By Herman M. Lagon The clip lasted only a few seconds. A young woman onstage at Luneta raised her fist, led a chant against corruption, and looked out at a sea of umbrellas, tarpaulins and homemade signs. It was martial law day, and thousands had gathered for the Trillion Peso March in cities across the …
Impulses
More than just teaching, professing
By Herman M. Lagon She was not late, but her whole vibe said she wished she were anywhere else. Once the class star in SHS, now a quiet figure at the back of a college classroom, notebook hugged to her chest like it could explain everything. Her eyes bounced from the professor, to the projector, …
Rage is not enough
By Herman M. Lagon The streets were loud again last weekend. Across Luneta, Iloilo, Cebu, and Cagayan de Oro, we filled the streets with chants, placards and even dogs in protest vests — united against corruption that washed away trust and flood funds. An ordinary Sunday turned historic as rally veterans from the 90s marched …
Truth against trillions
By Herman M. Lagon The Trillion Peso March is not just a gathering. It is the nation’s conscience stepping out of its house and into the streets. People are marching not only against corruption but for something more fundamental — the right to the truth. Without truth, trust dies, and with it, the very idea …
Trillion peso march
By Herman M. Lagon September 21 is no ordinary date. It marks 53 years since martial law was declared, when silence was enforced and fear was law. Today, the call is different: to show up, not in fear but in fairness. The “Trillion …
The quiet cure
By Herman M. Lagon A colleague once joked that the cheapest therapist in the country was a Jollibee Chickenjoy meal. It was funny — but only because it was a little too true. When things get rough, most of us do not reflect or take a walk. We eat. And often, not out of hunger, …
Measured voices
By Herman M. Lagon Public life can feel loud on our screens, yet strangely quiet in many offices. People look up from their desks, share a glance, then return to deadlines. It is not apathy — it is calculation. Families depend on paydays, and reputations are fragile. Many who see what is wrong keep their …
When accountability leaks
By Herman M. Lagon Floodwater does not knock. It slips under the classroom door, pools on the floor, and turns the chalk tray into a narrow canal. Children lift their bags to save notebooks. A teacher, sleeves rolled, cuts the power and hoists the CPU onto a higher shelf. Outside, a tarp boasts of a …
Cinema in AI flux
By Herman M. Lagon When UP Visayas Professor and Film Director Jonathan Jurilla took the stage at the DOST-hosted AI Fest 2025 at Iloilo Convention Center, he was not there to dazzle the audience with flashy tech tricks. He came to share a story — part family diary, part filmmaking lesson, part creative experiment — …
A eulogy for Charlie Kirk
By Herman M. Lagon The news of Charlie Kirk’s killing at Utah Valley University felt both far and near. Far, because his brand of American conservatism often sat across the table from my own views. Near, because I had spent hours listening to his debates to understand how the other side thinks. I rarely agreed with …