The taxing, toxic talk of taxes being squandered on students of state universities who would rather attend rallies than their classes has been a staple spiel of state nationalism’s apologists. Under the current regime, the presumed free tuition makes matters worse because subsidized scholars are supposed to thank Tatay Digong, as if his divine powers…
Taking jokes seriously does not only make one a party pooper who shall be ignored, but also a killjoy (KJ) who shall not be taken seriously because he would not just take the fun away but also complicate enjoyment that is supposed to be carefree. Let me take a shot at being the KJ because…
During times such as these when interconnectivity through the web coerces individuals to respond in real time and intrudes spaces to blur the public and the private spheres, taking caution in naming persons as subjects of discussion becomes imperative. There are merits when one reacts to a particular trigger and delves further into the details…
New year, new crises. Plummeting prices, degrading quality of life. But most citizen-consumers feel happy, it seems. The Philippines allegedly ranks third, among the happiest of nations, if that means anything. Well, it does, for social media well-wishers. Indeed, digital windows have doors that open to other such windows, without intermediary spaces, in what Byung-Chul…
The series of “previews” (part translation, part summary, part review as noted in the last three column articles) shall end with Bomen Guillermo’s “Kawayan” (2007/2017) and Emiliana Kampilan’s Dead Balagtas: Mga Sayaw ng Lupa at Dagat (2017). Incidentally, the first two previews were fueled by fire and air: text’s terrorism and author’s sentimentalism, flickers that…
Author’s note: From now, until the end of the year, I shall write in English about articles originally written in Filipino, share thoughts regarding their respective contexts, and discuss related themes. Part translation, part summary, part review, I hope these previews pique the curiosity of the readers about the essays and their ongoing conversations with…