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…
It was over a year ago, right before COVID-19 took over headlines indefinitely, that the major news item was about reading comprehension—or lack thereof. Let me jog your memory: in December 2019, people threw a fit when a 2018 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) report found that among 79 countries surveyed, the Philippines placed…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
