By Herman M. Lagon The first thing I often notice when I meet young campus journalists is how they hold their notebooks, sketchpads, iPads, or phones. Some press them close like shields. Others clutch them lightly, as if the “pages” can lift them. A few flip them open even before the workshop begins, already searching …
Impulses
Drop the load
By Herman M. Lagon There are days when you think the biggest surprise will be the capping snacks at the hotel, and then a friend across the secretariat table casually says she might need a TAHBSO — “tabsu,” as she called it. It was said half in jest, half in exhausted honesty, and suddenly all …
When presence is the first kindness
By Herman M. Lagon There is a particular silence that fills a room when people who have carried too much finally sit down to learn how to help others carry their own pain. That was the silence at the PGCA – Iloilo Convention in Iloilo Grand Hotel early this month when Dr. Ana Panganiban, one …
Beyond the numbers
By Herman M. Lagon Numbers help us spot patterns. But they rarely tell the whole story. Behind every percentage point is a real person — someone with struggles, dreams and a story that raw data alone cannot explain. This is where qualitative research comes in. It adds depth to issues that are often reduced to …
AI lessons with Bill Gates
By Herman M. Lagon I finally got a rare chance to Netflix-binge this weekend — an unexpected luxury for someone who usually spends weekends catching up on school paperwork, articles and half-finished project proposals. While browsing mindlessly, I stumbled on “What’s Next? The Future With Bill Gates” (2024). I expected a tech-heavy snoozefest. Instead, I found …
Enrile without edits
By Herman M. Lagon The news of Juan Ponce Enrile’s passing at 101 rippled through social media faster than most breaking news alerts. People reacted in wildly different ways: some offered condolences, others dusted off old family stories about curfews, raids or uncles who …
NOAH and the deluge of politics
By Herman M. Lagon There are storms that soak us, and storms that should sober us. Typhoon “Tino” did both. Cebu’s grief — cars stacked like toys, homes swallowed whole, families torn from roofs — asked a hard question: Why did this happen despite warnings? As Typhoon “Uwan” churned in, that question should not fade …
Restitution makes sense
By Herman M. Lagon There are hearings you watch for noise, and hearings you watch because something in you whispers, “This one matters.” The most recent Senate exchange on the Discayas’ bid to become state witnesses felt like both. Teachers watching the feed during …
Resilience without the blindfold
By Herman M. Lagon There are moments when a word meant to uplift begins to sting. I felt that recently at the PGCA – Iloilo 2025 seminar at Iloilo Grand Hotel as Philippine Mental Health Association Executive Director Dr. Carolina Uno-Rayco walked us through the tender architecture of mental health — the stress we carry, …
Respect wears sneakers
By Herman M. Lagon You often notice them before they even say a word. The teacher who starts the day with a simple nod, the janitor whose smile never misses a morning, the colleague who finishes what they promise — without needing a nudge. They are not the ones chasing attention or collecting awards. But …