Categories
University

In bad faith: Reconciling SOGIE with religious freedom

The fight for gender equality in the Philippines has been a particularly long one. As early as 2000, an early version of a Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) bill had already been filed in Congress, drafted by then-Akbayan Rep. Etta Rosales and late Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Since then, at least 16 different versions…

Categories
University

PH social media in the age of digital disinformation

President Rodrigo Duterte, in his weekly late-night address last September 28, launched into a sudden tirade against Facebook. “Facebook, listen to me. We allow you to operate here hoping that you could help us also. Now, if [the] government cannot espouse or advocate something which is for the good of the people, then what is…

Categories
University

Lawyers’ group to voters: Rethink discussions on 2022 elections

In less than two years, Filipinos will once again march to the polls to cast their ballots in the 2022 Philippine general elections. But for the Legal Network for Truthful Elections (LENTE), the “first and only non-partisan nationwide network” of lawyers, law students, paralegals, and grassroots volunteers, the task of mobilizing voters to choose the…

Categories
University

Mitigate not eliminate: Countering the COVID-19 infodemic

Before COVID-19 escalated into a pandemic, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned world leaders against another issue that may arise. “[We’re] not just fighting an epidemic; we’re fighting an infodemic,” he argued then.  According to the WHO, an infodemic occurs when there is “an excessive amount of information about a problem”…

Categories
University

Standing together: Reaching out to Lasallians left in Taft

As the local COVID-19 outbreak began to escalate last March, Manila Mayor Isko Moreno initially ordered a one-week class suspension in hopes of controlling the spread of the disease. Students and other members of the Lasallian community who live within the vicinity of DLSU were left with no choice but to pack up and return…

Categories
University

University, fire officials share fire prevention plans for March

Earthquakes, global health emergencies, inclement weather—these are some of the incidents that the University faced in the past year. As the cool Amihan breeze wanes in February, March signifies the beginning of the summer months. And with it, another hazard: fire. DLSU itself is not safe from the danger of fire, evident from incidents in…

Categories
University University Feature

A cautionary tale of impunity, political repression

It has been 10 years since the Maguindanao Massacre—one of the bloodiest electoral killings in Philippine history. On November 23, 2009, 57 bodies were found buried en masse after more than 100 armed men stopped a convoy carrying relatives and supporters of then Buluan Vice Mayor Esmael Mangudadatu, along with media personnel. The convoy was…

Categories
University

The price to pay for incentives

Amid the bustle of long tests, presentations, paper defenses, and other academic requirements, students who look to supplement their grades can turn to incentives. Attendance and active participation in seminars, conferences, forums, and other activities may prove pivotal in pulling up a student’s class standing. In other cases, points earned from accomplishing incentives is crucial…

Categories
University

Farmers struggle amid surge of rice imports in local market

Despite being touted as an agricultural country, the Philippines has continually struggled with achieving rice self-sufficiency for decades. Between 1986 to 2016, the country was only able to attain rice self-sufficiency for three years. More recently, a sharp surge in rice prices in 2018, due to an allegedly artificial rice shortage, limited Filipinos’ access to…

Categories
University

SE contenders share platforms, highlight advocacies in MDA

Continuing on from the spectacle of the Special Elections debate in the morning, party bets from both Alyansang Tapat sa Lasallista (Tapat) and Santugon sa Tawag ng Panahon (Santugon) again engaged with one another, imparting their platforms and plans of action in the Special Elections (SE) 2019 Miting de Avance held last November 22 at…