I should have already been on vacation, resting and enjoying the quiet moments of December, yet one last commitment called to me—a national writing competition in Makati where I had agreed to serve as a judge. I joined alongside close friends, a group of kindred spirits who share the same
December 19, 2025
If the title alone already offends you, this column is not for you. What follows is not an invitation to voyeurism but an attempt to read sexuality as culture, as language, and as text. In Philippine literary conversations, especially in regional contexts, discussions about erotic literature are often dismissed outright
December 18, 2025
As a language and literature teacher, I spend most of my days surrounded by words. I analyze them, teach them, and ask students to find meaning within them. Yet every Christmas, I am reminded that there are truths no definition can fully hold. Christmas, for me, is not just a
December 17, 2025
For me, what makes the TikTok account Iloilo Sari-sari Store Stories so interesting is not just the entertainment value, but the way it captures the reality of everyday Ilonggo life. Watching the content, I found myself laughing, but also reflecting on how much truth is embedded in the humor. The
December 16, 2025
“Kasalanan ko bang ipinanganak akong hindi mahirap?” sounds harmless if you are sitting comfortably, distant from hunger, eviction, and the daily mathematics of survival. But coming from someone with public influence, power, and visibility, that sentence is not innocent. It is arrogant in its misplaced self-defense. The problem is not
December 12, 2025
I was fortunate to meet Ricky Lee in person when he visited U.P. High School in Iloilo last year. Before my students met him, I introduced him as a National Artist and one of the most influential writers in Philippine cinema and literature. What stayed with me most was not
December 11, 2025
There are meals that fill your stomach and there are meals that bring you home. My visit to Mang Inasó at the Teodoro Arcenas Public Market in Roxas City, Capiz was firmly the latter. This was not simply a lunch stop. It was a return to a rhythm of life
December 10, 2025
Rowena Guanzon may be read as an open text circulating in the public sphere, not merely as a person occupying political space but as a field of signs, performances, and symbolic excess that invites continuous interpretation. A text is never limited to ink on paper, and her case demonstrates how
December 9, 2025
Last December 6, 2025, I had the privilege of being invited by my friend Bryan Mari Argos, an award-winning writer and the City Tourism Officer of Roxas City, to serve as one of the judges for the very first Títeres sa Sinadya Barangay Pageantry Competition. From the moment I received
December 8, 2025
In the Philippines, a painful truth persists. Many artists leave this world with barely anything left. In their final days, while struggling to breathe and fighting unbearable illness, their families are forced to plead online for financial help just to buy medicine, pay hospital bills, or cover funeral expenses. No
December 6, 2025
The most painful truth in our society today is that many of our teachers are not happy. This is not a simple mood or passing sentiment. It is a condition shaped by years of exhaustion, underpayment, neglect and a system that constantly demands more while giving less. What makes it
December 5, 2025
