By Herman M. Lagon When UP Visayas Professor and Film Director Jonathan Jurilla took the stage at the DOST-hosted AI Fest 2025 at Iloilo Convention Center, he was not there to dazzle the audience with flashy tech tricks. He came to share a story — part family diary, part filmmaking lesson, part creative experiment — …
OPINION
Staying on course
By Fr. Roy Cimagala We have to learn the art of how to stay on course in our life so that we do not get distracted, confused, entangled, and lost. For this, we have to be clear about what the real and ultimate purpose of our life is, as well as know how to relate …
A eulogy for Charlie Kirk
By Herman M. Lagon The news of Charlie Kirk’s killing at Utah Valley University felt both far and near. Far, because his brand of American conservatism often sat across the table from my own views. Near, because I had spent hours listening to his debates to understand how the other side thinks. I rarely agreed with …
Ghost projects, real consequences: Why every Filipino should care
By Ignacio R. Bunye Imagine waking up to flooded streets, missed work and rising prices — then learning that billions of pesos meant to prevent those very problems were stolen. That’s not fiction. That’s the reality behind the P118.5 billion ghost flood control scandal now shaking our nation. These weren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet. …
No more half-truths
By Herman M. Lagon We watch the hearings like we watch a storm. We keep one eye on the radar, the other on the living room floor in case water creeps in. Lately the noise is not just thunder. Contractors wave ledgers. Senators trade punchlines. And too many questions stop at 2022 — as if …
Press freedom at its lowest in 50 years: study
Press freedoms worldwide have declined significantly over the past five years to hit their lowest level in 50 years, a report by a democracy think tank showed yesterday. Afghanistan, Burkina Faso and Myanmar — already among the poorest performers in press freedoms — posted the biggest falls, the report by the Stockholm-based International Institute for …
A right, not a privilege
By Dr. Joseph D. Lim There is a lesson to be learned from Thailand. In that beautiful country, oral health is a right, not a privilege. Through Universal Health Coverage (UHC) — what Filipinos call PhilHealth is just a part of it — a range of oral health services are being made available to reverse …
Who is the Philippines?
By Herman M. Lagon The applause had not yet faded when Dharlene Gan of Dakila and the Active Vista Center stepped onto the stage, her words sharp and steady, a reminder that the afternoon was not only about watching a movie but about confronting the mirrors that history still holds. The September 8 forum, Bayani Ba’To? …
The iconic three dots tattoo of Apo Whang-Od and copyright
By Dennis Gorecho Buscalan Tinglayan, Kalinga — I was inked last Holy Week in my right forearm with the iconic three dots tattoo by Apo Whang-Od, the so-called last and oldest surviving mambabatok. Batok refers to the traditional Filipino tattooing practice, particularly in the Northern Luzon region that has been around for more than a …
The ‘Bayani Ba’To?’ narratives
By Herman M. Lagon The WVSU Cultural Center this Monday afternoon, September 8, was already alive before the program even began. In the lobby, ushers moved briskly, keeping the lines flowing and the rows inside neat and ready. Teachers clutched attendance sheets, ticking names with care, while campus journalists juggled their cameras, eager to get …