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

may kahilingan sana ako: maaari bang humaba pa ang mga oras sa bawat araw na aking tinatahak upang mabalanse ko ang pag-aaral at pagtatrabaho? sabi nila, libre lang ang mangarap, pero hindi nila sinabi na libre abutin ang mga ito. kapalit nito ang pagpasok sa klase nang walang tulog at pahinga, dahil hindi naman ako pwedeng lumiban sa trabaho upang kumita. kapag nasa eskwelahan at nararamdaman kong hindi na ako magaling, humihiling ako kay bathala na sana malayo pa rin ang

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed the ₱6.793 trillion national budget into law last January 5, approving what Malacañang described as the country’s “most prudent budget” only after the fiscal year had already begun, a delayed enactment for a spending plan that governs the nation’s public funds. The signing itself was notably restrained. According to media reports, journalists and invited guests were barred from bringing cameras and mobile phones into the ceremony, limit