A State of the Nation Address (Sona) is interesting not only for what it says but also for what it does not say. The nation hears not only the speech but also its silences. Every Sona reveals a president’s way of seeing, and there is no way of excusing its blind spots by referring to … Read more
Philippine administrations love to anchor their legitimacy on the total demonization of a past regime. They see nothing worth pursuing in their predecessor’s policies and programs, finding them corrupt to the core, and preferring to dismantle everything. Our political system seems to thrive on an ethic of discontinuity. We have, for instance, succeeded in depicting … Read more
One of the most difficult problems we face today as a modernizing society is how to strengthen the division of labor among our various institutions. The traditional way is to assign to key institutions the power to speak for and trump the others. The modern way is to keep these institutions apart so they do … Read more
Some days are sacred to individuals, couples, families, nations, and religious communities. We call them holidays. On such days, people pause to summon memory, and to bask in the mixed sentiments it evokes. They may be sentiments from a deprived or happy childhood, a shared life, a heroic and difficult struggle, or a recurring promise … Read more
Tissue sometimes grows in areas where it is not supposed to be, drawing life from the same system that sustains the healthy cells of the body. Many such growths are harmless. But some are malignant: they graft themselves onto healthy organs, destroying these in the process. The aggressive ones “metastasize” or travel to other parts, … Read more