Ralph John Mijares

He has been in and out of the communications industry for over a decade. He became a student of the craft of journalism while he was still a college student and keeps returning to his first love despite working for a contact center company.


Sep 23, 2021

Maybe I am crazy or toodehydrated when Idid my fieldwork thatI started to hallucinate.I see a lot of Capiznons inRoxas City, Ivisan, and Sigmanot wearing face shields.The use of face shieldshas been advised in closedfacilities and crowded areasby President Rodrigo Dutertebefore.But before the president’slatest pronouncement, I haveseen a lot of people not wearingtheir face shields.I […]

Things we can’t do anything about
Sep 17, 2021

STRIKETHROUGH There are certain things in life that we do not have any control over. One of those things is us experiencing flooding. The video of a part of Teodoro Arcenas Trade Center (TATC) being flooded that went viral on Facebook recently is disheartening as I am a “Batang Lipunan” (TATC was formerly known as […]

Jun 12, 2021

ROXAS CITY – The coat of arms of Cardinal Jose Advincula Jr., who is set to head the Manila archdiocese on June 24, was recently unveiled. According to the Chancery of the Manila archdiocese, the left side of the shield depicts the ecclesiastical arms of the Metropolitan See of Manila, while the Carpenter’s Square is […]

Mar 10, 2021

STRIKE THROUGH Fighting facts with facts is not much of a thing anymore. Is it not? The issue on Baskog Radyo and the Capiz Provincial Government is certainly one of those. Before I get started, the dispute involved the antenna of Baskog Radyo at the roof of the Capiz Government and Business Center, which was […]

Mar 08, 2021

Fighting facts with facts is not much of a thing anymore. Is it not? The issue on Baskog Radyo and the Capiz Provincial Government is certainly one of those. Before I get started, the dispute involved the antenna of Baskog Radyo at the roof of the Capiz Government and Business Center, which was said to […]

Feb 15, 2021

Demand for jobs or side hustles are higher due to the pandemic and people are looking for such opportunities, especially the ones that allow them to work at home, through Facebook. Some people are offering job openings on Facebook groups, including in Capiz. Out of my curiosity due to a negative hunch, I checked one […]

Jan 22, 2021

STRIKETHROUGH The recent fire at Barangay 1 in Roxas City has raised the importance of local fire brigades. I then saw a suggestion from a Facebook friend: “Barangay tanods would need to be trained on the basics of firefighting like using fire extinguishers, pails of water or sand, etc.,” he said. Having people that can […]

Jan 01, 2021

Not all songs that sound nice have pleasant context or meanings. “Every Breath You Take” by The Police is actually a song about a stalker. Every breath you take and every move you makeEvery bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching youEvery single day and every word you sayEvery game you play, […]

Dec 25, 2020

Don’t get me wrong because this pandemic sucks, but we still have to try to see some positive points in any bad thing to keep us sane. With more people staying at home, more families get to have more time with each other. COVID-19 has contributed to the rise of the errands and food delivery […]

Dec 05, 2020

To be or not to be — that is the question…before. Now, to dump or not to dump at Barangay Acbo in Sigma has been the question in the last few months. Our Capiz Times Facebook page has been flooded with comments and private messages about people responding to the issue. Some say that they […]

Nov 07, 2020

ROXAS CITY—Returning Overseas Filipinos (ROF) and Locally Stranded Individuals (LSI) have three options for the mandatory 14-day quarantine in this city. Both ROF and LSI can either go to one of the quarantine facilities of the city government, undergo 14-day quarantine or stay at a hotel accredited and/or identified by the city government at their […]

Nov 04, 2020

  ROXAS CITY – The implementation of 10-percent increase in stall rentals at the Tapaz Public Market has been suspended recently. Per Ara si Mitang Magbanua Facebook page, the Sangguniang Bayan of Tapaz has chosen to not implement it because of the Corona Virus Disease-19 (Covid-19) pandemic. “Ini ang nagtuga sang kabudlayan sa mga Capizeno, […]

Nov 03, 2020

GMA News TV has been bashed on social media lately after showing cartoons when it was supposed to show real-time news updates about Typhoon Rolly. This is not the first time that the TV station got flak because of its identity crisis as I have seen in one of the Facebook groups that focus on […]

Oct 25, 2020

ROXAS CITY—For its effective implementation of the Public Employment Services Office (PESO) Employment Information System (PEIS), the Roxas City government was named Regional Grand Winner for 2019. Roxas City topped the list of other LGUs under the third-class city category for having the most number of registered job seekers. The database contains list of job […]

Oct 25, 2020

ROXAS CITY—The Capiz provincial government is seeking to provide more farming equipment for local farmers. The farming equipment would be for post-harvest facilities and agricultural machineries. Said facilities and machines are four-wheel drive tractor, hand tractor, floating tiller, precision seeder, walk-behind transplanter, riding-type transplanter, reaper, combined harvester, mini-thresher, impeller rice mill, mechanical dryer, re-circulating dryer […]

Oct 18, 2020

The Three Faces of the ‘Miss Universe Capiz’ Fiasco By Ralph John Mijares With reports from Edalyn Acta ROXAS CITY—Mariam Lara Ashraf, the ‘representative’ for Capiz in the Miss Universe Philippines this year, has officially backed out from the competition. More than anything, Ashraf has cited the lack of sufficient support from her handlers in […]

