Keeping TUPAD free from political exploitation
AS THE 2025 national and local elections approach, it is crucial to safeguard government programs from being misused for political gain. The Department of...
Wanted: School principals for WV public schools
WESTERN Visayas faces a shortage of public school principals, with 296 positions left unfilled out of the 1,925 authorized in the region. While the...
Child protection
CHILD abuse remains persistent in Western Visayas. Recent data from the Philippine National Police shows the severity of the problem: in 2024 alone, there...
Dire oral health in public schools
WITH only 58 dentists currently serving over 1.7 million public school learners across Western Visayas – according to the Department of Education (DepEd) itself...
The economic case for investing in healthcare
HEALTHCARE is often viewed as an expense rather than an investment. Governments, businesses, and even individuals tend to allocate resources reactively — spending more...
Local innovations, national impact: Iloilo’s hypertension control
THE SILENT killers of our time — hypertension and cardiovascular diseases — have long plagued communities, claiming thousands of lives and burdening families with...
Migratory birds as climate sentinels: What Iloilo’s wetlands reveal
EVERY YEAR, Iloilo’s wetlands become a temporary haven for thousands of migratory birds seeking refuge from harsh winters in other parts of the world....
Conserving Iloilo’s wetlands
AS REPORTED by this paper recently, Iloilo’s wetlands are ecological havens, providing sanctuary to migratory birds while offering essential ecosystem services such as flood...
The perils of expanding commercial fishing zones
IN ILOILO and beyond, the Supreme Court’s ruling allowing commercial fishing vessels to operate within the 15-kilometer municipal water zone has sparked intense discussion....
Coastal LGUs – frontline defenders of Iloilo’s marine resources
LOCAL GOVERNMENT units (LGUs) are the guardians of their communities’ natural resources, especially in coastal provinces like Iloilo where fishing sustains thousands of families....