By Herman M. Lagon Some ideas spread faster than official memos because they sound like relief. The four-day workweek is one of them. Mention it in a faculty room, and you will hear two reactions in the same breath: “Pwede gid tani,” followed by, “Pero indi na bala kami mapatay sa 10 hours?” That mix …
Impulses
The quiet story of job orders
The year began quietly, over a canteen breakfast. There were no speeches or resolutions — just hot coffee, cold Coke Sakto and the familiar, careful conversation of job order friends. Someone joked about holiday weight gain. Another spoke, with relief, about a child returning to school. For a moment, there was gratitude — work would …
When tourism becomes personal branding
By Herman M. Lagon The criticism directed towards a magazine cover that featured Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco was never primarily about photography, layout or even a single publication. It struck a deeper nerve because it echoed a familiar frustration: When public institutions slowly begin to resemble personal billboards, people notice. This is not because we …
Standing for Fr. Flavie
By HERMAN M. LAGON There are moments when public silence becomes a form of laziness. Not neutrality, not prudence, but the quieter vice of letting noise do the work, so one does not have to. This is one of those moments. I am usually critical of institutions, including the Catholic institution I remain part of. …
Teachers’ boundaries in 2026Teachers’ boundaries in 2026
By Herman M. Lagon Teaching did not suddenly become difficult in 2026. It has been quietly heavy for years, but this year feels different because the weight is finally being named. The posts circulating on social media about what teachers must avoid struck a nerve, not because they were radical, but because they sounded familiar. …
When nursing care is reclassified
By HERMAN M. LAGON The news spread quickly, as it often does now. A technical decision by the United States Department of Education — framed in regulatory language about loan categories — suddenly felt personal to many nurses. Nursing, long grouped with medicine and law for federal student loan purposes, was removed from the list …
Fat dynasties, thin democracy
By Herman M. Lagon The chart is blunt. You do not even need to read the footnotes to feel uneasy. Provinces with the highest share of what scholars call fat political dynasties are also places where poverty, weak institutions and fragile public services have long felt familiar. The bars stretch longer where hope often feels …
Trending slang words we should know
By Herman M. Lagon Let us begin with a confession: Once, while trying to decode what my students meant when they said something was “mid,” I found myself scrolling through Facebook with a furrowed brow and a browser history full of Urban Dictionary tabs. Somewhere between “cap,” “no cap” and “cringe,” I realized I was …
The case vs. political dynasty
By Herman M. Lagon Election season in the Philippines has a familiar rhythm. Tarpaulins rise before the rain clouds do, surnames grow larger than platforms, and campaign jingles recycle promises that sound generous but feel oddly hollow. In many provinces, the choices look different only on paper. The same families rotate seats, swap positions and …
Who was the first Filipino?
By Herman M. Lagon The question sounds simple: Who was the first Filipino? The quick reply is a name. The steady reply is a map. Ask a classroom full of teachers and students, and 10 answers will surface — Lapu-Lapu, José Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, a Negrito ancestor, even a fossil from a cave. None is …