Soto: A little respect
A RECENT survey released by the Social Weather Station (SWS) showed that 69 percent of Filipinos expect a happy Christmas while only seven percent expect it to be "sad". Non-material gifts like love/affection and family togetherness top the list of ideal gifts that make up 57% of respondents'...
Soto: Holiday Smarts
CHRISTMAS season in the country starts as soon as the “ber” months roll in. Whether you’re the type to make your Christmas gift list as early as September or prefer the last-minute Christmas rush, you’re always on the lookout for bargains and sales. But sometimes, you come across some “bargains...
Soto: Fresh eyes
JUST three weeks ago, we saw an innocuous-looking house in Angeles City revealed as a cyber-sex den that had twenty-one women including seven minors which has been operating for six to eight months, according to authorities.
Soto: Going for quality
HOW do we measure the quality of education of a given educational institution, be it public or private?
Soto: Risky Booming Business
THE Philippines has now bested India as the most preferred site for call centers and business process outsourcing, or BPOs. This refers to services or processes given to an outside provider. They are classified into four: supply chain management; operations; business administration and lastly...
Soto: Finding the Magic Bullet
THE controversial P21-billion allotment for Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) dubbed as Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program or 4Ps got the thumbs up from Congress. This program is a carry-over from the past Arroyo administration but on a much larger scale and touted as the backbone of the country’...
Soto: Ripple Effect
IN THE old days, parents put a premium on leaving behind an untarnished name and children who have been educated in a reputable university or college. For the less privileged, this is the only legacy or inheritance they can give their children.
Soto: Giving voice to Choice
EVERY year, up to two million children lose their mothers for lack of services that are available in wealthier nations. The World Health Organization estimates that half a million mothers die each year from pregnancy and childbirth.
Soto: Helping ourselves, helping others
THIS month is Cooperative Month. Ideally, it's that time of the year where we familiarize our kababayans with the benefits of setting up or taking part in coops or cooperatives.
Soto: Pesos and centavos
WHEN was the last time you got a raise? Was it six months ago or a year ago or too far back to recall readily? For the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB), Central Luzon workers will not be getting a pay hike this year.
Soto: Laws, Vows and Marriage
FILIPINOS in general are said to hold family (and even extended family members) very dear. And by extension, hold marriage sacrosanct, but unlike fairytales, not all marriages turn out with storybook endings. Statistics from the Philippine National Police reveal that seven out of ten instances...
Soto: Ending the numbers game
JUETENG, like corruption, is an issue that refuses to die unless struck down at the roots.
Now, anti-gambling advocate Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz has a list of top officials, police officers and even members of the Church who are allegedly on the take, to the tune of P2 million, paid...
Soto: Watching the watchdog
DAYS after the August 23 hostage crisis, media was severely criticized. They say that the live and blow-by-blow coverage of the event aggravated the hostage drama that ended with the death of eight Hong Kong nationals including hostage-taker former PNP Senior Inspector Rolando Mendoza.
Is...
Soto: Waiting to be heard
COME October, we shall elect our barangay officials and representatives of the Sangguniang Kabataan or SK. This was featured in So To Speak recently.
Now, according to the Omnibus Election Code, this should be a non-partisan exercise of suffrage. Barangay officials are the most visible...
Soto: Choice Options
LAST July, Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes said that the Aquino administration was keen on distributing the 4,916 hectares of Hacienda Luisita under the new agrarian reform law or RA 97
Soto: Laws, Vows and Marriage
FILIPINOS in general are said to hold family (and even extended family members) very dear.
Soto: Protecting rights, promoting Justice
LAST April, Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa, in the unveiling of the new PNP Human Rights Resource Center in Camp Crame said that human rights promotion was a key performance
Soto: Science that serves
WHETHER it is tweaking with an existing invention or coming up with something new from scratch, Filipino scientists have proven that they can do both.
Soto: Stable staple supply
AMONG the pithy sound bytes in P.Noy's State of the Nation Address (SONA), his revelation that the country has been "over-importing" rice and that some even ended up rotting inside the warehouses, was
Soto: Anticipating Change
DAYS before President Benigno Aquino III was set to deliver his first State of the Nation Address, Pulse Asia came out with a report that a record-high 88 percent of Pinoys "trust" PNoy.
Soto: Paying Our Respects
WE HAVE six million senior citizens.
Soto: Flight changes
ON DIFFERENT occasions over the past few months, poor runway visibility due to heavy smog, bad weather and a glitch in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Very High Frequency Omni-Directiona
Soto: Power Problems
LAST month, privately-owned National Grid Corporation of the Philippines or NGCP, formerly TRANSCO, declared that power supply in Luzon is in the red following a growing power demand.
Soto: The Road to Change
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) is poised to reinvent itself into a "highly capable, effective and credible police service by 2030."
Soto: Tagged to Travel
YES, there is something new cooking in the DFA.
