By Reyshimar Arguelles It’s entertaining how rich politicians process social issues as if they already know a lot about what the common man goes through. They’re panting for relevance without putting much thought to the statements they churn out. But you can’t regulate opinions no matter how unbearably dumb and insensitive they seem. You can
January 30, 2020
By Reyshimar Arguelles The Visiting Forces Agreement between the United States and the Republic of the Philippines or VFA has always been a topic of derision. Ever since the Estrada administration signed the agreement on top of the existing Mutual Defense Treaty of 1951, several scandals involving US military personnel have incited a careful review
January 28, 2020
By Reyshimar Arguelles The task of historians is fairly simple: describe and interpret past events based on evidence. Firsthand accounts, documents, artifacts, and the like are among the tools a historian uses to gather information that would provide us with a glimpse into the past. But history does not function strictly for documenting the good
January 23, 2020
By Reyshimar Arguelles Politicians can do everything necessary just to score approval points. This is the legacy of having a flawed democratic system that has nothing to do with genuine policy discussions and a strong commitment to protecting the lives and welfare of their constituents. From Senator Villar’s skepticism of the value of agricultural
January 21, 2020
By Reyshimar Arguelles After four decades, Mt. Taal is on the verge of erupting. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology estimated that the process can span from three days to seven months. Either way, this recent calamity will leave much of the CALABARZON blanketed by ash. And it did after Taal on Sunday spewed tons
January 16, 2020
By Reyshimar Arguelles In every war, everyone has to pick sides. But it is not picking which country to fight for. A more crucial question is to know whether you allow yourself to become a victim of wholesale destruction or become complicit in a conflict that makes a murderer out of anyone. For sure, we
January 15, 2020
By: Reyshimar Arguelles Apparently, you just can’t stop the meme machine from making light of the fact that the U.S. will again be on the brink of war. As Iran mourns the death of Qassem Soleimani from a drone strike in Baghdad, people have begun speculating on the alliances that will play a principal role
January 9, 2020
By: Reyshimar Arguelles There is a thin line separating peace and madness in the Middle East. With the United States as the unofficial steward of this line, conflict in this region is unavoidable and almost perpetual. So, why should we be irked by the fact that a warmongering nation is doing exactly what warmongering nations
January 7, 2020
By: Reyshimar Arguelles The history of humankind is marked by countless instances of generosity. It is, after all, the most human of all traits, although the natural world manifests a different form of generosity in the mold of symbiosis. But isn’t symbiosis a process of reciprocation? Didn’t Dr. Jonas Salk make the polio vaccine available
December 24, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles Everyone has been waiting for more than a decade for this day; the day when the Quezon City Regional Trial Courts hands down its verdict on the perpetrators of the infamous Maguindanao Massacre of November 22, 2009. It has taken the justice system that long to decide on exacting retribution for the
December 20, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles The great Chairman Mao once wrote in his Little Red Book that “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” This has been demonstrated throughout a number of disruptions across the world. The process of political and social change is an excruciating one in which the deaths of millions validates
December 17, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles The beauty of a work of art lies not so much in the production process as in the intended effect the artist wants to evoke. We never focus on the brand of paint, canvas, pen, or camera that was used by the artist. We forget that the Mona Lisa is just a
December 12, 2019