While Filipinos were celebrating the festive season, the sudden death of former Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Undersecretary Catalina “Cathy” Cabral cast a shadow over the holidays. Her passing not only left her family in mourning but also removed a central figure linked to the unfolding flood control and budget controversies. This report looks back at who Cabral was, the paper trail she left behind, and the issues surrounding her final months. General Inform

With its jaw-dropping twist of revelations to its gut-wrenching series of plots—the roller coaster ride of 2025—flooded by corruption that fueled people’s action, is finally coming to its final drop and turn to carry new stories of calls for actions, victory, and justice.  As the year comes to an end, it’s important to look back at the stories that shocked the people, knocked them sideways, and made them proud in one way or another. With everything that has happened on the ri

Naging maingay at malakas ang pagdaluyong ng boses ng libo-libong mga Iskolar ng Bayan upang palagan ang samu't saring hamong hinarap ng Politeknikong Unibersidad ng Pilipinas (PUP) sa taong 2025.

Ginoong Jose Rizal, Patapos na ang taon… pero isa pa lang ang nakukulong. Malaya pa rin ang mga taong nagnakaw sa bilyon-bilyong kaban ng bayan. Aktibo pa ring gumawa ng ingay ang mga may patong-patong na kaso. Sumasahod pa rin ang mga pulitikong hindi nagtatrabaho.  Nakakagalit, Rizal. At kung buhay ka man ngayon—siguradong galit ka rin. Hindi ito bago. Alam mo ‘yan. Ikaw mismo ay nagsulat tungkol sa katiwalian, bulok na pamahalaan, at hustisyang may kinikilingan. Magkakaiba

Christmas always brings me home. Not just to the house, but to the corners we don’t visit the rest of the year—the cabinet that smells like dust and pine cleaner, the room where forgotten things gather because throwing them away feels like erasing proof that we once believed in something. This year, while unpacking old decorations, I found a small box tucked behind tinsel and old lights. Inside were letters. Folded unevenly. Some smudged in pencil, others neat in pen. All add

Ngayong buwan ng kapaskuhan, isa sa mga hinahanap-hanap ng mga labi ay ang lasa ng mainit at matamis na tsokolate sa isang malaking tasa. Sinasangga nito ang malamig na simoy ng hangin at nagsisilbing malaking yakap na tila ba selebrasyon sa pagtatapos muli ng isang buong taon. Bahagi na rin ng tradisyon na ito ang pag-inom ng nasabing inumin tuwing gabi. Marahil ay sa gabi tunay na nararamdaman ang pagpasok ng iba’t ibang agam-agam kasabay pa ng malamig na hangin, kailangan

It is a rule that when you don’t get what you deserve, you leave.  But for Filipinos who have been battered by a great deal of disappointments from the government, leaving is not that simple. Because unlike those politicians under scrutiny, they cannot just leave the country easily—not when it’s difficult enough to bring food to the table, and not when they were promised something else. Every Christmas in the Philippines, it has always brought the light and warmth people need

Spoiling ourselves and relinquishing the joyous respite to rest and celebrate Christmas has come upon us. A time of repetitive drifts of this week’s holiday traditions of the contemporary. A convergence of joyous spirits on the table to share their journeys. In many Filipino homes, Christmas does not end on December 25. The days that follow are marked by shared leftovers, extended gatherings, and quieter reflections around the dining table. This post-Christmas period reveals

Dear Santa, Merry Christmas, Santa! Alam ko pong medyo matanda na ako para magsulat pa sa inyo. Pero sana tanda mo pa kung sino ako.  Isa lang naman po ako sa mga bata noon na nagsusulat para sa iyo. Sinabi po kasi sa amin na tutuparin mo kung ano man ang nais naming regalo tuwing pasko. Hatinggabi nga raw kayo dumadalaw sa bahay. Masyadong pagod ang batang ako para hintayin pa kayo noon kaya hindi ko kayo maabutan. Ngayon namang matanda na ako, wari ko’y nawala na ang panini

Nakagawian na ng mga Pilipino ang paggising nang madaling araw para sa kapana-panabik na tradisyong kanilang hinintay. Tuwing papatak na ang ika-16 ng Disyembre, tila ba nagbabago ang simoy ng hangin na nagpapaalalang malapit na muling magsimula ang panibagong taon… at panibagong determinasyon ding tapusin ang siyam na Simbang Gabi habang bitbit ang pasasalamat sa buong taon na lumipas at mga panalangin para sa parating na bagong kabanata.  Ngunit… hindi lahat ng bukang-liway