Category: Opinion

The Propaganda We Continue to Fall For

“PROPAGANDAS I’m not falling for: Owalas, podcasts, 10-step skincare routine, pointless degrees, and Filipino time,” says in another video as I continue to doom scroll through TikTok. The word “propaganda” has been incorporated into a TikTok trend as a lighthearted list of a person’s dislikes; however, I fear that the trend has obscured the deeper meaning of the word.

When Fantasy Becomes Your Cage

IN your mind, you’re an athlete, an award-winning musician, an actor, or even an idol. You have millions of admiring fans, your family is incredibly proud of you, and you have a loving, supportive, and loyal partner. A superstar. A hero. The one who is loved, admired, and simply unstoppable. But then the fantasy abruptly stops. You realize you’re lying in bed, your phone in hand, earphones in, and a TikTok edit of a celebrity playing repeatedly on your phone. How much time has passed? A couple of minutes? Perhaps hours? For some, it’s the entire day.

A call to balance opportunity with competence

Many of the early legislators in the Philippines were highly educated individuals, often trained lawyers who were capable and qualified lawmakers. In contrast, today’s standards appear to have shifted, with fame and popularity often outweighing academic and professional qualifications. This change raises concerns about the level of preparedness among those seeking legislative positions.

Reclaiming my light

WITHIN every queer youth lies an internal light, waiting to be seen—whether fully realized or not. A quiet spark whose fate is determined through a simple truth: it either flourishes in an environment that fosters love and acceptance or dims in the presence of fear and rejection.

A bond that heals

“Pets can heal your mental health.” I once read this while scrolling through social media. At some point, we’ve all probably felt like our mental health was being ignored or invalidated. Stress, anxiety, and sadness can feel overwhelming, and sometimes, it seems like no one truly understands us.

Is There a New and Better Way?

“YOU can kill a revolutionary, but you can never kill the revolution… You can jail a liberator, but you can’t jail liberation.” A quote from Fred Hampton, an American revolutionary and activist, can correlate to what was celebrated last Feb. 25, the 39th anniversary of the People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution.