By Dennis Gorecho “Alipato at Muog,” a film about desaparecidos, was given X rating classification by the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) despite the Special Jury Award during this year’s Cinemalaya Independent film festival. “Kaya kami ay nakikiusap, please open your hearts and be the voice of the voiceless. Please stand for what is right and what …
OPINION
Gratitude connects us always with God
By Fr. Roy Cimagala The parable about the ungrateful tenants (cfr. Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46) somehow reminds us about the importance of being thankful by reciprocating what we receive from God and from others. It keeps our relation with them alive and vibrant. Taking this duty for granted would actually alienate us from them, and thus …
Unleashing the full potential of tourism as a driver of growth
By Sonny Angara Since the economy opened up after the COVID-19 pandemic, tourism has been a key contributor to the growth of the Philippine economy. Based on official data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, tourism made up 6.2 percent of the economy as measured by gross domestic product. The tourism sector is also an important …
Gaza’s grim dilemma
By Herman M. Lagon Complicated and deeply ingrained with historical grievances, cultural tensions and geopolitical complexity is the Israel-Hamas war. With each side firmly rooted in its own stories of justice, survival and resistance, the present circumstances mark decades of conflict. The difficulty is seeing an end to this war that respects Israel’s security needs …
How was the drug war financed?
By Ade S. Fajardo Why is a lottery office a coveted government appointment? Shouldn’t the office overseeing legal games of chance to raise funds for the sick and the needy be headed by philanthropists or civic-minded persons? Shortly after Rodrigo Duterte was proclaimed President in mid-2016, he said he wanted “killers” to head the Philippine …
Our true unity only with Christ
By Fr. Roy Cimagala Yes, our true unity can only be achieved when we are with Christ, when we have the same spirit of Christ. It’s a unity that is not uniformity and can be lived even amid our unavoidable differences and conflicts. In his priestly prayer as narrated in the Gospel of St. John …
Balancing act
By Dr. Joseph D. Lim Dentists, too, need to balance the books. So do surgeons, obstetricians-gynecologists and others in the allied health profession who are in close contact with patients. For example, dentists work around the nose, throat and mouth areas of the patient, the very areas where the coronavirus lurk. The virus could be …
Beyond just ‘Buwan ng Wika’
By Herman M. Lagon We gather in August to honor “Buwan ng Wika,” a month-long celebration of our native language, Filipino. It may be time, though, to rethink the extent of this festival. Why not make it “Buwan ng mga Wikang Filipino?” This significant shift could influence our respect for language in the nation and …
Escalating tensions in the South China Sea
By Ignacio Bunye The June 14, 2024 Communiqué from the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Apulia, Italy, has once again brought attention to the escalating tensions in the South China Sea. As the world’s leading industrialized democracies, the G7 leaders expressed serious concern about China’s behavior in the region, particularly its “dangerous use of coast …
Learn to live by faith
By Fr. Roy Cimagala That gospel episode where Christ in the synagogue in Nazareth faulted the people for their lack of faith (cfr. Luke 4:24-30) reminds us that we have to learn how to live by faith, with our thoughts and intentions and everything in our interior world mainly inspired and directed by faith rather …