We are 105 today!

From its first publication in 1919, a century and 5 years after, THE FREEMAN happily, gratefully continues to bring to all of you, our readers, fair and fearless news and views!

Thank God, The Freeman survived these all: the American colonial period, World War 2, Martial Law, Covid, and more!

Thank you, our dear readers, for being with us through all our ups and downs through the years!

We are 105 today because you have always been with us!

Daghang salamat ninyong tanan!!!

Here is to more years together from here on!!!!

While my first PERSPECTIVE column made its maiden issue only in October, 1998, about 26 years back, I am very happy to be a member of THE FREEMAN family!

Sincere thanks to then Editor Noel Pangilinan for inviting me to join The Freeman after reading my piece entitled Lalong Naghihirap kay Erap.

We are especially missing dearly our very kind and loving Sir Dodong Gullas who through decades, bravely steered The Freeman through all the rough waters and winds!

Thank you sincerely, Sir Dodong.

We know you are smiling from up there, still cheering us all to bring our fair and fearless The Freeman in the service of God and our people!!!

And The Freeman would not be here today if not for the hard work and commitment of all – from our security guard, to our janitors, maintenance crew, our printing/ delivery teams, our writers, reporters, photographers, editors, publishers and all!

Salamat and padayon tang tanan!!!

The Freeman is truly our family, our home!

Let us continue to join hands together to keep our home strong and standing for more, more years ahead!

And talking about home, let us resume scrutiny of and objection to the proposed, excessively costly new Senate home.

Estimates are now at the P23-27B range, about almost three times the original budget of P9 billion!

Even the original P9B would still have been excessive considering the widespread poverty and homelessness of millions of our Filipino people!

With P9B or P23-27B, how many of our poor would have been given, even just a tiny space they can call their own, their home?

How can the Senate even consider spending billions of funds that rightly belong to the Filipinos for their Senate home when millions of the Filipinos they are supposed to serve are without homes???

Why are politicians feeling so entitled to owning and using public funds for themselves and their circle?

Why are their self-interests prioritized over those of our millions of needy Filipinos?

Can they not see the poor, hungry and homeless all around them?

Why are those in the Senate and Congress so oblivious to the ubiquitous millions of deprived and needy Filipinos?

Does the glitter of power and gold cause blindness or selective perception?

Do these earthly riches also lead those in power to be deaf?

Why cannot they hear the cries of the hungry, the poor all over this country?

They are legion.

Surely, those in power in the halls of Congress and the Senate can see/hear them but they choose instead to ignore, not acknowledge the poor’s existence, their deprivation?

Soon, elections will be here again.

Will the poor who sold their votes in past elections now see the true colors of those they installed in power who enriched themselves at their expense?

The poor and needy should vote more wisely and remember the following issues next election: their continuing poverty/hunger/homelessness/joblessness, the abuse of public funds (like extravagant funds for 2024 SONA/new Senate), increasing inflation, huge government debt/funds for politicians’ private projects/interests.

About time, our voters do the next right thing- remove from power the undeserving, the abusive, and instead, elect genuine public servants who will prioritize the interest and welfare of millions of needy/poor Filipinos.