Opinion and Commentary
Lauengco: 2026 Barangay, SK elections: The need for survey/landscape analysis
July 15, 2026, 2:38 pm
In any contest or battle, knowing the terrain is the essential first step in proper preparation. Without doing a landscape analysis, no aspirant can hope to win. With barely three months to go before the Nov. 2, 2026 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections, the time for such analysis is… Read More
Zaldarriaga: E-wallets and transfer fees
July 14, 2026, 10:22 am
In the past few days, local traditional banks have started removing transfer fees, a move widely welcomed by consumers who have long lamented the fees that cost up to PHP20 per transaction. It is easy to assume that digital wallets or e-wallets should follow suit. After all, wouldn’t zero fees… Read More
Lauengco: Breaking faith: Filipinos losing trust in news
July 8, 2026, 3:45 pm
According to a Reuters Institute Digital News Report release in June 2026, only 28 percent of Filipinos trust most news most of the time. Compared to the 38 percent news trust rating last year, this was a steep and disturbing 10 percent drop or decline in general trust of news in the country.… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Upper middle income: What’s next for PH?
July 7, 2026, 11:33 am
The Philippines has officially crossed into the ranks of upper-middle-income countries—a milestone, that, on paper signals economic improvement but, as to the impact on the daily lives of Filipinos, is far more complex. The World Bank moved the Philippines to upper-middle-income classification… Read More
Lauengco: The Tao journey and the ties that bind us
July 1, 2026, 11:38 am
Two weeks ago, a group of seafarers from Orchid Island, Taiwan made a historic 100-km. voyage across the Bashi Channel to Batanes, Philippines. The voyagers are members of an indigenous cultural community known as the Tao or Yami, who call the Orchid Island their home. Using a traditional 20-seat… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Power of choice
June 30, 2026, 3:08 pm
Filipino consumers now have more power to choose their own electricity supplier following the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) implementation of the new 100-kilowatt (kW) contestability threshold under Retail Competition and Open Access (RCOA) and the Retail Aggregation Program (RAP). The… Read More
Lauengco: Preventing another school shooting: AI, security, Project Stigma
June 24, 2026, 12:53 pm
On June 22, a school shooting occurred at the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, Leyte. Three students died, and 20 others were injured. Before this incident, there had been several instances of stabbing and other forms of violence committed by youth offenders. This rise in violence… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Preparing for El Niño
June 23, 2026, 11:37 am
Even as the rainy season has begun, there are still areas across the Philippines recording dangerous heat indices — proof that climate change is shaping and changing the way we live. Earlier this month, weather bureau PAGASA announced that there is an 80 percent probability that current… Read More
Lauengco: The Ateneo incident survivors
June 17, 2026, 1:04 pm
As an alumnus and long-time faculty member of the Ateneo de Manila University, I feel that I have a unique perspective on the now trending Ateneo incident. I have been asked by my peers why I have not chimed in, being a columnist or amateur journalist. Unfortunately, until the multiple… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Making solar adoption safer, more accessible
June 16, 2026, 11:31 am
With rising household expenses, more families are exploring methods to lower costs, and one of the prominent options cropping up in conversations is solar power. The Philippines has become China’s second-largest export market for solar panels, showing the increasing local appetite for solar… Read More
Lauengco: School opening blues
June 10, 2026, 5:01 pm
This week, classes for the school year 2026-2027 officially opened last June 8. Despite efforts from both national agencies and local governments, there are still several challenges facing the education community. For one, the newly implemented three-term system (which replaced the four-quarter… Read More
Zaldarriaga: MVP and leadership
June 9, 2026, 3:13 pm
When business leader Manuel V. Pangilinan or MVP, stood before us at the Meralco Theater to mark First Pacific’s 45th year which I was privileged to witness, he spoke with the wisdom of a leader who has carried both the weight of history and humanity (and still managed to couple it with humor.)… Read More
Lauengco: Cashless society
June 3, 2026, 1:41 pm
In a recent meeting at the Department of Transportation (DOTr), various stakeholders of the automated fare collection system discussed the status of the proof-of-concept operation at the MRT and the possible launch in other rail lines. As previously discussed, the Philippine Automated Fare… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Worsening climate conditions
June 2, 2026, 1:16 pm
The rains have started to arrive with the southwest monsoon, but searing temperatures continue to prevail in many parts of the country, according to weather bureau PAGASA. Dangerous heat indices continue to blanket much of the country even as we prepare to enter the rainy season. In Tarlac, the… Read More
Lauengco: Pope Leo and the Machine (Skynet calling) Part I
May 27, 2026, 2:43 pm
Amidst all the cacophony of recent events, a lot of people probably did not notice an important event, especially for Catholics. Pope Leo XIV issued his very first encyclical entitled Magnifica Humanitas ( “On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence’). For… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Developing the Philippines’ EV sector
May 26, 2026, 11:31 am
One of the most interesting panels at the Solar & Storage Live Philippines last week was the discussion about the country’s electric vehicle (EV) adoption — a timely topic given rising fuel costs and the growing push for sustainability. During the panel, experts discussed how crucial… Read More
Lauengco: The line between discipline, child abuse
May 20, 2026, 3:54 pm
There is a new viral video of a three-year-old boy being beaten by the live in partner of his mother. In that video, the live in partner is seen kicking the boy’s body and even stomping on his head. The live in partner has been arrested and is now facing criminal charges under Republic Act 7610… Read More
Zaldarriaga: The worsening fake news problem
May 19, 2026, 12:02 pm
In my last column, I talked about how a well-meaning public safety advocacy regarding solar panels got completely twisted on social media. Within a week, it was turned into a narrative of lies and misinformation used as pure "rage bait." It was a classic, frustrating example of how social media is… Read More
Lauengco: The danger of water bankruptcy
May 13, 2026, 8:32 pm
These days, it is easy to get distracted with recent events. Unfortunately, these things tend to make us ignore several danger points developing around us. Every summer, we talk about water crisis. Regrettably, as the rain comes, we forget the problem, secure in the thought that the monsoon will… Read More
Zaldarriaga: Cutting through the noise
May 11, 2026, 3:21 pm
Over the past few days, I have seen how social media has made it easy to distort, exaggerate, and spread malicious information faster than facts—stirring anger instead of promoting clarity. Renewable energy, especially solar panels, has become part of that noise. Posts that have exaggerated and… Read More
