By Herman M. Lagon When the title becomes yours — principal, director or president — remember this: People may hear your speeches, but they will believe only your walk. Leadership doesn’t live in programs or papers — it lives in the hallways. The smell of chalk and coffee tells more stories than any speech can. …
Impulses
Imagine ‘Imagine’
By Herman M. Lagon Imagine having a soft piano and a few bold lines rattle your worldview. That is what John Lennon’s “Imagine” did in 1971 — and still does. It quietly invites us to dream in just three minutes, not with lullabies, but with questions that unsettle the world as we know it. “Imagine …
The vertical trap
By Herman M. Lagon In a small university in the Visayas, a new graduate program is on hold — not for lack of students or ideas, but because of paperwork. Under CHED Memorandum Order No. 15, s. 2019, a school cannot offer a master’s or doctoral degree unless it has four full-time professors with PhDs …
ETEEAP makes experience count
By Herman M. Lagon Here’s a program many Filipinos quietly root for but rarely talk about. In a country where resumes often outrun diplomas, the Expanded Tertiary Education Equivalency and Accreditation Program, or ETEEAP, has been the hidden main door that many mistake for a side gate — open, dignified and life-changing. I say this …
Venn of us: Ilonggo x Negrense
By Herman M. Lagon You hear it on a jeep from Lacson to Libertad or in a faculty room from Bacolod to Barotac: someone says she’s Negrense, slips into a Hiligaynon story, and a friend calls her Ilonggo. No one corrects anyone. The labels only get tricky when we stop them from moving. In real …
When ‘sipsip’ turns poison
By Herman M. Lagon No matter how modern or high-tech the workplace, the “sipsip” still survives — the yes-man, the brown-noser, the constant flatterer. They never miss a chance to admire the boss’ ideas or agree with every plan. It feels polite at first, even team-spirited. But unchecked, it turns the office into a contest …
The tsinelas testament
By Herman M. Lagon You do not need to be an anthropologist to know that tsinelas — those humble, often weather-worn slippers — carry more than soles. For many of us, they carry memories. They are not just footwear. They are symbols of childhood, tools of discipline, signs of hardship, and even unexpected sources of …
When authority figures trump hard facts
By Herman M. Lagon In a world that often turns to titles, uniforms and reputations for reassurance, it’s easy to assume that those in power must always be right. We’re taught early to trust the doctor, the teacher, the elder, the politician. But sometimes, our trust goes too far — crossing into blind faith. That’s …
Senate’s ‘game of thrones’
By Herman M. Lagon The Senate says it dislikes drama, yet the past weeks have felt like prestige TV — alliances shifting by the hour, a throne that never stays warm, cliff-hangers you wish you could rewind. Ping Lacson walked away from the blue ribbon chair mid-flood-control probe; Chiz Escudero is out, Tito Sotto is …
The SK CSC eligibility shortcut
By Herman M. Lagon There are quiet policies, and there are loud ones that hit people in the gut. The Civil Service Commission’s move to grant eligibility to Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) officials who finish their terms feels like the second kind. On paper, it honors youth service and invites young people into government. Look closer, …