What makes you happy?

BY FORMER SENATE PRESIDENT MANNY VILLAR

Apr 2, 2025 02:54 AM 

OF TREES AND FOREST

(Part I)

A few days ago, March 20 to be exact, the World Happiness Report 2025 was launched. That day, March 20, was International Day of Happiness. The United Nations website described the report as a document that “features a ranking of countries by their average levels of life satisfaction…followed by six chapters looking at ‘caring and sharing’ from different angles.” And yes, to all the cynics out there, the World Happiness Report and the International Day of Happiness are not flimsy gimmicks concocted by some people wanting to take advantage. They were actually based on a United Nations General Assembly Resolution (66/281) adopted in 2012.

The resolution was a short document, barely a whole page, but contained powerful words and vision. I read it and the most powerful part was the preamble, which in part, declared “that the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal,” and recognized “the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world.”

I was reading the document online and kept going back to those statements. I realized that there are times when we make some things so complicated we forget the most fundamental element of life—to be happy. When I was in the Philippine Legislature we would often have debates and discussions about policies that involved rather complicated language and ideas. We would argue over statistics, over the phrasing of words, sometimes even over dates and, especially money. But when you think about it, it is really all about happiness. 

Perhaps it goes with the passage of time but when I was young things were simple. I remember there were a few things that made me happy. The smell of coffee early in the morning as I prepared to accompany my Nanay Curing to the market is a remembrance that never fails to make me smile. So was the memory of my mother holding my hand as we walk early in the morning to Divisoria. As a kid, I enjoyed playing with other kids running around the streets of Tondo pulling a string with a can of Rosebowl sardines at the end of it. But most of the time, I was really happy just sitting by our window observing the people in our community walk by or watching the clouds in the sky. 

I realized that even to this day I maintained those habits albeit in a different manner. I still love the smell of coffee in the morning (or any time of the day, really). I still enjoy sitting in one of the Coffee Project’s branches and watch people enjoy walking around Vista Mall. 

The point I am making is that despite all the complications of our lives it really all boils down to one thing—happiness. A mother who goes through everything just to be able to go abroad and work; a father who endures hellish traffic conditions just to get to work on time; a government worker who works very hard for very little pay, have one thing in common: they all want to make their loved ones happy.

In the 2025 World Happiness Report, the Philippines ranked 57th with an Average Life Evaluation of 6.1/10. This is a pretty good ranking considering that this is a global report. The methodology used for the global ranking is in itself very interesting. According to the World Happiness Report website, it was based on a single life evaluation question: Please imagine a ladder with steps numbered from 0 at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?

How would you answer the question? Which step of the ladder of happiness are you standing on now? (mbv_secretariat@vistaland.com.ph and/or http://www.mannyvillar.com)

Does anybody still read the newspaper?

BY FORMER SENATE PRESIDENT MANNY VILLAR

Feb 5, 2025 00:00 AM

  

---

OF TREES AND FOREST

 

To be able to last for 125 years means you are doing something right. To be able to last for 125 years means that the people know and trust that you are doing something right. To be able to last 125 years means that you have been a witness to the unfolding of the nation’s history. This is what the Manila Bulletin has accomplished last Feb. 2, 2025. 

Just to give you an idea how mind-bending this feat is, when the Manila Bulletin started out as a shipping journal, The Daily Bulletin, churning out “accurate and reliable shipping and commercial information,” on Feb. 2, 1900, it was just about 20 months since General Emilio Aguinaldo proclaimed the independence of the Philippines on June 12, 1898. It was just less than 14 months since the signing of the Treaty of Paris in which Spain unjustly ceded the Philippines to the United States and US President William McKinley proclaimed a policy of “benevolent assimilation” in which the Philippines was to come under the sovereignty of the United States.

Around one year before the Manila Bulletin’s establishment, the Philippine-American War erupted, set off by a gun battle between an insurgent patrol and an American. Four months later, the First Philippine Republic would declare war against the nascent imperialistic intentions of the United States. 

In fact, with the exception of the four years during the Japanese occupation and a minor interlude during the declaration of Martial Law, the Manila Bulletin came out every day, a witness to our history, strengthening our democracy, contributing to national development and more importantly, upholding the truth and the tenets of journalism. It is an amazing achievement and I congratulate the management, staff and journalists (past and present) for making that possible.  

I read the editorial by the Manila Bulletin on Feb. 2, 2025 extolling its 125th anniversary. It proclaimed that despite all the challenges and hurdles, “the Manila Bulletin faces the future with optimism and determination.” Despite the changing times, the Manila Bulletin bravely stated that “its editorial policy remains clear: to uphold decency, principle, and fairness while advocating for the best interests of the country and its people.”

Despite such optimism, there are serious headwinds not just for the Manila Bulletin but for all of print media. It is an existential issue best expressed in this question which sounds more forceful in Filipino: “May nagbabasa pa ba ng dyaryo?” (Does anybody still read the newspaper?) Gone were the days when the first thing you look for when you wake up is the newspaper. It seems like a scene from a long time ago when you have a family gathered around having breakfast and the father drinking his coffee while reading the “peryodiko” (for those that are too young, that was how we called newspaper back then). 

I still do it. I love the smell of newsprint and coffee in the morning. But I am an old soul like that. Today, the first thing people do when they wake up is check their phones. And to the extent that they are interested in the news, they go to Facebook or Twitter. Today, you would probably see a typical family situated around a table but in their own zones checking social media feeds on their mobile. Before, what you read on the newspaper became the topic of actual conversations within the family, in the office, or with friends. Today, we “converse” by retweeting or “sharing.” We communicate in the comments section or reply with an emoji. 

These are different times, interesting times.

And so, while we celebrate this milestone by the Manila Bulletin, there is reason to be concerned about the future. “May magbabasa pa ba ng peryodiko?” I was searching for an answer until I found the mission of the Manila Bulletin on its website, which reads: “to provide…accurate and objective news of the Philippines, without embellishment or advocacy of persons and parties but only in ideas…it will strive to be positive rather than negative in its coverage and interpretation, build-up rather than destroy, encourage rather than take a stand of negative criticism and be courageous in reporting abuses and dishonesty, so that the medium will become an instrument of construction rather than destruction, without neglecting its critical function in society”.

I am not sure what the future of the print media would be. But I am mighty proud to be part of a news organization that stayed true to its core values even after 125 years. I am not sure “kung may magbabasa pa ng dyaryo.” But I hope that in the future “may interesado pa sa katotohanan.” (there would still be those interested with the truth.)  If that is the case, then a multi-media organization with a  print edition, like the Manila Bulletin, will survive and continue to thrive. 

(mbv_secretariat@vistaland.com.ph and/or http://www.mannyvillar.com)