A wise man

“Ignorant men raise questions that wise men answered a thousand years ago.”

—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

By Alex P. Vidal 

WE often hear this in debates and public fora. 

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. "knew too much," his fans cheered when he recently delivered his Sona.

Many politicians and sales executives are impressive because "they know too much."

But nobody knows too much. Nobody ever yet knew enough. 

We cannot have too much knowledge, any more than we can have too much health.

What we really mean when we say a person knows too much is that he knows too little, and is too positive about it.

An ignorant man’s mind is just as full of ideas as a wise man’s mind. But his ideas are wrong. 

There are just as many plants growing in his garden as in the wise man’s garden, but they are weeds.

Enemies to knowledge are egotism, sensitiveness and pride. These things keep us from being teachable. 

They build a wall around us, so that knowledge cannot get in.

The surest way to get knowledge is not to advertise that we have it. 

About the wisest man that ever lived was Socrates, and he was fond of saying of himself that he knew nothing at all.

Iloilo City ‘not included’ as ‘Love Bus’ pilot testing

“Some people don't like long bus rides, but I love them. There's sort of a sense of solitude.”

—Sam Hunt

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IT seems the Marcos Jr. administration has the penchant of reviving public transportation systems that have long been dead if not considered obsolete.

And we have been consistently opposing it for reasons that we believed we were supposed to move forward, not backward.

First, President Marcos Jr. floated the idea of reviving the almost-forgotten Panay Railways in his State of the Nation Address (Sona) on July 25, 2022.

We had misgivings about this plan and called it as “Patay” (dead) Railways. So far, nothing has been heard about the project after three years.

And in the president’s SONA on July 28, 2025, he disclosed the plan to revive the Bus Love, which was first conceptualized by his mother, then First Lady Imelda Marcos in 1976.

Again, we doubt if this is necessary or feasible today and can benefit the riding public now that gridlock in traffic is really a gigantic problem in the metropolitan areas and has been giving terrible stress and inconvenience to many motorists.

 

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We reiterate that not everything the President had announced in his Sona would turn into gold.

Sometimes those that weren’t openly mentioned are the ones on the priority list; those constantly mentioned aren’t even in the radar and are, therefore, not taken seriously.  

Proposals and suggestions, yes. Plans and “priorities,” maybe. Implementation and demonstration, dream on!

Mr. Marcos Jr. announced that the proposed revival of Love Bus will offer free rides and pilot testing is already ongoing in Cebu City and Davao City.

Good that Iloilo City was not part of it.

The problem is not lack of transportation; therefore, Love Buses may not be necessary as they will only add confusion and congestion in the roads.

The problems are inadequate infrastructure, high vehicle density, inefficient public transportation, rapid population growth, and poor traffic management.

These issues are compounded by factors like road debris, accidents, and even weather conditions.

Not lack of buses, cabs and trans. In fact, we already have abundance of them.

First launched in January 1976, the reason given why it was discontinued in 1990 was reportedly due to significant losses incurred by Metropolitan Manila Transit Corporation (MMTC), was a government-owned and controlled corporation that operated as a transport company in Metro Manila.

Traffic was not yet so bad then compared nowadays so that by May 1977, the Love Bus had reportedly carried over 5.34 million passengers, with a study in February 1976 stating that 19 percent of its passengers used to commute by car.

 

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In 2022, we casted doubts if the storied but “dead” railway system would be able to rise again like Lazarus post Marcos Jr. administration thereafter. Since its engines “conked out” or were silenced in 1983, efforts to bring it back to life have been proven to be futile. 

We always have serious misgivings each time the government announced the construction or rehabilitation of mega-million worth of public works projects ahead of securing the funds needed to start the engine.

It’s like pushing the cart ahead of the horse. There’s no joyride in the locomotive.

Let’s take a cue from the recent announcement from the Department of Transportation (DOTr), which unceremoniously doused a cold water to the railways’ proposed revival: 1.“There are no funds yet…” and 2. “Its revival is not a priority of the agency.” Loud and clear.

 

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Even the proposed revival of the 117-kilometer “Patay Railways” might remain as cold skeletons in the cemetery unless the cash-anemic government can set aside or look for the funds and prioritize it over the other “more urgent” infrastructure projects in Luzon and Mindanao.

Through the combined forces of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Transportation (DOTr), Department of Budget, and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda), anything can still be possible, but probably not in the timeline of the present administration.

