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Essay

Is Rizal still relevant?

A hundred-and-twenty-two years is a fairly long time. Only very few live that long. For the youth, much too vague. Too murky that some are even asking: Is Rizal still relevant today? Here’s a better question. To die the way Rizal did: what was...

Unhidden markers of Kilometer Zero

This was my daughter Janna’s idea; I never wanted to go to Rizal Park at midmorning, when the sun’s rays piercing the skin without mercy. Yes, I woke up early so we wouldn’t get stuck in the hell of Manila traffic. I was...

Hoops, we did it again

Settle down, people, but the battle of Katipunan between Ateneo de Manila and the University of the Philippines happens every year and not necessarily on the basketball court. In fact, if you ask a certain defined group, the yearly rivalry between UP and...

The subject was Filipino

Among the first columns I wrote for this magazine, one stands out in my memory as one of my favorites.  It dealt with Filipino as our official language and the role of the Supreme Court in fostering its use.  I argued that the...

Go, girl

Apparently, Melania did not get along with one of her husband’s hires, a woman named Mira Ricardel, a deputy national security adviser who is a top aide of John Bolton, the head of the National Security Council. The Office of the First Lady...

A poetics of the literary work

Let me begin with a general perspective on the mind, language, and the literary work, and end on our country’s literature. MIND The human person is the only being on earth that seeks truth in knowledge. Truth-seeking then is our essence or nature as...

Random Pickings

A heritage of generosity: Remembering Amb. Antonio L. Cabangon Chua

  The call came unexpected. Just seconds after arriving at the newsroom, I stumbled out and rushed to the fourth floor. The Ambassador sat serenely on...

Rogelio ‘Roger’ Mangahas: Poet on the stalk of life

Philippine literature has lost a precious gem. In the morning of July 4, multi-awarded poet Rogelio ‘Roger’ Mangahas died after suffering a massive stroke....

What next?

The proof is in the protractor.  When President Duterte describes himself as a “left-leaning” President, be advised not to take his words at face...

Class suspension, heroes, and Amari

Our last week’s visit here in Rizal Park helped prevent my incipient frustration with the late class suspension today, because it meant that I...