The title is from a lovely book on the sociology of intimacy by Ulrich Beck and Elisabeth Beck-Gernsheim (Frankfurt am Main, 1990).  The thesis of the book is that as modernity frees us from the shackles of traditional obligations, it also means that henceforth, we have to work harder in making relationships work.  Freedom is … Read more

It was funny, and it was amusing.  But it was also, according to one thoughtful viewer who watched the Public Life episode with the “other” presidentiables, painfully sad.  My guests that evening were four gentlemen who had filed certificates of candidacy for the presidency, but who will likely be declared “nuisance candidates” by the Comelec. … Read more

Her husband, a taxi driver, was missing for more than a week.  They had been arguing the night before he disappeared, and she recalls having said something that might have hurt him, something about the family earnings no longer being enough for their needs.  Previous to this, he had also been feeling bad about having … Read more

Sunday last week found me on a fast ferry to Bataan.  Like most natives of Central Luzon, I am totally unaccustomed to approaching Bataan from the sea.  It was therefore exhilarating to discover that the boat trip from Manila to Limay takes only an hour, whereas it normally takes at least 3 hours by land.  … Read more

Crisis, say the Chinese, is both danger and opportunity.  One must accurately read the danger, and seize the opportunity to do something extraordinary.  In the last few months, many thoughtful Filipinos have asked whether the present national situation is a time of  crisis.  I am one of those who believe that a crisis is upon … Read more

President Ramos said something very disturbing at his last Ulat sa Bayan speech.  He would make more trips abroad, he said in pique, defying calls that in a time of crisis he must lead in conserving precious foreign exchange.  He tried to soften this verbal tantrum by adding that he would also travel as often … Read more

In an ideal democracy, citizens form parties in order to realize a shared vision of the tasks of government.  On this basis, they choose the most capable among their leaders and offer them to the electorate as their candidates.  Because the candidates must personify the party, their selection is dictated less by popularity than by … Read more

Three times I attempted to replicate a beef-in-olive-oil dish I first tasted on Bau Alunan’s table.  I love to reconstitute recipes from the sheer memory stored in my taste buds.  But this particular dish I simply could not get right.  My concoction was unquestionably edible, my children assured me, but I knew there was something … Read more

How does one choose a vice president?  What makes a good team? It is the season for matchmaking, and just about everyone is playing the role of casting director, operating with certain notions of what is an attractive president-vice president combination and what is not.  What is often overlooked is that, while they may subscribe … Read more

“It is a piece of cloth used for cleaning,” Speaker Jose de Venecia told a talkshow audience recently, as he tried vainly to recover the positive meaning of a word that has stubbornly clung to him.  In the unique vocabulary of Philippine politics, it is not, of course, the trapo’s cleaning power, but its natural … Read more