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Who’s misinforming the public on the debt service?

An issue has arisen on what exactly are the Philippines’ debt service obligations. Contending parties from the government and the media have issued contradictory statements on how to define the debt service: The government claims it is manageable; some in the media are raising alarm bells.  Last Aug. 24, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman was quoted...

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Tagle as papal contender? Here are the pros and cons

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, the former archbishop of Manila, may be the strongest papal contender if Pope Francis resigns, like Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI did. But certain factors may affect his chances of getting elected in the next conclave. One factor is Tagle’s perceived closeness to Pope Francis, who appointed him in 2019 to head...

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Honor, courage and storytelling in difficult times

Editor’s note: The following is the commencement speech delivered by Caroline S. Hau via Zoom at the University of the Philippines Diliman on July 31, 2022.  Ms. Hau began her speech in Filipino with a greeting to the UP Regents, President Danilo Concepcion, officials of the UP System, Chancellor Fidel Nemenzo, vice chancellors, deans and...

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Beyond ‘gossip’ and ‘truth’ telling: social history and history from below

Filipino historians’ assertions that history is synonymous with the “truth” are aimed at the viral comment on social media by a mediocre movie performer that “history is tsismis (gossip).” The comment is related to the performer’s role in an upcoming movie that seeks to revise common understanding of the Marcos martial law years. An avalanche...

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The ‘battle for memory’

Reports of protesting Sri Lankans storming the presidential palace and forcing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to run away and eventually announce that he would step down are triggering recollections of Ferdinand Marcos’ own flight from Malacañang in February 1986 as protesting Filipinos approached the gates. Written accounts of the ailing dictator’s last hours in the Palace—for...

Mandate of a writer in times of challenge and struggle
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Mandate of a writer in times of challenge and struggle

The “quill” which has been known as the symbol of a class of people called writers is a weapon that ensues from a mandate the nature of which conforms with the individual writer’s world outlook—his weltanschaung.  Every thrust made by the writer of his quill is in pursuance of tasks dictated by such mandate. He...

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Food security? Ease the plight of farmers first

The issue of food security is in the headlines these days because of the attention the new administration is giving it and the fact that the new president, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., has positioned himself as head of the Department of Agriculture (DA). I have been living and working in the Philippines for 20 years, and...

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No contact apprehension: Can cameras end the traffic mess?

Have you ever opened your mail and found a notice of violation (NOV) jolting you with a fine of P2,000, or even P4,000? Your immediate reaction might well be “What the [expletive]!”—and understandably so. But then you’ll realize that the attached digital image of a vehicle shown, supposedly, running a red light or making an...

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Asean’s divisive responses to the Covid-19 pandemic

The responses of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) as a regional grouping to Covid-19 have been divisive, unclear, nonconsultative, impromptu, and driven by divergent policies, leading its member-states to control the pandemic individually and independently of each other. These are the assessments of observers among think tanks, media outfits, and independent researchers. A...