By Joshua Corcuera Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), a global higher education think tank, released last Wednesday its 2021 Asian University Rankings. In coming up with the list, QS adopted a methodology which consisted of 11 indicators: academic reputation, employer reputation, faculty-student ratio, international research network, citations per paper, papers per faculty, staff with a Ph.D.,
November 28, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera No permit, no exam, or NPNE, is a policy still enforced by some educational institutions in the country. The name of the policy is simple and straightforward, if a student does not have a permit, then that student cannot take the exam. This is the sad reality in many higher educational
November 26, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera Here in the Philippines, contemporary politics is often divided into two groups: the yellows or the so-called dilawan, and the DDS or Diehard Duterte Supporters. One can also include Marcos loyalists or apologists among the ranks of the DDS, though not necessarily. In our politics, some people treat a person to
November 23, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera First and foremost, I am not a big fan of Vice President (VP) Leni Robredo. After all, we must not idolize politicians because they are meant to serve us in the first place. As someone who tends to be progressive, I usually appreciate public servants who are young and off to
November 21, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera Iskolar ng bayan — this should remind us to whom students attending public educational institutions free of charge are indebted — no one else but the masses. Last Tuesday, President Duterte addressed the nation late at night — as he always did. It was a lengthy speech filled with controversial remarks involving misogyny and misinformation. Duterte hurling insults
November 20, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera Last Saturday, while scrolling my Twitter feed, I read a tweet from The GUIDON — the official student publication of the Ateneo de Manila University. Hundreds of students from the Ateneo — one of the most prestigious schools in the country — co-signed a mass student strike statement in an act of protest against the government’s response
November 18, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera The Sierra Madre, a mountain range in the Philippines running from Cagayan down to Quezon Province, recently became a topic in social media. As several typhoons ravaged Luzon recently, people are calling to protect the mountain range — which is the longest in the country as it spans 540 kilometers —
November 16, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera Ella Hyacinth Golez from Forum-Dimensions said that “We, Filipinos, are more than our stories of struggles and resiliency. We should be the reminder and the face of accountability. We deserve better.” As Typhoon Ulysses caused widespread damage to Luzon last Thursday, many people were demanding a much more efficient government response.
November 14, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera Temperatures reaching forty degrees Celsius, heat index soaring to unbearable levels, people covered with sweat — these are all common cases in the Philippines especially during dry season. However, the country is not the only one affected by severe heat as the world’s average temperature soar to unprecedented levels. As one
November 10, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera The 2020 elections in America were over and a long period of campaign has come to an end. It is clear that the US election between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump is a divisive one. It has been apparent that during the campaign period, there are numerous personal attacks
November 7, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera Imagine a world without social media — without Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and so on. How different would life be? To begin with, it is even difficult to imagine a world without these social media sites especially that billions have been connected through this form of technology. Certainly, lives would be significantly affected
November 6, 2020
By Joshua Corcuera Today, November 2, is All Souls’ Day — a special day dedicated to remembering the dead. Normally, people flock to cemeteries to visit the tombs and mortal remains of their departed loved ones. This is not the case this year, however, as the Philippines continues its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
November 2, 2020