There are places in the city you pass through without noticing: waiting sheds, platforms, terminals—designed for movement, not pause. You move through them on your way to somewhere else, rarely aware of the small rhythms they hold.  The ferry along the Pasig River is one of those places, where passengers line up, board, find a seat, and drift toward the next shore. Its purpose is simple: to get from point A to point B.  But what happens in between—the waiting, the crossing, t

Nowadays, some people say that when the Middle East sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold, but right now, it feels less like a sneeze and more like a fever that’s burning through the pockets of every Filipino.  We often think of "war" as something confined to history books or evening news clips of sandy horizons and flashing missiles. We watch it from the safety of our sofas, thinking, "Mabuti na lang, malayo tayo.” But then you pull up to a gas station and see the nu

Sa paglipas ng Mahal na Araw, nananatiling buhay ang mga tradisyong patuloy na hinuhubog ang pananampalataya at kultura ng mga Pilipino. Sa panahong ito, ating inalala ang lahat ng mga pinagdaanan ni Hesus mula sa Kaniyang pagkapako sa krus hanggang sa Kaniyang muling pagkabuhay. Sa iba't ibang dako ng bansa, nasasaksihan natin ang mga prusisyon, penitensya, senakulo, at iba’t ibang uri ng pagdiriwang. Bagama’t laganap ang mga ito, mayroong kakaibang lalim at katangian ang pa

Heroism is often imagined in moments of defiance—standing firm while life is offered for a cause greater than oneself, without expecting a reward or personal gain. It is defined by qualities of courage, determination, and selflessness.  In Philippine history, everyone is familiar with the traditional roster of heroes who emerged from periods of resistance. Contributions were made. Impacts were celebrated. Stories were taught. For centuries, the word “bayani” has been closely

In fairy tales, princesses arrive in carriages—gowns sweeping marble floors, kingdoms waiting quietly beyond castle gates. At the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, the closest thing sounds like a train announcement echoing through crowded speakers: “Paparating na sa Pureza Station. Approaching Pureza Station.” The doors slide open, and the day’s story begins. Students step out into the restless rhythm of Manila—jeepneys coughing smoke into the air, tricycles squeezin

Artificial Intelligence (AI), like a friend, is one call away—in our devices tucked in our pockets, on our smartwatches, and on nearly every screen. Yet this constant presence relies on a resource that is just as essential to life as companionship: water. Every March 22, we celebrate World Water Day, a day to remind the world of the importance of protecting water resources, promoting sustainability, and raising awareness about responsible water management. While about 71% of

Sa tarangkahan ng Sintang Paaralan makikita ang Dambana ng Kabayanihan  na itinatag sa ilalim ng panunungkulan ni Manila Mayor Jose L. Atienza Jr. bilang pagkilala sa libu-libong estudyante mula sa sintang paaralan na  nagbuwis ng buhay at lumaban sa diktadura ni Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Dahil sa laksa-laksang pagkilos ng mga estudyante, matagumpay na naibalik ang demokrasya at kalayaan na ipinagkait noong kasagsagan ng batas militar. Ngunit matapos ang apat na dekada, tunay nga

Sa tuwing binabanggit natin ang pangalang Sisa, tila   bigla-bigla na lamang umaalingawngaw ang mga sigaw ng paghahanap niya kina Crispin at Basilio. Nakakubli na ang pagiging baliw sa kaniya—isang babaeng talunan at biktima ng kalupitan ng tadhana. Ngunit paano kung panahon na para sa Sisa na malayo sa kung paano ito binigyang-buhay ni José Rizal? Parehong nawalan, parehong sinugatan, ngunit malaki rin ang kaibahan—ang isa’y nabaliw… at ang isa’y nagbaliw-baliwan.  Noong 189

