Growing up, I never really fit in. Having spent 13 years at an all-boys Catholic school, there were parts of myself that I hid—some of my own volition, others in fear of being ostracized for who I was. At home, I hid as well—pressured by the expectations of being an only son and by the…
Category: Opinion Feature
Abandoned state
For the past five years, we have seen how our dream of finally achieving change in this country has slowly slipped away from our hands. Even the smallest hope some of us had eventually faded by increments. Back in 2016, right before the national elections, we were repeatedly promised that “change is coming” just like…
Eternity feels boring
What would you do if eternity was given to you? A good thing about living alone is that intrusive thoughts such as this come naturally. You could be reading a book, cooking dinner, or watching a K-drama about a 999-year-old fox who has a year left to become a human, and getting one would seem…
A garden and a lifeless rock
For most of human history, Earth was the only world we had known to exist. From our ancestors’ eyes, they resided on an island amid a sea of countless stars, their mark on the world as delible as footsteps on a beach. We know now, of course, that Earth is but one of eight planets…
A lease on life
Back when I was still in senior high school, walking back home to San Nicolas was one of the highlights of my day. Having studied in a Chinese school in Tondo, I would wind past shops in 168 Mall, tiptoe over polluted gutters with funky smells, always with my bag held tightly in front of…
Brick by brick
It was a regular Thursday afternoon rush and I was looking forward to going home for the weekend. I was crossing the corner of Vito Cruz with my bag full of laundry when it happened. I barely registered the small, nondescript man coming from the opposite direction. As we crossed each other’s paths, he inched…
Space in this world
For Filipinos, the month of June means two things; Independence Day for all and Pride Month for some. Our countrymen commemorate the month they are liberated from their colonizers and look back to the time when they achieved freedom. On the other hand, the LGBTQ+ community celebrates their freedom and love, showcasing what it means…
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…
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,…
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…