HOTSPOT They may not be talking or they may not totally like one another at all, but what’s important right now is that they are doing what needs to be done in Congress. I’m referring of course to the oppositionist forces of Makabayan congresspersons led by France Castro and Akbayan Senator...
HOTSPOT Most people have surely forgotten the President’s state of the nation address of July 22, 2013. But for alumni of the UP National Institute of Geological Sciences, countless activists, and perhaps members of the media, they surely remember the sight of an activist hugging a crying cop....
HOTSPOT Satur Ocampo and France Castro are in a unique position among political figures of the Philippine Left, as they fight a conviction for child abuse. Together with friends, we campaigned with and for Ka Satur over two decades ago when he led Bayan Muna to the top of the 2001 partylist race,...
HOTSPOT Debates and discussions about the family saga of multiple Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo continue to rage online. Every day, a new angle comes out, making many feel that there’s no end to it in sight. At the same time, a journalism professor and a veteran journalist have separately...
HOTSPOT The change actually started at Tokyo 2021 with weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz winning the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal. At Paris 2024, gymnast Carlos Yulo’s two Olympic golds proclaimed Diaz’s achievement wasn’t a fluke. It is a change that shocks the colonial-minded,...
HOTSPOT Lots of news this week from Paris to Palestine, about prisoner swaps and presidential campaigns elsewhere, and regarding POGOs and pugantes. All are competing for space in newscasts and newspapers, and of course for our attention. The most glorious piece of news for me though is something...
HOTSPOT When Congress passed and the President enacted in 2019 a “National Campus Press Freedom Day Act” or Republic Act 11440, the day chosen was July 25. July 25 was the day in 1931, when editors from The National of National University, Philippine Collegian of the University of the...
HOTSPOT The grief doesn’t really go away. Sometimes I strongly feel it, often at a favorite store or restaurant we used to visit. Or when I see someone of the same height, built and haircut. There would be many of them in the malls which made me stay away for a long time, especially those which...
HOTSPOT A broad left coalition called the New Popular Front thwarted what many in the French media and political chattering classes thought was a certain far-right victory in last weekend’s second-round of voting in France. It was a sensational triumph by leftists, who again showed they are the...
HOTSPOT We do not know if overseas merchants in popular shopping apps face the same strict business registration and tax requirements, but the local merchants have been given until this month to fulfill certain legal requirements if they want to continue selling in the online platforms. Owners of...
HOTSPOT Suspension from office may be the least of Alice Guo’s worries right now, especially after the National Bureau of Investigation told senators this week that the Bamban mayor’s fingerprints and those of Chinese visitor Guo Hua Ping are “a match.” Consequently, Guo faces removal from...
HOTSPOT Many would distinctly remember the complaints and regrets of supporters of then-independent opposition presidential candidate Leni Robredo about having only a few local allies, and the difficulty of picking local candidates to vote for. Having local candidates would make local sorties and...
