UNDER THE MICROSCOPE The world is experiencing a rapid increase in temperatures, with heat records broken almost daily, due to the now-undeniable effects of climate change. With increasing hot weather comes the accompanying shifts in the seasons, when rainfall is increased and irregular in...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Measles is making a comeback in the United States of America. A total of 295 cases were diagnosed in 2024 and so far, there are 164 cases this year, and one death. Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1993, an estimated three to four million were infected, 48,000...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE We used to talk about the Philippines hitting a demographic sweet spot, with a majority of the population made up of young productive persons that will propel the country into a developed and prosperous nation. But recently, fertility rates have been dropping from 4.1 children...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE In a Jan. 10, 2025 resolution, made public recently by the Department of Justice, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla announced the withdrawal of 98 cases of reckless imprudence resulting in homicide against former Health Secretary and incumbent Iloilo...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Let’s face it. The Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country, has a major problem with teen pregnancies and a steadily rising rate of HIV infection. One in 10 female teenagers below 15 years of age get pregnant or already have a child of their own. The...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE After some 20 years, I flew to Kuala Lumpur upon the invitation of a friend. There, I developed a case of country envy. This is akin to penis envy, a Freudian concept wherein females realize they don’t have a penis, which triggers a competition with the mother for the...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE The WTW Global Medical Trends Survey found health care benefit costs in the Philippines continue to be high at 18.3 percent compared to 19.3 percent in 2024. It is the second highest in the Asia Pacific region next to Indonesia at 19.45 percent. The rate is expected to be...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Babies born from Jan. 1, 2025 to around 2039 are said to belong to Gen Beta, following Gen Alpha (2011-2024). If Gen Alpha are digital natives, Gen Beta will be living in a time when “digital and physical worlds are seamless,” according to McCrindle Research. ...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Recently, Oxford Dictionary announced its word of the year: brain rot, noting its new prominence in 2024 and increased frequency of use to 230 percent from the year before. Brain rot is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state,...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Recently, we got news that my cousin was diagnosed with dementia, forcing her only daughter, a nurse, to take leave from work and fly from Australia to be with her mother. This cousin of mine was someone I grew up with and it pains me to know that she is mentally deteriorating....
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE The stunning electoral victory of Donald J. Trump has left the world in a cloud of anxiety and nervous speculation. In his campaign speeches, he kept emphasizing “America First” and “Make America Great Again” (MAGA). It will usher in a new age of isolationism not unlike...
UNDER THE MICROSCOPE Recent national developments are disturbing, to say the least. With Senate hearings revealing the rot in Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO)/Internet Gaming Licensee (IGL) (thanks to Sen. Risa Hontiveros), media had a field day covering the exposés detailing how some...
