Celebrating the Lives of the Dead
MY MOTHER’S mother, Apong Oniang, was buried in Macabebe, Pampanga. The town’s name means bebe in Kapampangan and baybay in Tagalog. It is a...
A pillar without the law
IMAGINE at least 61 lawyers being killed under the administration of Rodrigo Duterte — a lawyer — as President of the Philippines. Imagine that...
Ruby Ibarra rapping her way towards representation, liberation
HIP-HOP has never been my thing. Lauryn Hill just about sums up my hip-hop affinity. Lately, however, the genre has been getting a lot...
Pope Francis and a Community of Grievers
POPE Francis died a day after Easter Sunday. Using artificial intelligence, I searched for the top descriptions from online obituaries about him. Here were...
Not again
THE SUMMER month has barely started, and we have already witnessed eruptions of various sorts, not counting the volcanic ones. Look at the candidates...
The folly of words
“I AM not a Filipino for nothing.” This is the title of a song, a page name on Facebook. It is the battle cry...
Epal
DRIVING along EDSA, watching UAAP basketball on television, choosing storage boxes in a shop, the last thing on my mind, on anyone’s mind, would...
Magkakasabay at magkakasunod na pinuno
BY JAZMIN BANAL
FILIPINOS are clannish. Nothing wrong with that, unless it involves politics.
Consider the following data from the Ateneo School of Government: In 30...
Cheers, not jeers
BY JAZMIN BANAL
THE INTERNET opens a world of information. From entertainment, politics, and business to your daily memes, Era, and Marites, you can find...
Can creatives save the Philippines?
BY JAZMIN BANAL
STORYTELLING might not immediately come to mind when we think about democracy. But consider Cartoonist Zach and the Professional Heckler, Mighty Magulang,...