By Herman M. Lagon There is something about the way the idea is being floated that feels too smooth. Joint oil exploration with China is being sold as practical, even inevitable. Rising prices and global uncertainty make that argument easy to accept. But easy answers deserve a second look. For many Filipinos, the West Philippine …
Impulses
Beyond the savior myth
By Herman M. Lagon You know that moment when you agree with something — and then realize you’re not quite ready to live by it? That was me when Mayor Leni Robredo said we need to move away from the idea of a “savior.” The first instinct is to nod. Of course. That makes sense. …
When loyalty turns cultish
By Herman M. Lagon There is always that one comment thread that just drains you. You scroll, thinking you will read something reasonable, maybe even learn something new. Then it turns. Someone raises a valid point — calm, sourced, not even aggressive — and the replies come in waves. Not to engage, not to clarify, …
No more election excuses
By Herman M. Lagon There is a quiet unease when a system keeps delaying people’s chance to decide. It feels like a test being moved again and again — not because people aren’t ready, but because the one in charge isn’t. Eventually, effort fades. People start asking if it is still worth caring. That is …
SALN for all, period
By Herman M. Lagon There is something oddly familiar about SALN season in government offices. It is not dramatic. No headlines. Just stacks of forms, quiet sighs and the soft tapping of keyboards as employees try to remember when exactly they bought that secondhand refrigerator or how much remains on a loan they have been …
Madriaga and the noise around him
By Herman M. Lagon There are moments when a hearing stops feeling like a hearing. It becomes something else — something closer to a story unfolding in real time, except no one knows yet which parts will hold. When Ramil Madriaga began reading his affidavit in Congress, it felt like that kind of moment. Not …
RAGE and the missing A
By Herman M. Lagon There is something oddly memorable about a political acronym that seems to forget part of what it promises. Reform Alliance for Good Governance and Accountability — RAGE, they call it. Somewhere between the “A” and all the applause, you begin to wonder: Where did accountability go? Was it left somewhere backstage, …
‘One Battle After Another’: Satire with teeth
By Herman M. Lagon This piece is not for those who have not seen “One Battle After Another.” Spoilers ahead. Released in late 2025, it quickly found its way into debates, chats and classrooms. By the 98th Academy Awards, it had won six of 13 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. I did not …
Trump, the pope and us
By Herman M. Lagon Donald Trump recently went after Pope Leo XIV, calling him “weak” and implying he should keep out of world issues. It came out in that familiar tone — straight, cutting, almost like it was obvious. The pope did not respond like that. He stayed where he has always been — talking …
Stuck in the middle
By Herman M. Lagon There is a small moment many Filipino teachers know too well. Payday comes, the salary credit notification arrives and, for a second, there is relief. Then comes the payslip. You look at the numbers, but your eyes settle on the spaces in between — what was already taken, line by line, …