By Herman M. Lagon If saints had yearbooks, Augustine of Hippo’s senior quote might be: “Lord, grant me chastity and self-control … but not yet.” It is blunt, funny and painfully human — like him. That quote, tucked into his famous Confessions, does not read like some sermon from a marble pedestal. It feels like …
OPINION
‘Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag’: 50 years after its first screening
By Atty. Dennis Gorecho Aping-api mga Pilipino. It is very frustrating for an old man like me to see how things are going in this country. Sana abutan ko pa ang panahon ng tunay na pagbabago para sa mahihirap.” Actor Bembol Roco lamented that nothing has significantly changed in the country in relation to his …
The quiet beauty of math
By Herman M. Lagon There is something profoundly elegant about mathematics that slips past classroom walls, hides beneath the bark of trees, swims through ocean waves, and hums in your favorite song. Math may not use flowery words, moves or paint, but it speaks through patterns, rhythm and quiet logic. Einstein called it “the poetry …
Good governance, science-backed solutions key to addressing flooding: resilience expert
The head of the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute (UPRI) emphasized the need for good governance and the use of science in helping address flooding in the whole country. UPRI Executive Director Mahar Lagmay on Saturday, August 23, highlighted the importance of good governance amid issues on alleged anomalous flood control projects. “Kapag hindi …
Leaving big cities — part of the new normal?
BETTER DAYS By Sonny Angara A young couple in London was interviewed in a recent CNN Business article about their decision to move out of the city — something unheard of, practically a few months back. As the article explains, many people have tolerated the smaller living spaces combined with the noise and pollution, in …
Our proneness to infidelity
By Fr. Roy Cimagala We have to be wary of this danger and do everything we can to avoid falling into it. We cannot deny that we are all prone to be unfaithful to whatever commitment we have with God and with others. Our first parents, for example, started this trend. And the succeeding generations …
Did Escudero violate the law?
By Ade S. Fajardo Section 95 (c) of the Omnibus Election Code provides that no contribution for purposes of partisan political activity shall be made directly or indirectly by “natural and juridical persons who hold contracts or sub-contracts to supply the government or any of its divisions, subdivisions or instrumentalities, with goods or services or …
The other heroes
By Herman M. Lagon This Monday, August 25, we mark National Heroes Day once again. It is a date thick with reflection — on revolutions fought, sacrifices made and the courage required to stand for something greater than oneself. Just last week, we remembered the martyrdom of Ninoy Aquino. Not too long ago, we honored …
Mental health on the ground
By Herman M. Lagon Some jobs are so woven into community life that we hardly notice them — until a crisis hits. Across the country’s barangays, Barangay Health Workers (BHWs) are the neighbors you know — dropping by to check your blood pressure, bring vitamins or remind you about the kids’ vaccines. In my recent presentation at the International Social …
Fill the heart with wisdom and love
By Fr. Roy Cimagala That story in the Bible about the Queen of Sheba being very impressed with the wisdom of Solomon (cfr. 1 Kings 10:1-10) and that gospel episode about Christ telling the people that what defiles a man is what comes out from the heart rather than what goes into the mouth (cfr. …