OPINION

FIRING LINE: Another bridge bites the dust By Robert B. Roque Jr. | May 5, 2026 “London Bridge is falling down, falling down…” is a well-known nursery rhyme meant to entertain young children miming as they sing. Up in Northern Luzon, however, it seems that bridge falls are a recurring headline. Over the weekend, the…

FIRING LINE: Charging the middle  By Robert B. Roque Jr. | April 30, 2026 Nowadays, it seems everyone on Facebook wants to be counted among the 4Ps beneficiaries. And I don’t blame them. Because when “ordinary Filipinos in the working class” open their electric bills and discover they are helping shoulder discounts for others, their…

FIRING LINE: A test of Marikina’s leadership By Robert B. Roque Jr. | April 28, 2026 The persistence of illegal gambling in our communities is not just a matter of vice — it is a reflection of how deeply organized networks can embed themselves into everyday life when oversight falters. A recent emailed complaint I…

FIRING LINE: DepEd’s new calendar: Reform or experiment? By Robert B. Roque Jr. | April 23, 2026 Summer vacation is in. But what’s very much around the corner is a big change in School Year 2026–2027, as the Department of Education (DepEd) is pushing full steam ahead with its proposed three-term school calendar. For those…

FIRING LINE: 2 good news from a ‘dead man’  By Robert B. Roque Jr. l April 16, 2026 Thank you, Mr. President. Not only did you suspend the excise tax on kerosene and LPG (or cooking gas) this week, but you also gave working Filipinos a grace period to settle their taxes. The extension of…

FIRING LINE: Is public order now optional?  By Robert B. Roque Jr. l April 14, 2026 There is nothing novel about enforcing order in the streets. What is new these days is the renewed posturing by this government that it holds the moral ascendancy and political will to get the job of peace and order…

FIRING LINE: When crops rot, government stinks By Robert B. Roque Jr. l April 9, 2026 I’ve read with bitter contempt how farmers are affected by this crisis — and the anger sits heavy because the facts are as plain as they are unforgiving. In Benguet, a Reuters story carried by an online news organization…

FIRING LINE: We can’t afford fuel or panic By Robert B. Roque Jr. l April 7, 2026 Inevitably, and by all indications, fuel prices will rise again. If it has not already, since today is Tuesday. Let’s take liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), for example, which is more of a fuel of necessity for most Filipino households….

FIRING LINE: Lenten look at Bilibid  By Robert B. Roque Jr.  l April 2, 2026 As most Filipinos go about their Catholic traditions this Lenten Season, anchored on reflection and repentance, I believe many sinners are converted. Today, Maundy Thursday, the reflection is on how Jesus washes the feet of the apostles — an act…