Beyond survivalPardon me for this rambling piece this week, which I’m writing in a stupor, blindsided by the sudden, heartbreaking loss of a friend. I’m guessing I’m not alone in this state of disorientation, of looking for a center or an anchor to stabilize at least our view of the horizon. The fact is, people learn to adjust soon enough to adversity and privation, excepting such extremes as Stalingrad and Gaza, where sheer survival may have been heroic enough. At the launch, I said that it was important for senior voices like Linda’s to be heard in today’s frenetic, youth-oriented culture, which barely leaves time to pause, reflect and rejoice as Linda does. We seek survival not just to eat and breathe – but to love, to sing, to endure, to become.

VP lauds Army for neutralizing NPA, terror threatsVice President Sara Duterte holds a press conference on Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2026 to announce her presidential bid in the upcoming 2028 elections. MANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte yesterday saluted Philippine Army soldiers for their service and for dismantling New People’s Army (NPA) camps in the country. The Vice President recognized their contribution to upholding peace and securing the country. “By dismantling the camps of the New People’s Army and neutralizing the threats of terrorism, you have given our communities the room to breathe, grow, and thrive,” she said. She also pointed out that the Army’s contribution is not limited to fighting insurgency alone, and highlighted its humanitarian works.

House panel resumes hearing on VP Sara impeach casesMANILA, Philippines — Formal hearing on the impeachment complaints filed against Vice President Sara Duterte will resume this week, where the House committee on justice will discuss the merits of the cases after lawmakers found them “sufficient in form, in substance and in grounds.”The panel led by Batangas 2nd district Rep. Gerville Luistro will be deliberating on step 4 of the impeachment process beginning March 25, as Congress vowed to continue the proceedings even during recess. Following trial proper (step 4), the justice panel will try to determine “probable cause” (step 5), where a majority vote from all its 55 members will send the impeachment cases to plenary. Prior to this, an overwhelming 54 votes – with only Quezon City 4th district Rep. Bong Suntay as the exception – declared the Saballa-Cabrera impeachment complaints sufficient in form and in substance. Luistro warned that Duterte’s absence on this next stage of impeachment proceedings could leave the allegations against her unchallenged and thereby hasten the case’s transmission to the Senate.

DA rolls out fuel subsidy for farmersIn a statement yesterday, the DA said it secured a P50-million sub-allotment, which was released after global oil prices surpassed the $80-per-barrel threshold. MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Agriculture (DA) is rolling out a P5,000 subsidy to 9,570 farmers who rely on mechanized equipment, helping cushion the impact of surging fuel prices. While the P50-million subsidy provides short-term relief, the DA acknowledged that it covers only a small fraction of the sector’s exposure to fuel price volatility. Since the start of the US-Israel war with Iran, fuel prices have jumped by about P50 per liter, pushing diesel beyond the P100 mark. The BFAR has vowed to continue nationwide fuel assistance for fisherfolk using remaining funds from last year to prevent any disruptions.

I stopped thinking of the cost, stopped worrying about the expense, because we will all have to bite the bullet! Figure out what is most important or necessary, make a list and deal with each, step by step. The next big step was to install modular solar water pump for our deep well and water storage tank. For the price of two new iPhones and a laptop, you can have enough solar power for basic needs. All of these concerns and worries reminded me of my experience after Typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda destroyed Tacloban City.

Trump to Iran: Reopen Hormuz within 48 hoursUS President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on February 20, 2026. As Tehran strikes IsraelWASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump on Saturday gave Iran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to shipping or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure, as Tehran launched its most destructive attack yet on Israel. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to continue striking Iran after what he called a “very difficult evening” and hours later, the Israeli military said its forces launched a wave of strikes on Tehran. The United Arab Emirates said Saturday it faced aerial attacks after Iran warned it against allowing strikes from its territory on disputed islands near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has choked off the vital waterway, which carries a fifth of global crude oil trade in peacetime.

18 of 52 priority House bills passedWorkers do renovation works around the House of Representatives within the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City on July 3, 2024. MANILA, Philippines — About one-third of 52 priority pieces of legislation listed by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (LEDAC) have been passed by the House of Representatives before Congress went on a Lenten break. Delivering his closing speech before Congress adjourned for its Holy Week recess, Speaker Faustino Dy III credited the collective effort of House members for sustaining legislative momentum. Ilocos Norte Rep. Sandro Marcos said the House’s LEDAC record shows that the chamber has not allowed the session calendar to blunt its momentum on measures tied to economic reform, public services, education, governance and social protection. Other LEDAC priority measures that have been passed are the amendments to the Teachers Professionalization Act; extension of Estate Tax Amnesty period; Department of Water Resources Bill; amendments to the Bank Deposits Secrecy Law; Travel tax abolition; Digital Payments Act; amendments to the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act; Presidential Merit Scholarship program, and amendments to the Biofuels Act.

