A weapon is an object that is used to inflict harm or injury on a person or a group. To “weaponize” is to transform or convert something into an instrument of attack. The implication is that something is deployed in a manner not normally expected. And this, precisely, is what lends “weaponization” its insidious character. … Read more
As a sociologist who has spent decades observing the various types of communities and social groups we humans create, closely noting how these societies sustain and renew themselves over time, or in some instances — how they fail and fade away, I have come to the realization that nothing that I know about the nature … Read more
In a barangay in Quezon City a few days ago, a group of young men vented their anger over the sudden stoppage of the water supply in their neighborhood by attacking the two fire hydrants in their street. No one dared to stop them. They pounded the concrete base of the hydrants until they hit … Read more
On Sundays and public holidays, the University of the Philippines Diliman campus closes its inner streets to motor vehicle traffic, thus instantly transforming the entire tree-lined academic oval into a vast public green park. Bordered by busy Katipunan (C.P. Garcia Avenue) and Commonwealth Avenue, the UP campus in Quezon City is probably the only remaining … Read more
Last Tuesday, Feb. 26, I had the unusual privilege of accepting the Ka Pepe Diokno Award on behalf of my brother, Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio S. David. Unusual, because he had previously confirmed his attendance at this important event. I meant to be there, but only as a guest. We were together just the day … Read more