There is a German word that sounds heavier than it looks: schadenfreude. It means taking quiet pleasure in someone else’s misfortune. It is usually used to describe a classmate smirking when his rival slips on stage. But it also lives in more ordinary places — like a cramped registrar’s office on
February 28, 2026
Some campaigns fade once the hashtags cool down. “Atin ang Kinse” refuses to. It keeps resurfacing because the issue is not symbolic; it is daily rice, tuition, and ulam. In many coastal towns, the 15-kilometer municipal water line is where the morning begins: a father warming a small engine that coughs
February 27, 2026
Justice does not travel well when it is wrapped only in slogans. This reflection feels especially apt as we mark the 40th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on February 25. Four decades ago, Filipinos filled a highway not merely to chant, but to insist that institutions must answer to
February 26, 2026
There is a quiet excitement creeping in as the end of February approaches. It is not the kind tied to election tallies, budget hearings, or the latest corruption headline. It is softer, almost embarrassing to admit for someone who spends most days talking about literacy gaps and policy failures. I have
February 25, 2026
The first time you hear “PHP 1.015 trillion,” your brain does what brains do when numbers get too big: it turns the figure into a mood. It sounds like rescue. It sounds like a national apology with commas. It sounds like a future finally being taken seriously. Yet my most honest
February 24, 2026
The last thing an ordinary Filipino needs before an international flight is one more counter that feels like a small punishment for having a reason to leave. Not a “rich people problem” reason, either. A contract signing. A scholarship slot. A father’s burial. A sibling in labor abroad. A 5-year-planned family
February 23, 2026
The announcement about a possible trimester system in basic education sounded familiar to some of us, almost like hearing a song we have been playing on loop for years. In very few private schools, the idea is hardly new. At Ateneo de Iloilo, for instance, the K–10 program has lived with
February 21, 2026
“I’m dumb,” Ma’am Michelle wrote, with a row of smiling emojis, as if laughing was easier than explaining the weight of the day. “So the smart ones should come and teach how to read, write, and count. Come to real life as a teacher.” This is the kind of so-called “stupidity”
February 20, 2026
Some of the best leaders are not in spotlights or news feeds. You will not always find them behind a podium or flashing credentials. More often, they are quietly doing the work—like the public school teacher in the mountains juggling sixty restless students with a calm voice and tired smile, or
February 19, 2026
Spiral progression sounds elegant when explained in a conference room: revisit key concepts every year, add complexity gradually, and let repetition build mastery. It is baked into the K–12 architecture through policy and guidance, especially for Science and Mathematics, where topics are arranged so learners encounter “the same” ideas multiple times
February 18, 2026
The EDCOM 2 report lands like a hard truth spoken gently. No drama, no theatrics—just numbers that refuse to be sweetened. Proficiency in basic reading and math already starts low—30.52% in Grade 3—and thins further as learners move up. I had already dwelt on the headline-grabbing ratios. Permit me to tackle on
February 17, 2026
Before the first whistle of the Regional Schools Press Conference (RSPC) 2026 competition, before the ticking clock and the nervous scratching of pens, we asked the high school contestants a simple question: How do you see editorial and column writing? The survey was short, almost casual—a quick “vibe check” answered by
February 16, 2026
