Category: Opinion

Subtle neglect and ignorance can be just as damaging as intentional cruelty. Many will brush it off, but ignorance is an enabler, and omission makes issues thrive. When it comes to animal welfare, many are indifferent or even deliberately disregard these damaging acts, a mindset of apathy that quietly sustains cruelty. To truly protect and conserve animals, we must recognise and confront harmful patterns in society as well as ourselves, even if it means accepting that we may be contributing to these harmful acts by not contributing at all. Perhaps it’s time to ask whether we are truly part of the problem.

YEARNING, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is a tender yet urgent longing. It is that deep, sometimes overwhelming pull toward something that often feels slightly out of reach. It lingers in emotions, sometimes soft and almost beautiful, other times painful, especially when it comes from what is missing, lost, or never fully realized.

IT is considered typical Filipino behavior to cope with serious incidents through humor; perhaps why we are perceived as resilient in different aspects. There have been long discussions on whether this behavior should be applauded. Playing jokes on serious incidents? So immature—concerning, rather. As Filipinos, we should ask ourselves: where should we draw the line?

College was supposed to be about learning, growth, and chasing opportunities. But today, for many students, it has quietly turned into a daily exercise in survival. As prices surge across the board, student life has been fundamentally reshaped. We are no longer just meeting deadlines; we are calculating fares, skipping meals, and carrying the daily burden of not having enough. This is not an isolated struggle, but a systemic failure that continues to be overlooked.

BEING a woman living in a patriarchal society means existing in a world where rights are constantly undermined, boundaries are crossed, and identities are reduced to objects of the ‘male gaze.’ Growing up, I was surrounded by expectations: how I should look, how I should dress, and how I should behave. The phrase “kababae mong tao!” echoes all too familiarly, a reminder not just for me, but to countless Filipinas, that womanhood is often policed, and rights are infringed upon.

WHAT appears on the surface as a distant geopolitical issue that seems oceans away from our archipelago—the ongoing conflict in the Middle East—has gradually crept its way into Filipino households and the daily lives of our ordinary citizens. To most, the ever-changing price boards at gasoline stations are not mere inconveniences, but rather drastic costs that make or break whether one gets through the day with even a penny to spare.

HAVE you ever felt indebted for something that was already yours? That quiet, unsettling pressure to say “thank you” — not out of genuine gratitude, but out of obligation. As if the debt were real, even when you know, somewhere underneath it all, that it never was.

Procrastination does not destroy the soul through dramatic failure but through quiet stagnation.

ARTISTS have always longed to create, to push beyond limits in the name of discovery and art. It is embedded within our fibers to embrace art and alter the universe’s patterns with it. With this, we are born with the innate power to create ripples using our touch, our words, and even our very existence. Sometimes, however, we tend to forget about the power that we hold in each of our fingertips.

The youth are not the ones who are fragile — the system is. Some leaders would rather make fun of how young people talk about mental health than fix the lack of therapy services, poor funding, and the culture that makes people feel ashamed for being honest about their struggles.