As children, we realize quickly the falsehood of elf workshops, Rudolph, and Santa Claus. In our maturity, the next myth we debunk is that of a merry Christmas. Indeed, while Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You” replays for the 13th time in a neighbor’s home, while guests biding time to bow out move on...
Category: Opinion
An unfinished flood control project in Tagbac, Jaro District in Iloilo City —PHOTO BY ARNOLD ALMACEN
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On the cusp of 2026, where are we at in the corruption scandal?
Catalina Cabral died under mysterious circumstances on Dec. 18 and Rossana Fajardo has quit the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) effective today, Dec. 30. Where are we at in the inquiry into the corruption scandal involving the institutionalized looting of public coffers? Christmas has come and gone and the new year approaches on winged feet,...
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Running late for class, running late for home: the cost of progress in Antique
PANDAN, Antique—I clutched my jacket tighter as the cold, damp breeze brushed against my skin. The stillness of dawn carried just enough quiet to stir my thoughts. Around me, fellow passengers hurried on, each eager to reach their destination. It’s 5:30 a.m. “Hindi kaw karian ma-late?” My friend’s message read. Right, I have a 10...
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Committed writing and the necessity of resistance
EDITOR’S NOTE: These remarks were delivered as a message from the family at the close of the 5th Edel Garcellano Conference with the theme “Resistance, Contradiction and Critique: Committed Writing Now,” held at the Ateneo de Manila University last Nov. 29. It’s extraordinary that the conference honoring Edel Garcellano and his work is now on...
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Political crossroads: Reform, stability, and the limits of street pressure
Being away from the Philippines, even briefly, offers a vantage point that is both clarifying and sobering. From afar, the recent rallies that swept parts of Metro Manila appeared to me loud, impassioned, and unmistakably public in their demand for accountability. They have forced Malacañang to act swiftly—reshuffling sensitive positions, firing officials, and making high-profile...
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Let’s hear it from the President’s mouth
In a surprising turn, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. personally announced the Sandiganbayan’s issuance of warrants for the arrest of ex-Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and 17 others in connection with an anomalous flood control project in Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. It was an obvious effort to demonstrate control of the raging corruption scandal. But in the...
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What’s taking so long, Bongbong?
The first strike was at the State of the Nation Address (Sona) last July, when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appeared to be scolding the corrupt, blurting out so confidently, “Mahiya naman kayo!” only to be met with resounding applause and loud cheers by the people he was addressing. It was a curious moment, patently Pinoy...
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Lost lives, lost homes, lost livelihoods
One day in the 1990s after rivers of lahar streamed from the slopes of Mount Pinatubo and buried many homes in Pampanga, I was peering through a second-floor window below my eye level. The ground was warm beneath my sneakers as I stooped to look into a bedroom with a double bed and its tousled...
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Why foreign aid may do more harm than good
It’s an opportune time to take a look at two of the Philippines’ major foreign aid donors to highlight issues and problems that characterize official development assistance (ODA). These are the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Japanese government. There have been excellent civil society studies as well as critical academic research work on the...
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Postscript to the Frankfurt Book Fair with my friends Jose Rizal, Edward Said and Adania Shibli
To be clear, I was not at the Frankfurt Book Fair. But in the past few months, I’ve been holding a book fair of sorts on my own after coming to terms with my being a polygamous reader. I seem to think that just because I am unable to read one book at a time,...