It’s always been the grand plans, the big dreams, the excitement and shockwaves attributed to the grand plans and big dreams, but not the implementation—especially if funds are scarce and may not be immediately available.

Mega-projects of such magnitude may need billions of pesos for immediate implementation.

The limited public funds might not be able to sustain their grandeur unless the government can secure fresh loans from foreign sources and hack out a partnership with the private developers without prejudice to the interest of the government.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

GAB has no business ‘supervising’ Torre vs Duterte duel

“Everything I like is either illegal, immoral or fattening.”

—Alexander Woollcott

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IT seems the Makati City-based Games and Amusement Board (GAB) has shot itself in the foot by “sanctioning” and “supervising” the aborted duel between Philippine National Police (PNP) chief, Gen. Nicolas Torre III and Davao City Vice Mayor Baste Duterte at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila on July 27.

In the first place, GAB has no business interfering in the conflict between Masseurs Torre and Duterte, which was purely a word war.

But on July 25, 2025, GAB passed Resolution No. 2025-08, Series of 2025, titled: “A Resolution to Ensure the Safety and Integrity of the Proposed Boxing Match Between PNP Chief Nicolas D. Torre III and Acting Davao City Mayor Sebastian ‘Baste’ Z. Duterte.”

The resolution was not only unnecessary, it contradicted the GAB’s role in licensing and supervising professional sports in the Philippines.

And on July 27, GAB installed a boxing ring and sent a referee, among other ring officials to supervise the bout that did not take place in the historic stadium, where Gabriel “Flash” Elorde defeated world featherweight champion Sandy Saddler in a non-title bout on July 20, 1955.

Good that Duterte did not show up. Good that the much-ballyhooed clash did not materialize.

 

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GAB would have been a party to a gross transgression of law for allowing two unlicensed hot heads to fight in a dangerous boxing match designed for professional fighters.

Under the law, GAB regulates and supervises professional sports and allied activities to combat and prevent the existence and proliferation of illegal bookie joints and other forms of organized illegal gambling connected with all play-for-pay sports and amusement games.

In boxing, GAB will only sanction and supervise an event if the protagonists are licensed professional pugilists matched and promoted by licensed matchmakers and promoters.

Article 2. (Licenses) of the AMENDED RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING PROFESSIONAL BOXING IN THE PHILIPPINES pursuant to the powers vested in the Games and Amusements Board under Section 7 of Executive Order No. 392, s. 1950 in connection with Executive Order No. 120, s. 1948, as amended by Presidential Decree No. 871, states that “The Board may issue licenses to qualified persons holding contest and to individuals participating therein directly or indirectly.”

Torre and Duterte never applied for a professional boxing license in the GAB; no licensed matchmaker and promoter arranged the bogus boxing event dubbed as “charity” to raise funds for typhoon victims.

The bout should have been supervised by the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP), and both Torre and Duterte should have been required to wear headgears as mandated by the International Boxing Association (IBA), previously known as the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA).

 

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When the referee raised Torre’s hand as the “winner” by default because Duterte did not show up on July 7, the police general wasn’t wearing a headgear.

Because they did not have professional licenses, Torre and Duterte were considered as amateur boxers and should be mandated by ABAP to wear 10 to 12 ounces of gloves.

The other functions of GAB are as follows:

—Law Enforcement. The GAB is empowered to fully implement and enforce laws, rules and regulations governing the conduct of all professional sports and games locally and the activities of professional athletes, game officials and officiating sports personnel.

—Professional Licensing and Supervision. The GAB issues and grants, upon application and after full compliance with all requirements therefore, license to professional sports practitioners and monitor their performances and activities to obviate any infraction of the terms and conditions of such licenses.

—Issuance of Permits. The GAB issues, upon compliance with all requirements and payment of the prescribed fees, permits for the holding of professional sports contests and competitions and regulates and supervises the actual conduct thereof.

— Rule Making. This Board formulates, adopts and promulgates rules, regulations, guidelines and policies to govern the conduct of professional sports and games and the activities and responsibilities of professional athletes.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

Water world again? It’s time to look ourselves up in the mirror

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

—Abraham Lincoln

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WE are saying this again for the umpteenth time: we should have started planting trees massively at least 90 to 100 years ago.

We mean, a no-nonsense tree-planting activity and not just a ningas cogon style or pakitang tao gimmickry to score pogi points.

And while doing it, deforestation should have been done sparingly if it couldn’t be avoided.

