The LaSallianNow is as good a time as any to talk about mental health. Epidemiological evidence on mental illnesses in the Philippines is unfortunately lacking, but the National Statistics Office identified mental illnesses as the third most prevalent form of morbidity. With the uncertainty brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in addition to unsettling tensions arising around…
There are numerous television shows and movies that revolve around crimes—tackling topics such as murder, homicide, self-harm, theft, corruption, and terrorism—and one could wonder just how true-to-life these depictions are. I personally have perceived most of these as mere fiction, or at least hoped they were. But in this day and age, that kind of…
As stores reopen, on-site work continues, and people return to the streets, we are made to think that the country has braved a wave of infections, that the spread of COVID-19 has been successfully mitigated, and that all that is left to do now is to prevent a resurgence of cases. Yet one should not…
I have been and still am a critic during this crisis. Now, before anyone accuses me of deviance, dares question my contribution to society, or demands my “cooperation”, they must first understand that amid our country’s current troubles, to speak up is not only the practice of a right but also the fulfillment of a…
In the past month and a half that enhanced community quarantine measures have been in place, calls for increased testing have remained ever present, if not grown steadily stronger. Although the increase in COVID-19 cases seems to have stabilized in recent days, as well as newly reported recoveries outnumbering new fatalities, this cannot beget complacency.…
Daily struggles can be a burden, especially for those who can barely make it through each day. As a child, I would always know when my mother—a single parent—felt like she had too much on her plate, even though I had no idea what it was like to be a parent. There are single parents…
Last month, I received the results of my annual physical exam, a yearly checkup that I do for both school and work. The results were mostly consistent with previous years in that there were no significant findings to report. There was, however, one part that caught my eye: I had a low level of HDL—what…
At any given point in time, there are perhaps a dozen or so crises happening simultaneously around the world. The global spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the yet ongoing bushfires in Australia, and the protests in Hong Kong are just some of the world’s present troubles that beat down on everyone’s psyche, not…
One of my greatest fears as a kid was the dark. I was afraid because I couldn’t see anything, letting my imagination run wild from all the horror films and stories I would bathe myself in. Sleeping alone at night would be difficult for me, urging myself to leave the door open and the night…
I’ve always had a problem with the way my eyes look. My earliest memory of my disdain for my Chinese features was when I was told that Piolo Pascual was the epitome of male attractiveness. Young, impressionable, kindergarten Westin was heartbroken when he looked in the mirror; he faced not the chiselled, brown-skinned, wide-eyed Piolo…
