State of the Nation with Jessica Soho

The Wonder Vendors: Mudjur Clemente and Gladys dela Cruz

Thankfully, we now have Facebook to remind us of days like our birthdays. Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish between people who really remembered your birthday or those who just saw a notification. But hey, it’s the thought that counts. It’s a good feeling to have most of your family, friends and acquaintances fill your timeline…

Quietly Out of Place

They say we should write about what we know. To avoid mistakes? Perhaps. But it is more likely that they ask this of us because it will lend credence to our stories. And so, that is why, today I will write about something that I know dearly as an introvert: solitude. Ironic Until I came…

VFA and the Murder of Jennifer Laude

Co-written with Lian Buan One year after the death of transgender woman Jeffrey Jennifer Laude, SubSelfie.com provides an update to the case filed against the suspect L/Cpl. Joseph Scott Pemberton. Guilty Verdict December 1, 2015 — The Olongapo City Regional Trial Court Branch 74 of the Philippines ruled that US Marine Joseph Scott Pemberton is “guilty…

Love in the Time of Martial Law

Editor’s Note: Just in case you think it’s unimportant — Moving On from Martial Law? Fe and Roger had been co-teachers in a university for quite some time, occasionally exchanging nods and “hellos” inside the campus. But it was only when Roger won his first Palanca award on his poem “Mga Duguang Plakard” (Bloodied Placards) that Fe took…

Caught in Conflict: Golan Heights and Trapped Filipino Soldiers

Co-written with Lian Buan While Gilas Pilipinas is bravely representing the Philippines in the ongoing FIBA World Cup, we also have a different team of Filipinos who should make you feel proud. They are the 75 Filipino soldiers carrying the banner of the United Nations in the middle of a heated conflict in Golan Heights. Heightened Tension Golan Heights…

The Myth of ‘The Butcher’ Jovito Palparan by Dano Tingcungco

On August 12, 2014, after two years of hiding, NBI operatives finally captured retired Major General Jovito Palparan in Sta. Mesa, Manila. He now has to face charges of kidnapping and serious illegal detention for the disappearance of UP students Karen Empeño and Sherlyn Cadapan in 2006. Palparan has carved a reputation as “The Butcher.” It wasn’t…

The Burial of Anria Espiritu: Justice and the Death Penalty

The story of Anria made this author realize how people close to us can become crime victims in an instant.

The Problem with UP

What if you could revisit and download the questions you took during the UPCAT (University of the Philippines College Admission Test)? I received information that this will be a possibility. It’s not yet official though. For some people including yours truly, these were the same set of questions that made and unmade dreams. Not all UPCAT takers make…

Reporter Notes: Prequel

For young people who wish to become news reporters, there are no shortcuts, formulas and guarantees. Luck may be a factor. But so are persistence, patience and passion. We all have unique individual trails. The footsteps of others should only serve as a guide but you have to make your own way. I’m not an expert. But…