By Herman M. Lagon In every organization — from schools to professional organizations — election season feels predictable. Out come the polished speeches and the photo-ready smiles. Pledges of “service,” “commitment” and “vision” fill the air like confetti. But once the spotlight fades and the paperwork piles up, many of those loudest in promise become …
Impulses
Passing the problem
By Herman M. Lagon School gates are suddenly alive again. The first days of school are filled with small moments that matter. Parents take photos beside freshly ironed uniforms. A student gathers the courage to speak. A teacher memorizes unfamiliar names. And somewhere between those moments, another year of learning begins. Hope arrives every June …
The anthem we half-sing
By Herman M. Lagon A public school Monday morning is easy to picture. The courtyard fills with uneven lines of students, some sleepy, some still eating pandesal. A teacher fiddles with the speaker. The flag rises and “Lupang Hinirang” begins. For a minute and a half, the courtyard echoes with the anthem — some voices …
Dynasties bill loophole
By Herman M. Lagon A few days ago, while having coffee with friends, somebody cracked a joke that drew more laughter than it probably deserved. “If political dynasties are the ones writing the anti-dynasty law, that is like asking mosquitoes to draft anti-dengue measures.” Everyone laughed. Then everyone paused. Because some jokes are funny for …
The work-life dilemma
By Herman M. Lagon Ask many Filipino workers about work-life balance and you will receive a weary smile. With heavy hours, family duties and the continual strain to make ends meet, there’s frequently little time left for themselves. Our country is second to last among 60 countries on the Global Life-Work Balance Index 2024, behind …
Tell it to the ‘18 Marines’
By Herman M. Lagon There is a reason many parents instinctively ask follow-up questions when a child comes home with a dramatic story. The moment the details start changing, suspicion naturally follows. The missing notebook was supposedly stolen. Then it was left in the classroom. Later it was borrowed by a classmate. Eventually, nobody knows …
Twelve, thirteen and everything else
By Herman M. Lagon Few things reveal the priorities of a political institution more than what it chooses to fight about. This week, while people worried about prices, jobs, classrooms, and public services, the Senate found itself trapped in a dispute over whether the answer was 12 or 13. One camp insisted that 12 senators …
Has Cayetano become the deadlock?
By Herman M. Lagon There comes a point when a dispute stops being about personalities and starts becoming about responsibility. That is where the debate over Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano seems to be heading. For many Filipinos, the concern is no longer whether they support or oppose him. It is whether the Senate can …
The counselor gap
By Herman M. Lagon A few months ago, a DepEd teacher friend quietly told me about a student who had suddenly stopped participating in class. The grades slipped. The absences piled up. The classmates noticed but did not know what to do. The teacher wanted to help but was already juggling lesson plans, reports, remedial …
Welcome to the wheelchair club
By Herman M. Lagon I knew exactly where the conversation was heading the moment I saw the headline. Not because I am a medical doctor. Certainly not because I know anything about knee replacement surgery beyond what friends and relatives have gone through. I knew because I am Pinoy. Like many Filipinos, I have seen …