I thought I knew Iloilo. I know which roads I would rather avoid at five in the afternoon. I have watched Pavia grow from somewhere we passed through into somewhere people actually go to eat, shop, work, study, and live. I know that a trip to the airport now feels very
October 5, 2026
Some lies do not yell—they whisper in habits we never question. They hide in old stories, like the myth of “Achilles’ heel”—where even the strongest fall from one blind spot. Ours? Memory. We remember who gave ayuda, not who made us beg for it. We clap for tarps and ribbon-cuttings but
October 4, 2026
A powerful politician gets arrested, and almost immediately the country hears two words: accountability and persecution. Which one are we actually seeing? That question deserves more than a quick answer because, at first glance, the two can look remarkably similar—complete with investigations, warrants, prosecutors, court hearings, angry supporters, and politicians saying
October 3, 2026
I first met the troll machine in 2022. Not the occasional Facebook commenter who wakes up angry and decides everyone else should suffer with him. I mean something that felt different: sudden, patterned, almost mechanical. I was helping administer a private Teachers for Leni and Kiko Facebook group when we posted
October 2, 2026
A curious little box has quietly changed the digital life of many of our neighborhoods. It often sits beside a sari-sari store counter, humming next to soft drink crates and prepaid load cards. It does not look revolutionary. It looks like a coin slot attached to a modest router — a
October 1, 2026
By Herman M. Lagon Free college sounds wonderfully simple until you walk into a laboratory where equipment needs replacing, a classroom where another section must somehow fit into the schedule, or an office where students are waiting for scholarships, records, counseling, internet access and other services. Tuition may disappear from a student’s bill, but electricity
September 30, 2026
I had imagined meeting Senator Risa Hontiveros many times, although certainly not with a microphone in my hand, hundreds of students in front of us, and my colleague Dr. Jomil Guintivano beside me helping identify who would ask the next question. Before the open forum at ISUFST’s Main Campus–Tiwi Site began,
September 29, 2026
Somewhere in the Philippines right now, a university community is quietly asking a question that can change its next several years: Who gets the keys? Not simply the keys to the president’s office, the service vehicle, or the executive conference room, but to decisions involving thousands of students, hundreds of employees,
September 28, 2026
There is a question every student leader should probably be asked before being handed a title, a lanyard, or a microphone: What are you leading for? Not what position you hold. Not how many activities you can organize. Not how impressive your résumé will look after graduation. What are you leading
September 26, 2026
By Herman M. Lagon Some debts cannot be paid in pesos. Like a clean bill of health after weeks of worry. A notarized affidavit handed just in time, with a smile and a “Libre lang, pre.” A family member guided through a diagnosis — without the usual fear of how much it would cost. In
September 25, 2026
A few signatures can sometimes take longer than the activity itself. A faculty adviser proposes bringing 25 students to the next barangay for a leadership workshop or community outreach. The venue is nearby, the students are eager, and the program makes sense. Then comes the paperwork: approvals, consent forms, notarial proofs,
September 24, 2026
Leni Robredo has already said she is not running for national office in 2028. She wants to stay in Naga City and seek another term as mayor. That should ordinarily settle the matter. Philippine politics, however, has a stubborn relationship with the word “no.” The moment a survey places a reluctant
September 23, 2026