Life could not exist on Earth without trees because they produce most of the oxygen that humans and wildlife breathe.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and release oxygen using the process of photosynthesis.

If we did, several towns and villages that submerged from flash floods in the city and province of Iloilo when typhoon after typhoon terrorized Panay Island and the entire country for that matte these past weeks would have been protected.

Several lives in other parts of the country would have been saved including damages of millions worth of property and agriculture.

Storms normally bring heavy rains and strong winds, but if our mountain slopes are surrounded by trees, water can’t easily inundate the villages.

Trees help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and provide habitat to over 80 percent of the world's terrestrial biodiversity.

 

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One Tree Planted said forests provide jobs to over 1.6 billion people, absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere, and are key ingredients in 25 percent of all medicines.

Trees also play a key role in capturing rainwater and reducing the risk of natural disasters like floods and landslides.

Their intricate root systems act like filters, removing pollutants and slowing down the water’s absorption into the soil. This process prevents harmful waterslide erosion and reduces the risk of over-saturation and flooding.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Association, a mature evergreen tree can intercept more than 15,000 liters of water every year.

From arborists to loggers and researchers, the job opportunities provided by the forestry industry are endless.

We don’t just rely on trees for work, though.Sustainable tree farming provides timber to build homes and shelters, and wood to burn for cooking and heating.

Food-producing trees provide fruit, nuts, berries, and leaves for consumption by both humans and animals, and pack a powerful nutritional punch.

 

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So disturbed and alarmed was Iloilo Governor Arthur “Toto” Defensor Jr. that he had reportedly called for expansion of tree planting activities in the mountains to reclaim secondary forest lost in irresponsible and reckless deforestation.

This is a wise move. The governor may need the total support of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to pursue this herculean task.

We may be late, but it’s better to do something than crying over a spilled milk; it’s better to light a candle instead of cursing the darkness.

Sometimes only during calamities can our resolve be revitalized.

We are motivated to do something or spring into action with absolute urgency only after we have been caught off-guarded and unable to save lives and properties.

On the other hand, we can’t prevent people from cutting down trees. We need to build stores, houses, and other buildings.

We also cut down trees to clear land for agricultural use. In some cases, trees are cut down for wood for fires to heat up our homes and cook food.

If we cut trees, it’s but logical that we also plant more trees.

If we continue to be neglectful and irresponsible, we will wake up one day on the verge of being swept away by heavy floods to the kingdom come when heavy storms bombard us like a thief in the night.

Planting of trees is a responsibility that must be carried out by all people regardless of sex, economic status, age, religion and political affiliation.

We shouldn’t rely on our government alone.

We must think of what we can do for our environment, and not what our environment can do for us, to paraphrase JFK’s popular adage on government and our role.

 

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Let me share this “Tree Riddles” from the Trees Group:

This is the place for the most interesting tree riddles, forest-themed brain teasers, and nature-inspired puzzles, as well as riddles about trees, environment enigmas, and woodland conundrums.

What weighs more, a pound of leaves or a pound of logs?

They both weigh the same.

Which side of a tree has the most leaves?

The outside.

What kind of trees do you get when you plant kisses?

Tulips.

How do you get down from a tree?

You don’t. Down comes from a duck.

What gets a year older whenever it rings?

A tree.

What can pass through a tree without rustling any leaves?

Sunlight.

The more of it there is in the forest, the less you can see. What is it?

Darkness.

What looks like half a spruce tree?

The other half.

How far can a monkey run through the rainforest?

Just halfway. After that, it’s running out of the rainforest.

What color is the rain in a painting of the rainforest?

Water color.

Which animals can jump higher than a tree?

All of them. Trees can’t jump!

How many oranges grow on a tree?

All of them.

What’s the same size and shape as a giant sequoia tree, yet weighs nothing?

A giant sequoia tree’s shadow.

What do you get when you cross a fallen tree with a very organized feline?

A catalog.

There are 52 birds perched on a single tree branch. A poacher comes along and shoots one of those birds twice. How many birds are on the tree branch now?

There are no birds on the tree branch now. The bird that was shot fell off, and the rest of the birds flew away after the first shot.

What tree has two eyes but can’t see?

White Pine.

Which is more likely to break one of the laws of nature, a large rock or a large tree?

A large rock, because it’s boulder.

What does a tree sapling become after it is 30 days old?

Thirty-one days old.

I’m the part of a tree that is not in the sky or under the ground. I can move throughout the day and change shape. What am I?

Its shadow.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)