The strangest thing about last week’s Senate hullabaloo was not even the gunshots. Filipinos are no strangers to noisy politics and emotional press briefings. Still, what disturbed many people last week was not just the Senate shooting narrative itself, but the sense that the public was being asked to doubt its
May 19, 2026
What makes Philippine politics uniquely exhausting is that sometimes the punchline writes itself before critics even begin speaking. The recent Senate reshuffle following the takeover of the new majority under Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano gave Filipinos another season of what increasingly feels like political situational comedy. Robinhood “Robin” Padilla heading
May 18, 2026
A few years ago, a public school teacher in Iloilo quietly told me something that has stayed with me longer than many political speeches. She said she once received three separate memoranda in one month because of clerical mistakes involving school reports. One missing signature. One delayed submission. One incorrect date.
May 17, 2026
The circus started, strangely enough, with a return appearance. After months of staying away from the Senate, Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa suddenly walked back into the chamber on May 11, just in time for a leadership shake-up that looked more like a political teleserye season finale than legislative work. Cameras
May 15, 2026
The most cutting line in the entire Franco Mabanta-PGMN spectacle did not come from Congress, the NBI, or even Martin Romualdez’s camp. It came from veteran journalist Inday Espina-Varona, who, after watching part of the much-hyped “MartinLooterFund” episode, wrote with the kind of bluntness only old-school reporters can still afford: “17
May 14, 2026
Yesterday, the House of Representatives impeached Vice President Sara Duterte, sending the matter to the Senate for trial. Even before the vote, the country already feels tense. The conversations have spilled far beyond Congress. In jeepneys, faculty rooms, sari-sari stores, cafés, and Messenger group chats, people are arguing not only about
May 12, 2026
There is something oddly predictable about how people talk about the University of the Philippines online. The moment students protest, question government policy, or hold a rally, somebody quickly says, “Ah, UP. Puro aktibista.” For many Filipinos, hearing “UP” almost automatically brings up stereotypes. Yet beyond the placards and politics, the
May 11, 2026
It is easy to cheer for progress—especially when numbers say we are doing well. The country has often ranked high in gender equality lists, topping Southeast Asia at times. We have had women in politics, laws like the Magna Carta for Women, and a visible female presence in public life. But
May 10, 2026
There are moments in policy-making when something long delayed finally feels within reach. The Senate’s 22–0 vote recently approving the proposed People’s Freedom of Information (FOI) Act on third and final reading is one of those. It is not loud or dramatic. No grand celebrations, no overwhelming noise online. But for
May 9, 2026
Permit me to sound a little geeky this time. Just this once. I promise to return to politics, education reform, wellness reminders, and pop-culture detours in my next columns. For now, allow me this small indulgence. I am, after all, an educator by training, a former MTAP president and MTG trainer
May 8, 2026
There was something quietly uneasy about the May 5 CHED hearing on the reframing of General Education. Nothing dramatic, nothing confrontational — just a kind of feeling that stayed in the background. You could pick it up in how people spoke, a bit more measured than usual, in the slight pauses,
May 7, 2026
The May 5 CHED online hearing comes with a quiet kind of unease. Not loud, not dramatic—just there, in faculty rooms and in passing thoughts. The idea of cutting or reshaping General Education may look like a simple fix, but it feels like shifting something foundational midstream. It is easy to
May 6, 2026