Embracing 2026 with hope

As the holiday merrymaking draws to a close, it is not surprising that we embrace 2026 still feeling the pinch of the “floodgate scandal” —a continuing telenovela with unfolding episodes that keep twisting and thickening the plot.

- FIL C. SIONIL

If there’s a silver lining to all this negativity, it is that the country is approaching a “capitulation zone.” It’s not that we’re giving up or becoming callous, but that we have reached a point where we’re no longer shocked by the newbie actors enmeshed with the major dramatis personae.

From the sidelines comes the vehement opposition of House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Caloocan City 2nd District Rep. Edgar “Egay” Erice to the proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 General Appropriations Act (GAA). As I write this, the budget has been ratified by both houses of Congress and is expected to be signed by the President next week.