HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz There are a lot of reasons to be angry nowadays, this early in 2023. But I take inspiration from folks who courageously propose brilliant solutions and alternatives to problems. Special kudos to those whose ideas focus on empowering the poor and working people. We may have less...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz Today, I mark my ninth year as a Manila Bulletin columnist. Since I started writing columns on Jan. 4, 2014, I may have already written about 500 columns. Exactly how many pieces I’ve written and got published, I don’t know. What I’m sure about is that I’m grateful for...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz I’m quite sure many have seen the memes, cartoons and short essays about it. The younger set from the Gen Z are up in arms over what they sense is being considered as “retirement funds” of their parents and elders. In their thinking, that is unfair and flatly wrong. They...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz Poet, artist and activist Ericson Acosta died on Bonifacio Day, Nov. 30, at around 2 a.m., in Kabankalan, Negros Occidental. He was 50. The tributes continue to pour in from contemporaries, fellow poets and artists, classmates and friends. According to the 62nd Infantry Battalion...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz Up to now, there are those who believe that laziness is what’s behind the poverty and difficult life of many Filipinos. Jose Rizal already answered this charge in his time, but the fable still exists, infecting minds about the real reasons behind destitution. Enter the World...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz Today, Nov. 19, is the 195th day since the May 9, 2022 elections. The victors have formed national and local administrations, organized the House and the Senate, and have long started to conduct the business of government in the executive, legislative and local offices. The...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz As a kid, I found first day of school was almost always a happy, exciting time. Except, of course, for the truly first day at kindergarten or Grade 1, which not a few cry about. But for the rest of our student days, most of us would look forward to rejoining friends, discovering...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz There are perhaps only four remaining institutions or social forces that could be considered unmistakable champions of Filipino and Philippine languages, and it is quite tragic that the Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino has reportedly targeted one of them. All three branches of...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz Whether our friends agree or not, at the core of the arguments against more widespread use and study of Filipino and Philippine languages is overweening colonial mentality. They won’t admit it, but they have embraced the lie that our languages are inferior, incapable of...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz Alongside news of the Abra earthquake, rising prices, mass transport woes and other national issues, our journalists have reported about newcomer Senator Robin Padilla complaining about the tough time he’s having in the Senate plenary debates. It is easy to poke fun at Padilla...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz On May 13, Vice President Leni Robredo declared a “fight against disinformation,” and called on supporters to help make Angat Buhay the biggest volunteer network in history. Conscious that supporters are stricken with grief or anger, Robredo said: “Ang paghilom ay hindi...
HOTSPOT Tonyo Cruz Before leaving office, the Duterte administration took a final swipe at independent and critical media outlets and cause-oriented organizations. On June 8, the National Telecommunications Commission ordered the blocking of their websites, on the basis of a letter from the...
