HOTSPOT We've been hearing a lot of warnings from friends who are into horoscopes to be careful during "mercury retrograde." It turns out, a more urgent problem is out there, oppressing us daily: Mercury rising. Yes, we've been experiencing (and enduring!) extraordinarily-high temperatures and heat...
HOTSPOT If there’s anyone who made President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s recent visit to the United States possible, look no further than the Biden administration. In a briefing before Marcos’ visit, US State Department senior officials outlined what led to this visit. First, as soon as it was...
HOTSPOT I have a pet peeve about media reports or academic retelling of historical events, especially those about activities of past and previous presidents. If you follow the news or are still in school, there are sentences thrown around like “on this day, 10 years ago, former president (insert...
HOTSPOT In 1902, the colonial legislature listed a grand total of nine public holidays in the Philippines. In its Act No. 345, the Philippine Commission designated “the first day of January, the 22nd of February, Thursday and Friday of what is commonly called Holy Week, the fourth of July, the...
HOTSPOT Twitter removed en masse on Friday the blue checkmarks for organizations, celebrities, personalities and journalists which were verified under its "legacy" verification process. By "legacy," we mean the time before Elon Musk bought Twitter. The blue checkmarks meant the accounts were real,...
HOTSPOT Straight from the quiet time of Holy Week, tempers exploded on Twitter after somebody lamented that Metro Manila supposedly had “no culture” compared with other metropolitan centers abroad. The fury was completely understandable because “culture” refers generally to a people’s...
HOTSPOT Holy Week used to present an opportunity for total rest of the senses and contemplation. If one would not attend church services, or is simply far from the loud and ardent singing of the Pasyon at the neighborhood Pabasa, one could really take a pause from everything. No TV and radio, and...
HOTSPOT As a son of a public school teacher and also a graduate of public schools, I fully support ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro. I’m pretty sure many do so too, considering that she has 25 years of teaching experience and a record as a globally-recognized leader of teachers. It would be hard...
HOTSPOT Many are familiar with the rights and freedoms to a nationality, to travel and to unimpeded navigation, and to due process in immigration and other immigration rights. A lot are embedded in our national and international laws, and in treaties. These matters are especially timely, given the...
HOTSPOT Did you know that there were 18,087 positions at stake in the 2022 elections? Give or take a few positions whose terms of office exceed three years, this would be roughly the same number of positions to be contested in 2025. I again looked for this number after I saw a widely-shared social...
HOTSPOT It is unconventional wisdom but governments, past and present, actually owe generations of jeepney drivers and operators a lot. The fact is, these family-run micro-enterprises have been the backbone of public transportation nationwide. Without them, there’s no mobility across the...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz We have been told many times that it is the Constitution’s fault that our economy is not developing. Never mind wealth and income inequality, regressive taxation, institutional corruption, regulatory capture, and the chronic joblessness as evidenced by more labor migration. The...