How many times does a relationship survive not because two people stayed, but because they chose to understand each other again and again? When everything feels uncertain, what does intimacy look like when no one is watching? For many, intimacy is still narrowly imagined as something that happens behind closed doors—skin to skin, in silence, in secrecy. It is often equated with sexual relations, assumed to be proven through physical closeness alone. But what if intimacy, in i

When a heartbreak strikes, music serves as a mode of communication for what is often difficult or unwilling to be expressed verbally. Studies  indicate that music helps to express how we feel, guide us through grief and creates feelings of being seen and eventually healed. Every melody has its own representation of pain, memory and the anticipation of slowly, gentle and inevitable healing .  Some love stays, some loses, and some never begins. This compilation of songs about h

People often think Valentine’s Day requires high-end restaurants, massive bouquets, and grand, expensive gestures. But as we step into 2026, the way we celebrate has evolved. We now crave authenticity over aesthetics and human connection over generic surprises we usually see in our feeds. Whether you are in a long-term relationship, celebrating with family and friends, or enjoying your own company, the most memorable way to spend this day isn't measured by a price tag but is

The ribbons worn are a spectrum of colors—lavender for all cancers, pink for breast, dark blue for colon, yellow for bone. But beneath the pinned fabric and the hashtags flooding social media lies a reality that is less about symbols and more about survival. It is World Cancer Day, a moment when the world pauses to acknowledge the Emperor of All Maladies. In the Philippines, this day arrives amidst a humid February, where the heat of the season is just beginning to rise, mirr

The calendar turns, and with it comes the familiar whisper: new year, new me. A promise of reinvention, of release, of beginning again. It is true that new beginnings are not always magical. More often, they are uneasy, burdened by unresolved realities that refuse to be reset by a change in date. Because beneath the fireworks and countdowns that came with the new year, lies a country still grappling with political fatigue and unresolved injustices.  Renewal, after all, is not

There is an unremarkable table in a restaurant where two men eat steak as if it contains the shape of their future. A fork taps. A glass shimmers. And somewhere beneath it all, a typewriter clicks—Marcus’ typewriter, even though he isn’t here, reminding the room that words carry weight. Silence fills the space between their sentences, thick and trembling. Nothing about it seems remarkable—except the memory that lingers in those small gestures, as if the ordinary were only wai

People are reaching for their phones on a tiring commute on their way home, on a stressful day, or even as a reward for going through another week—not to scroll, but to listen. In the Philippines, podcasting has evolved from a niche hobby to a mainstream platform for news, storytelling, and even politics. Some podcasts unpack current events and social issues, while others focus on mental health, self-improvement, or similar topics often left out of mainstream media. The podc

That 2 a.m. panic when you realized that your reviewer is a hundred pages long and you haven’t even started. It’s that time of the semester where the sheer amount of review materials is combined with relentless additional activities that make you jokingly question, “Is it finals week or MY final week?” for the lack of sleep you got. But hey, don’t worry because here are the rituals you can do before an exam. Superstitions Failing to master the material leads inevitably to mas

Every January 9, the streets of Quiapo transform into a river of faith. Millions of barefoot devotees march alongside the Black Nazarene, a centuries-old statue of Christ carrying the cross, moving slowly through Manila’s streets in a ritual known as the Traslación —a sea of fervor that spreads through the city. The Black Nazarene wasn’t originally from Manila; it was carved in Mexico and brought to the Philippines in 1606. Over time, it has survived fires, earthquakes, wars,

Ang unang araw ng Enero ay mahalagang pagdiriwang ng mga tao upang salubungin ang bagong taon. Pagpatak ng alas dose ng umaga ay makikita ang karaniwang ganap sa selebrasyong ito. Maririnig ang kabi-kabilang paingay gaya ng naglalakihang torotot, paputok, ugong ng motor, kalampag ng mga kaldero, at makukulay na fireworks .  Maging sa mundo ng social media ay hindi mahuhuli ang mandatory posts  ng buong pamilya at nakasuot ng damit na ayon sa “color of the year” . Sa gitna ng

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

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