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From the publisher's desk
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan


‘A wake-up call:’ When sweeping federal cuts hit Guam
Federal spending had been the life vest for Guam’s economy until Trump came back to the Oval Office to puncture it.
Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Mar 9


The war against the poor: Why Guam fails in addressing homelessness crisis
Clearing the homeless out of public sight will not eliminate homelessness.
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Feb 2


Again, a fresh start
The CHamoru term “inafa’ maolek” refers to a concept of restoring harmony or order, a hallmark of Guam’s values and a gift from CHamoru ance
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Jan 4


The power of incumbency: The result of congressional race is consistent with Guam’s voting pattern
Historically, Guam voters have preferred the incumbent staying in Congress for many years. Madeleine Bordallo served from 2003 to 2019. R
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Dec 6, 2024


Hedged in diplomatic complexity
Guam governor recognizes Taiwan as a country “Taiwan is a great ‘country,’” Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said during the Taiwan National Day...
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Nov 6, 2024


Why print still matters
In July, we were notified by the U.S. Library of Congress that it has selected our website, pacificislandtimes.com , for inclusion in the...
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Oct 11, 2024


Selective elective amnesia
Guam’s public schools didn’t open on time. It was absurdly predictable— a ready-made, recyclable headline from years past. Only this...
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Sep 5, 2024


The Article V test: Who will reinforce the US for Guam's defense?
Any attack on Guam or other territories in the Pacific, “even if outside of the geographic scope of Article V, would almost certainly...
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Aug 8, 2024


The lawyers’ dilemma
In 2012, Kathleen Clark, a law professor at Washington School of Law, discussed the apparently unresolved issue of attorney-client...
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May 31, 2024

Free and open what?
Governor of Guam Lourdes Leon Guerrero and Joint Region Marianas (JRM) Commander Rear Adm. Gregory Huffman exchange ideas during the...
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May 8, 2024


The inherent dilemma
Pending in the Supreme Court of Guam is a request for declaratory judgment filed by Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero, who is seeking clarification...
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Apr 4, 2024


Legislating menstruation
When people with fancy titles gather in summits and conferences, they coin technocratic phrases that are repeated in subsequent summits...
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Mar 7, 2024


Farewell to a visionary
When I came to visit Peter Sgro at Guam Regional Medical City after his back surgery a couple of months ago, I found papers stacked up on...
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Jan 27, 2024


The year of grand gestures and pending promises
In August, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources conducted a field congressional hearing on Guam to "examine the importance of...
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Dec 18, 2023

A jigsaw puzzle: How do you solve a problem like Guam Memorial Hospital?
In the midst of a recent oversight hearing at the Guam legislature, Lilian Perez-Posadas, administrator of Guam Memorial Hospital,...
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Nov 3, 2023


RECA: The holy grail for Guam's radiation survivors
A cloud of trepidation hovers over the Pacific island states and territories in the face of Japan’s move to go ahead with the disposal of...
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Oct 8, 2023


You snooze you lose
China is a relentless leviathan and there are governments that would embrace it— if the price is right Pacific island leaders came with...
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Sep 6, 2023


Serious problem, farcical solution
“So let me get this straight: I go to the grocery store and buy a pound of sliced ham in a plastic bag, a loaf of bread in a plastic bag,...
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Aug 8, 2023


Till the next typhoon
How did Guam fare after Mawar? It depends on whom you ask. The answer depends on one’s temperament and previous disaster experience. It...
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Jul 6, 2023


Surviving Mawar
On the gloomy morning of May 26, we woke to an apocalyptic-like life, disconnected from the rest of the world— no power, no internet, no...
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Jun 4, 2023


Show me the money
Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero dreaded Bill 12-37, a straightforward measure with a clear end: just show us the lease and tell us what you’re...
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Apr 27, 2023


War on gobbledygook
Do you know how the soon-to-be built Guam missile defense architecture will function to protect the island from any potential missile...
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Apr 12, 2023


The outsider
The mending of Pacific unity restores regionalism, but Guam remains excluded Regional leaders settled their differences in Nadi at last...
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Mar 6, 2023


The great egg-flation
First, there was Covid. Then, a war in Ukraine. And now, eggs? How did the breakfast staple suddenly find itself sharing the world...
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Feb 6, 2023


