HOTSPOT I was planning to react extensively to Pura Luka Vega’s latest arrest this week, but I remembered that a prosecutor has dismissed one of the many cases filed against the drag artist over the “Ama Namin” performance. In a resolution dated Nov. 13, Tacloban City Prosecutor Ma. Liza...
HOTSPOT Becoming a campus journalist was a defining milestone in my student days. This passion for writing is something tried out, practiced, nurtured, and encouraged – wittingly or unwittingly – by several women. Of course, my Mama is on top of the list. A public school teacher, she was...
HOTSPOT Prabowo Subianto’s strong, first-round victory in Indonesia’s Feb. 14, 2024 presidential elections has made many pundits and observers draw parallels with the Philippines’ 2022 presidential election won by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. I cannot blame them. Prabowo served in the military...
HOTSPOT Many say sharing content on social media isn’t exactly an endorsement. But despite the disclaimers, the choices we make reflect a lot about ourselves and our views on what’s happening and the situation of the world. I don’t know if you also notice it with your circles, but quite a lot...
HOTSPOT It didn’t strike me until my ex recently told me bluntly about it. Cubao really seems to be my favorite place, because I also happened to live here around 20 years ago this year. Back then, it was still Araneta Center and the LRT-2 (then called MetroTren) was still brand new. The original...
HOTSPOT Can you guess the name of the American leader who said this? “Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvization of...
HOTSPOT History tells of the destruction in World War II of most of the churches that used to dot Intramuros. The only one left standing then was San Agustin, and what remained of the Manila Cathedral, which was later rebuilt. One of the former Intramuros churches was the Iglesia de San Nicolas de...
HOTSPOT When a friend-editor approached me, a blogger, sometime in 2013 about starting a column for the Manila Bulletin, I honestly thought it was a joke. He repeated the invitation several times, but I still didn’t believe it. How could that be when my beliefs are left-of-center, sometimes even...
HOTSPOT As I write this, the deadline for the so-called “consolidation” of our trusted jeepneys is fast approaching. Hopefully, one of two things would happen: Legally, the Supreme Court temporarily restrains the deadline. Politically, the President and Congress do it on their own. If tenacity,...
HOTSPOT A day after his 87th birthday, Pope Francis surprised the world on Dec. 18 by sending a gift to millions of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) persons. He gave them the gift of Catholic blessings. The historic declaration titled Fiducia Supplicans: On the...
HOTSPOT This week, Philippine labor leaders were seen not in the streets or picket lines. They were in fact in the U.S. to, among others, receive an award from the American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO). In bestowing the George Meany–Lane Kirkland Human...
HOTSPOT A philosopher once said: “There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen.” The past weeks have been quite significant: Responding to public outrage, Congress discarded the controversial confidential funds for the Department of Education and other...
