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...
HOTSPOT Former Senator Antonio Trillanes is correct. The public deserves a leader of the opposition at the forefront. Such a leader would provide not only the important thought-leadership on whether to oppose, to fiscalize, or to cooperate critically with the administration on the many issues. Such...
HOTSPOT How about some great news for public school teachers nationwide? The government’s so-called “chalk allowance,” an annual cash aid intended to help teachers in getting teaching supplies, will soon be increased to P10,000 under the newly-enacted “Kabalikat sa Pagtuturo...