The war on abortion is not over
There’s no returning to the “dark days” of the “back-alley” procedures, Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said when she vetoed the Guam Heartbeat...
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Jan 10, 2023


Post-election in the post-Covid season
The November elections are over. Call it banal, but there is no easier way to cap the election season than this hackneyed opening line....
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Dec 8, 2022


A debate about debates
The University of Guam’s Great Debate is the Super Bowl of Guam politics— a primetime pre-election event that typically sees hundreds of...
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Nov 2, 2022


Pampered with attention
Picked apart by China and heavily courted by the United States, the Pacific island region has become the superpowers' battleground for...
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Oct 4, 2022

Guam’s political idiosyncrasy
Incumbent governors rarely lose party renomination. They have built-in political machinery that includes people who are currently holding...
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Sep 1, 2022


There is no such thing as 'pro-abortion'
People who are “pro-life” are “anti-abortion.” But “pro-choice” advocates are not necessarily “pro-abortion” or “anti-life.” Several...
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Aug 11, 2022


The Fifth Branch: Where citizens are in charge
Gone are the days when the traditional media was the gatekeeper of information and the exclusive distributor of news. Social media tore...
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Jul 14, 2022


Gun laws and Guam's Castle Doctrine
It happened again. Shots rang out. Children ran for their lives. Bodies fell. The horrific school shooting that killed 19 children and...
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Jun 11, 2022


Every chance to ‘milk’ the feds
Life is pretty much back to normal. With Covid-19 infections consistently dwindling and yielding statistics that bring a certain level of...
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May 3, 2022


A ghost of the dark years
I remember that day— Feb. 25, 1986. I was then a teenager. My family stood outside the iron gates of Malacañang Palace among a massive...
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Apr 7, 2022

The politics of public health in the time of Covid
Public health has often been the staple of politics and our government— regardless of the political party and no matter who is running...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Mar 6, 2022


Some are more equal than others
America loves to talk about “equality,” a subject that is ironically difficult to talk about in America. Last month, Reps. Carolyn...
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Feb 5, 2022


From the beat: Gerry writes 30
Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light. I have...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Jan 1, 2022


The worst year? 2021 around the Pacific
We thought 2020 was the worst year ever. We heard it from friends and commentators. We read it on social media. We even said it...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Dec 9, 2021


When abnormal becomes the new normal
Dr. Anthony Fauci said we are likely to return to normalcy by May 2022. We are not holding our breath. When we’ve lost confidence even in...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Nov 7, 2021


In memory of Abed Younis
The late Abed Younis, my former boss and founder of Marianas Variety, never caved in to intimidation. In his typically deadpan tone, Mr....
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Oct 4, 2021


Convincing the inconvincible: Carrot and stick or a Rousseauian solution
No one trooped into the streets when the government dangled $10,000 in cash and brand-new cars to lure the vax stragglers to come out,...
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Sep 9, 2021


Information crisis amid Information Age
The world of ideas and beliefs is like a flea market, where hawkers and barkers try to out-scream one another, each trying to pull the...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Aug 13, 2021


It was the worst of times, it was the best of times
Headed to recovery, Guam is submerged in an unexpected tsunami of resources it has never seen in history The Covid era is a perplexing...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Jul 5, 2021


Murder of the mind
(Following is an old column originally published May 22, 2014 in Marianas Variety News and Views. ) WARNING: This column can be offensive...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Jun 30, 2021


‘Simple people' vs the simple-minded
In March 2015, an episode of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” perfectly captured the comedic essence of the Insular Cases...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Jun 7, 2021


Blast from the past: Memories of the old newsroom
I worked with Arnold Moss at Today (one of the Philippines' major broadsheets before it was acquired by another company), where I was a...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
May 23, 2021


Stopping Micronexit
It took them three months to apologize, but for the “Fiji faction” of the cleaved Pacific Islands Forum, it’s probably better late than...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
May 7, 2021


The colonial legacy: Political corruption dates back to the Spanish period
In 2019, the University of Guam’s Regional Center for Public Policy released the results of a survey indicating that two-thirds of...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Apr 8, 2021


The backbone of economy
Running a small business isn’t a walk in the park. Small scale entrepreneurs have to confront high rents, taxes, other collateral...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Mar 7, 2021


OK, Kamala Harris is a woman. And?
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ election to the nation’s second highest office “is a testament to how far we have come,” said Felicia...
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
Feb 2, 2021
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