DOE allows dirtier fuel imports amid Iran crisisMANILA, Philippines — Amid the fuel supply crisis, the Department of Energy (DOE) has authorized the importation of Euro 2 petroleum products, which produce higher emissions than the Euro 4 standard available in the country. The Philippines relies heavily on Middle East crude, which accounts for roughly 98 percent of its imports, according to the DOE. “We are adopting a prudent and temporary measure to help ensure an adequate and accessible fuel supply for sectors that may require limited flexibility during this period,” Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said. Our objective is to uphold fuel supply security while remaining guided by safety, regulatory discipline and the broader public interest,” Garin said. Regarding electricity supply, Marcos said the government is talking to power companies to further increase the capacity of grids in the next 60 days.

Dry season seen to start this weekMANILA, Philippines — The dry season is expected to start this week, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said yesterday. PAGASA weather specialist Grace Castañeda said that the country will continue to experience cloudy skies with some isolated rains from time to time. At the same time, the weather bureau may announce the end of the northeast monsoon or amihan season. “We are expecting that this type of weather will continue in the next few days and within this week we can officially terminate the amihan season and will coincide with the declaration of warm and dry season,” she said. PAGASA is currently not monitoring any low-pressure area subject for tropical cyclone formation.

“Furthermore, we show that the harms and risks to individual users are so diverse and vast in scope that they justify the view that social media is causing harm at a population level,” they added. “The academic debate over whether social media is harming adolescents has been complicated by the occasional confusion of two different questions: the product safety question and the historical trends question,” read the report. “Countries around the world ran a giant uncontrolled experiment on their own children in the 2010s by giving them smartphones and social media accounts. Direct, indirect harmsA key evidence presented in the report involved information showing that social media executives and some employees were allegedly aware that “they are causing widespread harm to adolescents on their platforms.”“Quotations and statistics revealed through whistleblowers, lawsuits and leaked documents and studies from inside the major social media companies make this clear,” the report read. “If carried out at scale, we predict that the widespread reduction of social media use by adolescents would cause substantial improvements in population-level measures of well-being and mental health,” the researchers said.

UN: AI deepfakes weaponized vs womenDeepfakes are AI-manipulated images, audio or videos that make it appear someone said or did something they never did. Deepfakes are AI-manipulated images, audio or videos that make it appear someone said or did something they never did. But its weaponization against women and girls is a newer phenomenon, and it’s accelerating fast,” UN Women said. Deepfake sexual images now make up the vast majority of all deepfake content online, and almost all depict women. Even fewer have legislation that specifically covers AI-generated deepfake content.

Unrebutted evidence may shape Sara impeachment, says House panelMANILA, Philippines — Vice President Sara Duterte's failure to directly address impeachment allegations could led to a determination of probable cause, as evidence from complainants may go unquestioned, a lawmaker said. House Committee on Justice Chair Rep. Gerville Luistro (Batangas 2nd District) urged Duterte to attend the panel's March 25 hearing and present her side. It will be unrebutted, in which case, there's a possibility that there is a probable cause," Luistro said in an interview with ANC on Sunday, March 22. She likened the proceedings to a preliminary investigation, where lawmakers assess whether there is probable cause. "Because right now, there is a chance it could be dismissed in the determination of probable cause.

Bol scatters 40 as Tropang 5G stymie Road WarriorsMANILA, Philippines -- Bol Bol balled out for the TNT Tropang 5G. The former NBA second round draft pick scored 40 points to tow the TNT Tropang 5G past the NLEX Road Warriors, 103-97, Sunday at the Ynares center in Antipolo. The Tropang 5G trailed by six, 66-72, heading into the fourth. But a massive 8-0 run, thanks to Bol, Brandon Ganuelas-Rosser and Jordan Heading, gave TNT the 97-91 advantage with 1:33 remaining. TNT thus handed the Road Warriors their first loss of the conference, while finally getting to the win column.

Fighting Maroons thump Lady Warriors to end four-game skidMANILA, Philippines -- Suffice it to say that it has not been an easy UAAP Season 88 women’s volleybal tournament so far for the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons. With all these, the Fighting Maroons also had a four-game slump prior to Sunday’s gameday. After the game, Fighting Maroons head coach Fabio Menta said that they are “slowly getting there” as they try to reorganize amid the challenging stretch. Following UP’s win over UE, the Fighting Maroons’ win-loss record improved to 3-6. Jaz Manguilimotan had 20 excellent sets in the win for the depleted Fighting Maroons.

Jeepney group to halt operations over fuel pricesCommuters take passenger jeepneys along Kamias Road in Quezon City as they head to their respective destination on March 11, 2026. MANILA, Philippines — A transport group announced a nationwide transport holiday on Monday as fuel prices are expected to rise again this week. Kaya kami sa Lunes, magta-transport holiday kami nationwide," ACTO national president Libay de Luna said in an interview with dzBB on Sunday, March 22. Reduced earningsDe Luna said many jeepney drivers are earning as little as P150 a day due to high diesel prices. Last week, gasoline prices rose by P12.90 to P16.60 per liter, while diesel prices increased by P20.40 to P23.90 per liter.