Second Look msanchez@theguidon.com With the regular season well under way, the fact that the NBA has just come from a work stoppage isn’t something I think of when I watch the games. I’m just happy basketball is back. The provisions of the new National Basketball Association (NBA)’s collective bargaining agreement (CBA) reset its economic system [...]
La Vie En Rose pguballa@theguidon.com When I was much younger, my vision to become a doctor was pretty one-dimensional. I wanted nothing more than to grow up to become that powerful woman in a white coat, who would make people feel better when they were sick with medicine and bandages. I’d work in my clinic [...]
Cross-clarity agarcia@theguidon.com What is the similarity between 17th century coffeehouses in England and the Internet? Both are places that can be regarded as realms of social interaction where citizens come together to discuss and deliberate their thoughts on current issues. German social theorist Jürgen Habermas popularized the term “public sphere,” wherein public opinion in these [...]
Post-Nothing jjurado@theguidon.com From a global perspective, the tech industry is where most of the creativity is concentrated, where innovative ideas merge to create new and exciting products, where young adult geniuses retire early and live off stock options and dividends. George Hotz, known online as “geohotz,” was hired by Facebook at 21 after “jailbreaking” Apple’s [...]
Allons-y! ctantengco@theguidon.com The topic of plastic surgery is a divisive one—so divisive, in fact, that Filipinos seem to grow split personalities in terms of our reactions to it. On one hand, we don’t complain when celebrities thank their cosmetic surgeons on television, nor do we seem to have a problem with the billboards declaring “Belo [...]
The Other Side jigual@theguidon.com Behind a sprawling metropolis lies a city that is nothing more than a shadow of its former glory. Once a bustling city that was a melting pot of different cultures from all over the world with irreplaceable cultural landmarks, classical architecture and historical treasures, Manila is now a city that has [...]
An analysis of contemporary history would show that it is the norm for Philippine politics to move at an unhurried pace. The Aquino-led government installed by the first People Power Revolution, for example, had to wait for nearly a year after its assumption of authority before it could ratify its 1987 Constitution. In the 2010 presidential elections, it took Congress almost a month to declare an official winner, even with the help of a computerized and automated polling system.
It has been more than a decade since the last bid to impeach the highest-ranking official of one branch of the Philippine government. Whereas the executive branch melted in the spotlight in 2000 for former President Joseph Estrada’s alleged shenanigans, the judiciary now faces the blinding lights of media, as Chief Justice Renato Corona takes [...]
Second Look msanchez@theguidon.com For today’s Filipino, Christmas is a season of two faces: on one hand, the traditional customs of simbang gabi, noche buena, and media noche, accented with ensaymada and hamon, and on the other hand, the more “commercialized” Christmas of decked halls, crazy shopping sprees at the mall and a break from all [...]
Point Blank laquino@theguidon.com The fossilization of our national hero in ubiquitous one-peso coins has led most Filipinos to an exceedingly dull acquaintance with Dr. Jose Rizal. Even so, the people he died for continue to find so many different occasions where they can brandish his name in memoriam. In fact, his name and picture have [...]
Vox Populi ksantiago@theguidon.com The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) stated in a report released a year ago that almost 50% of the country’s working students do not get to finish college. The factors that are believed to have contributed to this statistic include poor health, difficulty in coping with studies and the lack of financial [...]
Logique du Coeur mgarcia@theguidon.com Christmas is one of the most celebrated holidays in the country. More than the pretty lights, colorful displays and presents in fancy packaging, society encourages us to make the season more meaningful by doing something “good.” Whether through grand gestures or a humble thank you, we are taught to express gratitude [...]
Nothing Fancy kfrancisco@theguidon.com They say the quality of education’s been going down for the past couple of years, but maybe the analysts have got it wrong. Immediately after Pacquiao’s controversial boxing victory and while the Arroyos’ flight attempt unfolded, millions of Filipinos have suddenly become boxing analysts and legal experts—sometimes, even both. A cacophony of [...]
When Cynicism becomes Cataclysm Throughout my four college years, the Ateneo de Manila Student Government (or the Sanggunian) has experienced recurring problems: the perceived question of irrelevance, weak delineations and unclear ideological grounds of political parties, an absence of politicization, and more often than not, a cynical electorate, marked with more or less a quarter [...]
The entire Arroyo issue is as frenzied and complicated as it looked the night of November 15. Former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband attempted to leave the country after a Supreme Court decision permitted her to travel, only to be stopped at immigration. That night, the general sentiment was split between two opposing camps: justice served, and justice denied.
The Other Side jigual@theguidon.com I paid 2,000 pesos to watch the Philippine Azkals play against the Los Angeles Galaxy on December 3. I am the 1%. Much has been said about the game—but more about the exorbitant ticket prices. For 2,000 pesos, you get to sit behind the goal and be vulnerable to rain. Add [...]
The Blind Side alim@theguidon.com “I am a BlackBerry person,” the US Secretary of State said. Amidst BlackBerry’s fall in shares to other players in the smartphone industry, the Canada-based company should pay Hillary Clinton for publicly endorsing them. Perhaps, had I tweeted that at the time, my message would find its way to the company’s [...]