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Hail and farewell: The changing face of grief

Death is only truly tangible once you’ve lost someone. It’s in the cold that invades their side of the bed. It’s in the quiet that comes to haunt the room where they once were.  It is in the belongings they leave behind, untouched and gathering dust. Death is undeniably real and for many, making peace…

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Rant and Rave: The Crown—Season 4

The Crown has been one of Netflix’s prized prestige shows, having consistently delivered awards season buzz and pop culture mileage for three years now. Treading the line between drama and history, the show has capitalized on the general public’s morbid fascination with the British royal family. The constant push-and-pull between royal fantasy and far-from-perfect reality…

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Between books and shelves: The dynamic future of public libraries

Public libraries are cornerstones of culture in the Philippines. While many institutions tend to govern our way of life, public libraries preserve how this way of life came to be in the first place. Tasked with housing primary source materials and other pieces of our country’s history, libraries sate even the most curious of knowledge…

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Blurring the big picture: Reviewing MTRCB censorship

Many Filipinos are kept within the confines of their homes because of the ongoing pandemic. Gone are the days when one can go out and engage in their favorite pastimes, like dining in their favorite restaurants or catching a flick in the movie house. Now, people find entertainment through online streaming sites, boosting viewership in…

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Talking heads: Podcasters on and off the mic

Meaningful conversations bring about a sense of enlightenment. New discoveries are made through a back and forth of opinions, as well as a sharing of personal experiences. Such a relay of knowledge has become so sought after that it has popularized podcasts. More refined than simple talking heads, podcasts are divided into episodes, where different…

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Out of sight: The Philippine reproductive health crisis

There seems to be an unsaid discomfort when anything related to sex is brought to the table. From menstruation, contraceptive pills, pregnancy, to abortion, it is almost impossible to share details about these experiences casually, unremarkably, and with no holds barred. “This image that we like to portray—that the Philippines is so conservative—stands in the…

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A reimagined world: Filipino folklore in the 21st century

The creaking of the floorboards. A warning against going out into the woods at night. The urge to offer a “tabi-tabi po” as you pass by a mound of dirt. The balete tree you always avoid. These stories have been planted deep in the Filipino psyche, holding an unnerving power that compels us beyond reason.…

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Macoy, undubbed: The human beyond the humor

”Sino ang kumain ng sisig sa Jollijeep?” cries Nigel in the iconic Devil Wears Prada scene. For those scratching their heads, no, this is not some deranged Tagalog dubbing in a late Sunday night local network line-up. This is one of the zingers comedian Macoy Dubs delivered in their early days of making dubbed content…

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‘Di niyo ba naririnig?: Inside the NatDem Resistance

“Makibaka! ‘Wag matakot!” is a cry that has been heard for decades as activists who march on the streets time and again express their resistance against a system that they feel has failed the people. One of the biggest ripple of activism in history is the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution, often touted as a…

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Writer’s Recap: Secrets to storytelling with Ricky Lee

Inside all of us is the innate drive to create something meaningful—whether it’s an essay your professor will read or a business pitch for your boss or a film for your audience, we always have the end goal of wanting to understand and being understood. We aim to hold people’s attention; there must always be…