Oct 18, 2020

ROXAS CITY – The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) recently upheld the single-use plastic ordinance of Tapaz, Capiz. Per Ara si Mitang Magbanua Facebook page, SP said that it saw the excessive use of plastic in the municipality. The ordinance is called “Providing the Mechanism for the Management of the Use of Single-Use Plastics and for its […]

Oct 18, 2020

ROXAS CITY—Due to the Corona Virus Disease-19 (Covid-19) pandemic, the Capiz provincial government has advised the public not to go to cemeteries, memorial parks, columbaria and other places for burial in the coming holidays. Per executive order signed by Gov. Esteban Evan Contreras, the management of these public areas must ensure that nobody is able […]

Oct 18, 2020

ROXAS CITY — The Sangguniang Bayan of Maayon has recently approved the ordinance mandating the use of face shields. It is fully titled as “An Ordinance Mandating the Use of Face Shields while inside the Workplace, Public Transportation, and in Public Places within the Territorial Jurisdiction of the Municipality of Maayon, and Imposing Penalties for […]

Oct 18, 2020

ROXAS CITY—The Roxas City government is naming its RT-PCR lab the Roxas City Diagnostic and Laboratory Center operational for COVID-19 Testing. Per Upod Kita Ronnie Dadivas Facebook page, the Department of Health (DOH) Research Institute for Tropical Medicine Molecular Laboratory has given the laboratory a 100-percent proficiency rate for the SARS-CoV-2 detection test. Located at […]

Oct 18, 2020

ROXAS CITY—To date, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Capiz has approved the Php18-million realignment for the salaries of contractual and job order workers of the Roxas Memorial Provincial Hospital (RMPH). According to Ara si Mitang Magbanua Facebook page, the amount is drawn from the former allocation for vacant job positions in RMPH from January to […]

‘Not all reps OK with their budgets’ –Tawi
Oct 05, 2020

ROXAS CITY—Recently, Representative Emmanuel “Tawi” Billones Sr. of the First District of Capiz said there are congressmen who have not been satisfied with the budgets given to them. According to Billones, one of these is Arnulfo Teves Jr. of the 3rd District of Negros Oriental. On his part, Billones said that he hopes the Php1.8-billon […]

Sep 08, 2020

As a media practitioner and a contact center agent, I encounter people from different walks of life who become a part of my family and this includes people working in the medical field. Sometimes I am worried about my friends not only in Capiz but also in California, New York and the Middle East—they are […]

Aug 31, 2020

As a media practitioner and a contact center agent, I encounter people from different walks of life who become a part of my family and this includes people working in the medical field. Sometimes I am worried about my friends not only in Capiz but also in California, New York and the Middle East—they are […]

‘City’s rapid COVID test kits do work’ –Yap
May 22, 2020

By Ralph John Mijares ROXAS CITY—This week, City Councilor Cesar Yap Jr. defended the purchase of the Rapid COVID test kits by the city government. Yap was responding to a recent local radio broadcast claiming the said test kits are useless because they are inaccurate and still need confirmation in Iloilo. Yap said that the […]

Suspect for Contreras online threat traced; offers public apology
May 22, 2020

Roxas City—A person who posted an online threat to kill Gov. Esteban Evan Contreras recently issued a public apology.   Arvinjay Lipardo, 19, of Brgy. Ilaya, Ivisan, Capiz was tracked down in Brgy Ilaya and brought by the Ivisan police to the Office of the Provincial Director at Camp Apil, May 14. Interviewing the local […]

May 17, 2020

By Ralph John Mijares With reports from Edalyn Acta ROXAS CITY—Consumers of the Metro Roxas Water District (MRWD) can pay their bills in four installments if they cannot afford to pay, General Manager Gonzalo Glen Delgado said recently. In the May 5 edition of the Governor’s Update on the Capiz Kabalaka Information Center Facebook page, […]

May 17, 2020

By Ralph John Mijares ROXAS CITY—Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) Officer-in-Charge Edwin Javier said that the Covid-19 has not affected the fisheries sector that much in terms of production. “Hindi gid tama ka negative kon sa production [ang aton] istoryahan,” Javier said in the May 4 edition of the Governor’s Update on the […]

Bartering is Back in Capiz
May 15, 2020

  In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become risky to go to malls because many people go inside for their purchases and leisure. Some also struggle with their finances because of a temporary work stoppage or even termination.   Due to these hard times and the risk of simply going out in […]

A Little Too Early?
May 12, 2020

Don’t you think it’s too early to level down the provinces and cities to General Community Quarantine (GCQ)? For me, it is too early especially when Overseas Filipino Workers just started coming back in to their hometowns like us in Panay Island. We know how the virus spreads, once a person with the virus enters […]

4,000 families to be affected by trike ban
Mar 12, 2020

ROXAS CITY—Families of around 4,000 tricycle drivers here will be affected by the tricycle ban in national highways, Mayor Ronnie Dadivas said recently. According to Dadivas, the ban, which covers pedicabs and motorized pedicabs, should be reconsidered by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). Many commuters here use tricycles and all roads […]

Mar 03, 2020

ROXAS CITY—To address the increasing number of traffic incidents here, the Capiz Provicinail Police Office (CPPO) launched the Heartened Education and Awareness to Reduce Traffic incidents, or HEART. Per program, local funeral parlors will display in conspicuous places tarpaulins and.or signage reminding drivers to drive safely, CPPO Dir. Julio Gustilo Jr. said. All chiefs-of-police in […]