Category: Columns

EDSA

Tatlumpu’t walong taon matapos ang “People Power” (pati na ang pagtatapos ng aming Batch 1986 noong high school), nakatago pa ang mga medalya at sariwa pa ang alaala ng pakikibaka. Pinakamalaking karangalan ang mamulat sa katotohanan ng karanasan, pati na ang pagsisimula ng pagsisilbi sa bayan. Kumpara sa mga medalya, hinding-hindi ito kukupas.

Reflections after a prison visit

Given the constraints they face, political prisoners deserve our utmost respect for choosing defiance instead of compromise and collaboration with the class enemy. They provide a dignified example of how to live a life devoted to the cause of fighting with the oppressed. Their activism is demonized and criminalized by those who see no evil in the obscene hoarding of the nation’s wealth by the elite and the exploitation of the poor and powerless by those in power.

Pag-ibig

Tulad ng perspektiba ng mga magkasamang dalhin ang relasyon sa mas mataas na antas, ibang antas din ang pakikipagrelasyon ng isa sa mas malawak na mamamayan. Isa man o dalawa, mas mahalaga ang malasakit sa kapwa.

Pagtanggi

Walang problema. Para sa mga ordinaryong mamamayan, “ayos lang” ang kahulugan. Para naman sa mga nasa kapangyarihan, ito ang “tamang daan” para takasan ang pananagutan. Hindi kasi kailangang tugunan ang problemang hindi kinikilala. Walang krisis sa ekonomiya kung wala o kakaunti lang ‘di umano ang naghihirap. Walang “red-tagging” kung ang mismong salita’y wala raw sa…

Lab Notes | Rosario’s black sand: That which we call home

Juan is just one out of many fisherfolk unable to make a living from the sight that greets them in the morning and lulls them at night. When reclamation started in Manila Bay and in Bulacan Aerotropolis, it meant finding source material for dumping, and there is no need to look farther than Cavite whose coasts are rich in black sand. High in iron content, the black sand can be used for concrete and asphalt production—a vital ingredient for built infrastructure.

Grado

Tinaguriang “hell week” ngayon sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas Diliman (UPD), pati na sa iba pang unibersidad na may halos kaparehong kalendaryong pang-akademiko. Sa unang dalawang linggo ng Enero 2024, abala ang maraming estudyante sa pagkuha ng pinal na eksaminasyon at pagpasa ng mga kahingian sa kurso (course requirements). Lahat ng pinaghirapan, pinagpuyatan at iniyakan, siyempre’y may katapat na grado.

Balik-Tanaw | Journeying with the Magi

Sometimes it is called The Three Kings or the Visit of the Magi. This feast is familiar to us. It conjures up colorful pictures of a journey, a search, with only a star as a guide. It is placed in the liturgical cycle to deepen and broaden an understanding of incarnation. The chosen Scripture texts are inspirational as they open us up to the needs of the world, and the wisdom of nature.