11/2025

WE are captive by the government to pay taxes, no matter what. We pay, not because we want to, but because we are forced to. In spite of this undue force, disguised as our duty to pay taxes, we are still burdened by the very same agency mandated to collect such taxes. The Ease of Paying Taxes is a myth. Tax ng ina mo!

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/11/08/opinion/columns/ease-of-paying-taxes-a-myth/2218889

07/11/2025

REPUBLIC Act 12312, or the Anti-POGO Act of 2025, was signed into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Oct. 23, 2025. It permanently bans Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) and declares all offshore gaming operations and related activities illegal. Is this truly the end of POGOs? Or is it merely the start of yet another phase — one that may give rise to new, and perhaps more elusive, forms of illegal gambling?

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/11/01/opinion/columns/is-it-really-the-end-of-pogo/2213316

27/10/2025

FAILURE OF GOVERNANCE
A fire broke out in a residential area in Barangay Talon Dos, Las Piñas City, on Wednesday, Oct. 15. The conflagration left more than 1,400 individuals with nothing as everything they owned was gutted by the fire. More than a week has passed, and the fire victims are still temporarily sheltered inside the basketball court in BF Resort Village. A week’s time is already sufficient time to relocate the affected families — but only if the local government unit (LGU) concerned is prepared and efficient.

However, as it is, the LGU is unprepared and ineffective in handling these kinds of disasters. This is a clear example of “failure of governance.”

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/10/25/opinion/columns/failure-of-governance/2207958

23/10/2025

“NASUSUNOG po ang ating bahay. This House is on fire,” declared Edgar Erice, senior deputy minority leader of the House of Representatives, in a privilege speech on Oct. 6, 2025, in the 20th Congress’ first regular session.

23/10/2025

“NASUSUNOG po ang ating bahay. This House is on fire,” declared Edgar Erice, senior deputy minority leader of the House of Representatives, in a privilege speech on Oct. 6, 2025, in the 20th Congress’ first regular session.

Borrowing Erice’s words, “hintayin na lang natin na ang mamamayan mismo ang mag-aklas o ang kasundaluhan ang gumawa ng mga bagay na yayanig sa ating demokratikong pamumuhay (Let’s just wait for the citizens themselves to revolt or for the military to act in a way that will shake up our democratic way of life).”

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/10/11/opinion/columns/the-house-is-burning-and-so-it-must-go/2198732

“NASUSUNOG po ang ating bahay. This House is on fire,” declared Edgar Erice, senior deputy minority leader of the House of Representatives, in a privilege speech on Oct. 6, 2025, in the 20th Congress’ first regular session.

19/10/2025

Corruption scandals — from flood control projects to overpriced contracts — have eroded public trust and fueled cynicism toward the political class. People see power and privilege protecting the few while the rest endure floods, traffic and poverty.

The movie One Battle After Another warns of what happens when frustration hardens into fury. When institutions fail to deliver justice, the temptation to “burn it all down” grows stronger. Reform, transparency and accountability must be forced before real life begins to imitate fiction.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/10/18/opinion/columns/one-battle-after-another/2203220

04/10/2025

While the abolition of Congress remains constitutionally impractical and democratically problematic, the current corruption issues demand urgent action. The Filipino people deserve legislators who prioritize public service over personal gain and institutional preservation over political survival.

Citizens must focus on holding elected officials accountable through transparency, independent investigations, and ultimately, the ballot box. Abolish Congress for our own good.

https://www.manilatimes.net/2025/10/04/opinion/columns/abolish-congress-for-our-good/2194497