Students and educators have toiled under the online learning setup for more than a year now, and it is beginning to look as if authorities have completely turned their backs on going back to fully face-to-face classes. The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) recently announced a “flexible learning” scheme, a policy which will allow Higher…
Category: Opinion
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Tipping the scale
With 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…
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Come hell or high water
The fundamental architecture of international law, that all the seas and oceans belonged to mankind, is derived from Hugo Grotius’ Mare Liberum, however, China thinks otherwise. The world superpower invokes historical rights in its claim to the West Philippine Sea (WPS), and their arguments are moot. The controversial Nine-Dash Line naval “canon” was first seen…
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One day at a time
At some point in this pandemic, we all lost something. Whether it be the motivation to study or the freedom we once had to go out and see our friends, it was a heavy adjustment. It was just something we weren’t used to nor typically fond of. The loss of something or someone will always…
On World Press Freedom Day last May 3, President Rodrigo Duterte, in his message celebrating the occasion, stressed the importance of having a “free and responsible press” that “must be protected from all forms of threat and intimidation so that they may fully serve the best interest of the people.” The statement did not sit…
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…
A fascist, a misogynist, and a murderer walks into a bar, and the barkeep says, “Tatay Digong! Would you like your usual drink?” While this classic joke format has seen countless variations throughout the decades, it probably still will not get as old and tired as the circus show our government has been putting on…
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Who speaks for whom
It was the beginning of the year when I woke up to the news of Christine Dacera’s alleged rape-slay case plastered all over my social media. It was early morning, and I immediately felt sick in the gut, which is an instinctive physical reaction I get whenever I hear cases of similar nature. After all,…
Even with government officials’ continued bid to increase police and military presence in colleges and universities, there has seemingly remained a sense of security for those belonging to private institutions. Surely, as long as students are on a private campus, they will be safe from coercion by state forces. Well, as it appears, not anymore.…
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Our rights are not theirs
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…