As France moves one step closer to banning social media for children, the European Union (EU) is seriously considering whether it’s time for the bloc to follow suit. Pressure has been rising since Australia’s social media ban for under-16s entered into force, and Brussels is keeping a close eye on how successful it proves, with …
OPINION
Cart before the horse?
By Dr. Joseph D. Lim The drinking water system in the Philippines has no fluoride to prevent tooth decay. Instead, fluoride is available in toothpaste and other oral health care products. That said, it may interest you to know that the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) announced last May that it will …
Our true wealth
By Fr. Roy Cimagala We should be clear about what our true wealth is. It definitely is not anything that comes from the world — money, fame, power, etc. Our true wealth is when we finally are with God, when our heart and mind and everything else in our life go along with the will …
How to assess microplastics in our bodies? Scientists have a plan
How many tiny pieces of plastic are currently inside your body? A series of headline-grabbing studies in the last few years have claimed to have found microplastics throughout human bodies — inside blood, organs and even brains. However, some of this research has recently come under stinging criticism from scientists. Some have warned that the …
‘Bar Boys’ and our journey in the legal profession
By Dennis Gorecho Passing the bar is not enough. It is never the measure of the decency, honesty, integrity, and intelligence of a lawyer. Set a decade after the events in the original film “Bar Boys” (2017), the sequel “Bar Boys After School” (2025) follows best friends Atty. Erik Vicencio (Carlo Aquino), Atty. Torran Garcia …
The modern Makapili
By Herman M. Lagon Somewhere between the wet market and the comment section, the word “Makapili” crawls back into Philippine conversation like an old fever. People use it too easily sometimes, the way we toss “traydor” in a barkada argument. Still, the return of the label signals something real: The quiet dread that betrayal is …
Job promotions for our teachers
BETTER DAYS By Sonny Angara A 2011 study by Harvard and Columbia University economists found that a good teacher — measured by how well their students improved in terms of test scores — imparts lifelong benefits. Using data on 2.5 million individuals over 20 years in a large urban district in the United States, the …
The integral should give way to the essential
By Fr. Roy Cimagala This was clearly expounded by Christ himself when he said, “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire.” (Mark 9:43) And he continued, “And if your foot …
Inside the Philippines’ struggle for rural health care
When Dr. Katrina Magbojos joined the Philippines’ Doctors to the Barrios (DTTB) program, she was assigned not to a distant island or a conflict zone, as the term “barrios” might suggest, but to Jalajala, Rizal, about two hours southwest of the capital, Manila. Jalajala is considered remote due to limited transportation options, scarce resources and …
When does government get extra money?
By Ade S. Fajardo According to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), unprogrammed appropriations provide standby authority to incur additional agency obligations for priority programs or projects when revenue collection exceeds targets. Money may also come in when additional grants or foreign funds are generated. These cannot be programmed in the same manner as …