The LaSallianWith the recent election turnout in the United States, many are optimistic of a similar change that may finally occur in the 2022 Philippine presidential elections. Last February 18, Comelec announced that 58 million Filipinos have registered so far for the upcoming national elections. According to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority and Comelec, 40…
On March 8, 2020, the Philippines braced for COVID-19—a then-looming threat—after President Rodrigo Duterte placed the country under a state of a public health emergency, an arguably delayed response to an already fast-spreading virus. In the days that followed, the country buckled in for widespread lockdowns, hoping that the pandemic would perhaps tide over in…
We were never really safe in our country, not even within the confines of our homes. An environment that is perpetrating a deluged type of freedom will never be ideal—but rather dangerous. Truly, the current political climate in the Philippines highlights how criticisms coming from the youth are often viewed as the basis to categorize…
The unilateral termination of the 1989 UP-DND Accord is another attempt to clamp down on democracy—it is a move reminiscent of the Marcos regime. Without evidence for his supporting arguments and without consultation from the University of the Philippines (UP), Secretary Delfin Lorenzana nonchalantly declared in a letter to UP President Danilo Concepcion that the…
“It’s insurrection”—two words we never thought we’d hear when it comes to the United States of America. The United States (US) has always glorified itself as the poster child for democracy—the land of the free and a place of opportunity. As a global superpower, the nation had served as a model for countries that sought…
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article recounts an experience of a traumatizing form of sexual assault. Readers are advised to proceed with caution. I consider myself as someone who is sex-positive—seeing sex and sexuality as concepts that are open and progressive. Exploring my sexuality right after high school shaped how I understood people as their own realized…
“Becoming a teacher is a difficult task. You’ll be underfunded, underappreciated,” these were the words hammered in my mind ever since I was a child, having admitted that I wished to take up teaching as a profession, all the way to my major courses in college. Everyone says that education is a vocation, a sacrifice…
The Philippines was never ready for a pandemic, and yet here we are. From the lack of hospital beds to the scarcity of ventilators, the country’s weak healthcare infrastructure has become prone to collapse, as those in the highest offices of the government continue to blunder in their response. This lack of decisive leadership and…
“Tayo naman!” so exclaimed many after the news of Joe Biden’s projected election into the United States presidency, expressing hope that with the end of Donald Trump’s damaging populist tenure, the Philippines would see the same result in 2022. But while we have reason to believe that better leadership is within our grasp, this is…
Up to what extent can we give someone the benefit of the doubt? Where do we draw the line in order to ease the pain, anger, and heartbreak? A couple of years ago, a man told me he loved me. Although I was sure that the word “love” meant almost nothing to him, I made…
