By: Reyshimar Arguelles RECENTLY, US President Donald Trump announced the death of Abu Bhakr al-Baghdadi in a special forces operation in northwestern Syria. At once elusive and vicious like a typical comic book supervillain, Al-Baghdadi was the subject of an international manhunt operation when IS ravaged much of Syria and northern Iraq in 2014 and
October 29, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles EVERYONE seeks acceptance in ways they could not possibly pass up. We have to prove ourselves before a crowd, hold a conversation, and listen to pointless anecdotes and conflicts that have no bearing on the way we live. But, the excruciating dive into the crowd is made all the more necessary by
October 24, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles IT IS no question that language plays a crucial role in building societies. Obviously, we cannot have a civilization to speak of without a predetermined system for the transference of knowledge, skills, traditions, and all other elements that compose a society. Language transforms and informs the way we live and the way
October 22, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles For thousands of years, the Kurdish people have populated a large swath of land comprising parts of Turkey, Syria, and Iraq. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, a promise for an independent Kurdish homeland was sought. In 1923, the Republic of Turkey was recognized under the Treaty
October 17, 2019
classBy: Reyshimar Arguelles PALACE Spokesperson Salvador Panelo really outdid himself last week when he accepted Bayan Muna’s challenge to experience firsthand the hellscape that is Metro Manila traffic. To prove that the capital is not facing a mass transport crisis, Panelo endured an agonizing four-hour commute from his residence in Marikina to Malacañang. It took
October 15, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles EVERYONE is waiting for the result of the Presidential Electoral Tribunal’s deliberation on former Senator Bong Bong Marcos’ protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. Who wouldn’t be, considering what’s at stake if we allow the son of a former dictator slither his way back under the limelight. But what makes this even
October 10, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles DON’T we all love a good Senate grilling? Apart from the usual fanfare we get from telenovelas with recycled storylines, there’s also a hefty share of drama and suspense to be had from Senate committee hearings. It’s almost as though you’re watching an anthology of related stories, interwoven by a common trope:
October 8, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles YOU couldn’t think of a more iconic part of Philippine streets than the jeepney. Since the Second World War, it has become a testament of the Filipino’s resilience and resourcefulness. We couldn’t possibly imagine our major thoroughfares empty of these smoke-belching, rusty, and utterly unsanitary machines. If anything, they have come to
October 3, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles IF John Lennon was able to give peace a chance by singing against the injustices of the world, why can’t we assert our sovereign rights through songs of Freddie Aguilar? Senator Francis Tolentino was both praised and grilled last week for proposing that Filipino songs be played in the West Philippine Sea.
October 1, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles Greta Thunberg, an environmental activist from Sweden who hogged the headlines after making a trip from the UK to the US by boat, makes so much sense than your typical politician. She doesn’t have a constituency. We all know for sure she isn’t advocating for greater environmental protection on the goading of
September 26, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles THOSE who continue to support the revival of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Program in schools believe that the kids of today lack discipline. Echoing Senator Bato dela Rosa’s frustrations with the youth, they believe in this half-baked assumption that kids could benefit from undergoing great physical and emotional ordeals so they
September 24, 2019
By: Reyshimar Arguelles SPOKESPERSON Salvador Panelo has a tough job to do, and that’s to communicate the Duterte administration’s agenda to the nation. But even more compelling is his function as official interpreter every time the President opens his mouth in another machismo-fueled tirade. This is not surprising since Panelo and his predecessors are tasked
September 19, 2019