CONGRATULATIONS to the University of Mindanao (UM)! The school has earned the prestigious 3-Star Rating by Quacquarelli Symonds, a global leader in university rankings and evaluation.UM is the first higher education institution in the Davao Region to receive the distinguished QS Stars Rating.
Honestly, we cannot help but be proud as well because the man who is on top of the University of Mindanao is also the President of the publishing firm Mindanao Times Publication, Inc., that publishes the Mindanao Times.
Naturally, the honor also rubs in on other endeavors of Dr. Guillermo “Willy” Torres, Jr., University of Mindanao President.
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There are sectors in the country that call for the inhibition of Senate President Chiz Escudero from doing his constitutionally mandated role in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Z. Duterte, that is, as Presiding senator-judge in the trial.
Clearly, those who called for his inhibition could be fully convinced that Escudero is pro-Sara and that his acting as the Presiding senator-judge will possibly tilt the impeachment proceedings in favor of the accused Vice President. Senator Escudero however, was quick to reject the call.
To many including us, the Senator from Sorsogon could not have been more correct in his rejection. Why? Because had he bowed down to the pressure he would have unnecessarily admitted his bias for the Vice President.
And he would have exposed himself as a weak leader that even a minor slap on the wrist would change his position on certain issues affecting governance.
Yes, Escudero must prove to the Filipinos that he can be his own man. Who knows that one day he may be the leader the Filipinos are looking for to run the country?
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With the warm gesture of Acting Davao City Mayor Baste Duterte accorded to the newly assumed acting Davao City Police Office (DCPO) Director Col. Mannan Caracas Muarip, it appears the city chief executive is comfortable with the new police chief.
Was Baste consulted on Colonel Muarip’s appointment by the higher police authorities? Or, is the mayor confident that the acting DCPO director will be closely working with him because, by his name alone, he could only be coming from Mindanao. Therefore, his heart will be for Mindanaoans with whom Davaoenos are among them.
Besides, the new acting police director appears to have no hesitation in calling on Mayor Baste and discuss his plans for the city’s peace and order upkeep.
As a consequence, Acting Mayor Baste gave Colonel Muarip his assurance of full support for his plans and program implementation.
With the blossoming good working relations between the two civilian and police officials in the city, what else can the people expect but a more livable Davao City?
Let us keep our fingers crossed.
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This early, some sectors of the country’s political partisans are already starting to aim their “missiles” at Defense Secretary Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro, Jr. These groups harp on the Defense chief’s alleged non-Filipino citizenship. They insist that Teodoro is a Maltese as he is holding a Maltese Passport. The same sectors claim that Teodoro, Jr. even managed to fool the Commission on Appointments when it deliberated the confirmation of his appointment as Defense Secretary.
The same sectors also alleged that the Defense Chief is creating a parallel unit of civilian officials in his Department, the intention of which is to undermine the leadership hierarchy in the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
With this seeming demolition job on Secretary Teodoro it would now appear that some political partisans have seen something in Teodoro that they feel could make the man a major threat to the ambition of the one they are grooming for leadership position.
But the defense chief did not even make it to the Senate in the 2022 senatorial elections. So what is there to worry about?
