By Sonny Angara As we celebrate National Women’s Month, we look back to the accomplishments of Filipinas and the issues that are relevant to them as part of the continuous effort to promote women empowerment and gender equality. In the past year, we were witness to several milestones for some outstanding Filipino women. The Filipinas women’s …
OPINION
The ‘gender equality’ spectrum
By Herman M. Lagon Gender and development is a complicated and multidimensional topic of discussion. A shocking reality is revealed in a 2023 research by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Most Filipinos, particularly women, have prejudices against their gender. Women’s rights specialist Nathalie Africa-Verceles notes that internalized sexism and ingrained cultural standards are …
Cheap speech in social media
By Ade Fajardo In an en banc decision made public last week, the Supreme Court held former Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy guilty of contempt of court for red-tagging a Manila trial court judge. The judge rendered a decision in September 2022 denying a petition filed by the Department of Justice seeking a declaration that the Communist Party of …
Beware of our bad reactions to things
By Fr. Roy Cimagala We are now in Holy Week. And the gospel of the Mass for Monday of Holy Week (cfr. John 12:1-11) speaks of how Judas, the traitor, reacted badly when Mary, the sister of Martha and the resurrected Lazarus, anointed the feet of Christ with an ointment of great price. “Why was …
Oxymoronic blues
By Herman M. Lagon The oxymoron, a figure of speech with contradictory terms fused for rhetorical paradox, mirrors the complexities and nuances of daily life, offering a lens through which we can explore and appreciate the beauty in the seemingly discordant. In the vibrant streets of Iloilo, where tradition and modernity — the past and …
Palm Sunday and the Holy Week
By Fr. Roy Cimagala With the celebration of Palm Sunday which opens the Holy Week, we will be having a liturgy that is understandably quite long and heavy. We will go through some dark moments that will eventually end in a very glorious way. And that’s because the Holy Week is the climax of …
Innovative interventions
By Dr. Joseph D. Lim Fluoride toothpaste as a hygiene commodity and as a product that prevents tooth decay has not received the public policy attention that could lead to innovative interventions. One such intervention, encouraged by the findings of the WHO Global School-based Student Health Survey, has worked in the Philippines. The survey, conducted in …
The enduring spirit of Ilongga women
By Herman M. Lagon We honor the incredible achievements of Ilongga women — some “unwritten, unsung” — from different periods of Philippine history this March in observance of International Women’s Day. These wonder women exemplify multifaceted kinds of gravitas in all their endeavors. We highlight the tenacity of Ilongga women, drawing on the extensive research of the …
Remembering the 1945 Rape of Manila
By Dennis Gorecho “The non-combatant victims of that tragic battle will remain forever in the hearts and minds of the Filipino people.” This is part of the inscription penned by Nick Joaquin, National Artist for Literature, on the “Memorare Manila 1945 Monument” that can be found in Plaza de Sta. Isabel at the corner of General Luna and Anda Streets, Intramuros, Manila, …
We are meant to judge, but to judge fairly
By Fr. Roy Cimagala In spite of our first impression on Christ’s words that we should not judge, since he said, “Judge not that you may not be judged,” we have to make it clear that we are actually meant to judge, but to judge fairly. We are meant to judge precisely because we have …