An Open Letter (of Apology) to My Toddler
On the occasion of “Fathers’ day”, while some dads are going to be receiving gifts or having dinners arranged for them, I opted to write my child an open letter …
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Opposition against charter change because they fear disruption to a political order that benefits a few
If you look at a map of the pre-Spanish “Philippines,” you would see that sultanates were the norm. The archipelago was heavily influenced by Islam which came by way of …
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35 years of democracy has not freed Filipinos from entrenched oligarchic feudal rule
Richard Javad Heydarian has a fondness for historical context in relation to present-day situations. In his Inquirer piece “Why do we love dictators?” he laments how, “across the postcolonial world, …
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A crisis of existentialism in a time of COVID-19 pandemic
It’s June already next week. The first half of the year went by like a snap of the fingers. The last half will be a race to December and before …
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Opposition horse-trading shaped by energy oligarchs vying for control over oil and gas in West Philippine Sea
So now journalists have to get their stories from Facebook posts. In her Inquirer report “Control of West PH Sea oil seen in takeover of Malampaya project”, Frances Mangosing uses …
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On how the politicisation of community pantries and ayuda contributed to Filipino mendicant culture
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck the Philippines, “bayanihan” has been a mainstay of Filipino culture, especially in the provinces. As someone who spent my youth in the province, I …
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The Philippines needs less emotional millennials who can think strategically in terms of national interests
Excellent read, this piece “A millennial considers the new German Problem after 30 years of peace”. Its author, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations and German …
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Oligarchs spawned by Spanish and American colonial masters at core of Philippine society ills
A broken piece of ceramic material, specially one found in an archeological site. This is the definition of Sherds, which is also a novel by National Artist for Literature F. …
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