Youth

9/11 – fifteen years after

QUEZON City, Philippinies (September 19) – The American people still remembers the staggering 9/11 attack that occurred 15 years ago. The horror still haunts the hearts of the families of the victims – their names remembered in a memorial site near the rebuilt Twin Towers of New York. The infamous attack that sparked the international war against terror has made its mark in human history. The figures will always be etched in the pages of […]

Say good-bye to corporal punishment

QUEZON City, Philippines (September 14) – Before, kneeling on salt, stones, pebbles and what-have-you was the most used punishment for erring children.Nowadays, punishments are done by public humiliation, physical abuse, neglect, degradation, cruelty and other forms of abusive actions. During his time as Education Secretary, Armin Luistro reminded DepEd personnel in particular and the public in general that corporal punishment and violence in any form, whether committed against grown-ups or children are prohibited in public schools. Luistro […]

Raise breast cancer awareness? Challenge accepted!

QUEZON City, Philippines (September 8) – Social media is full of change challenges, and there is every indication that they are here to stay. A fairly recent example is the black and white photo challenge that went viral in Facebook. The challenge is simple enough. Once a friend tags you with a black and white photo, you have the choice ito either accept or decline the challenge. You will then replace your Facebook profile page with […]

Bombing in Davao City: Justice will be served

QUEZON City, Philippines (September 7) – Bloodshed struck Davao City after the tragic bombing left 15 dead and 70 injured. Witnesses said they heard a loud bang followed by smoke. Also the blast came from the massage area of the market in the middle of the street. The Police investigators fanned out on Sunday in search of the three persons of interest. Two women and a man described by the witnesses to be in his 40’s with medium […]

State of National Emergency and Martial Law: A very thick line in between

“Spelling nga, magkaiba na, meaning pa kaya?” The quote above was quite ‘gasgas’, used by those who compose romance-comedy lit or hugot memes. But let me apply it to something political. President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of state of national emergency (SNE) is making a lot of buzz, especially among civilians. He imposed this after the tragic bombing at the Roxas night market in Davao City, Friday September 2. Half of the people are panicking because […]

The long road to peace with the NDF

QUEZON City, Philippines (September 5) – The National Democratic Front of the Philippines or NDFP stated its interest in further dialogues with the Philippine government on the off chance that the latter is serious in meeting with the demands of the NDF which were brought up in the latest meeting between the two parties in Norway. Both parties have consented to move forward with the peace process, making a joint articulation after a two-day meeting held in Oslo […]

Why you should have a copy of “The Little Prince”

QUEZON City, Philippines (September 5) – “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” The words came from the famous book of Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Entitled “The Little Prince”, it is a compelling story about a prince and a pilot lost in the desert where their little adventure began. Originally written in French, the author went to a pilot school but eventually dropped-out and decided to have […]

Social media challenge – helping or not helping?

QUEZON City, Philippines (September 5) – After the Ice bucket Challenge, we now have the Black and White Challenge. Although it is a head-scratcher at first – as one wonders what it is all about – diligent internet search finally yields the issue: it’s all about breast cancer awareness. So, the next question is, how will the posting of a black-and-white photo as your profile pict would achieve the stated goal. The challenge-turned-web sensation was highly […]

Remembering Harambe

QUEZON City, Philippines (September 5)  – The Harambe meme recently went viral, proving that the netizens are still not at peace with the incident that happened earlier this year. May 28, 2016 to be exact. On that day, a zoo worker shot and killed Harambe, a 17-year old Western lowland gorilla, when it grabbed and pulled a three-year old boy who entered the gorilla enclosure in the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden. The act sparked […]

A1 holds comeback concert in the Philippines

QUEZON City, Philippines (September 5) – A1 cannot forget the passion exhibited by Filipino fans on their first visit in the Philippines. Now, four years later, A1 is returning to all that passion for their “Here We Come Back!”visit. A standout among the best boy groups of the late 90’s, A1 is returning to the Philippines for their two-night show “Here We Come-Back!” visit at the Kia Theater in Araneta Center, Quezon City on October 23, […]

Extremism and the social media

QUEZON City, Philippines (September 1) – Popular social media and micro-blogging site Twitter made the news after suspending almost 235,000 accounts for violating policies banning use of the platform to promote extremism in the first half of 2016. The company said that it has suspended a total of 360,000 accounts since June 2015. All of the accounts that are suspended promoted terrorism by posting hate speech, violent threats and terrorist propaganda online. Twitter is known worldwide for […]

On leaving the UN

QUEZON City, Philippines (August 30) – Call it Phexit or what-have-you, our country is now facing the possibility of leaving the UN. Or so many thought, with newspapers even making this announcement of President Rodrigo Duterte as their banner story The President threatened the august international body of  separation in response to the United Nations’ criticism regarding his administration.  The President made the announcement in response to a statement from United Nations Special Rapporteurs Agnes Callamard […]