At about this time of the year, one hundred years ago, an 8-page newspaper, subversive in every way, came out with its maiden issue. Its name was Kalayaan, the newspaper of the Katipunan. Its date of publication was January 18, 1896 even if it was circulated only in mid-March.  It had taken 2 months to … Read more

In our society, when a man has a problem he cannot handle, he seeks the company of friends and drinks with them.  Thus sheltered by kindly souls and protected by alcohol, he steps out of himself and cries out his distress. Sometimes he retreats into solitude, but unable to handle  the graver environment of silence, … Read more

At most bookstores nowadays, one cannot fail to notice the proliferation of books dealing with self-improvement in all its aspects.  There are books on dieting, health, aerobics, public speaking, meditation, yoga, body building, the soul, and the inner self.   Sociologists say these are indicative of a lifestyle politics which seeks  the appropriation of the body … Read more

To most of us, nothing can possibly be more exhausting than to defend ourselves day after day against those who have chosen us to be their enemies.  But some people are like Nietzsche’s warrior:  they seek resistance and they need resistance to sustain their strength. There are 2 members of President Ramos’s official family who … Read more

If angels are real, then this year they came to us in the form of the Aetas. “Angelos” is the Greek term for messenger.  And the Aetas have come with a simple message: think beyond yourselves.  By their sheer presence in the streets of Manila during these holidays, the Aetas have challenged us to rethink … Read more

In the last few years, a hormone which carries the name  melatonin has become very popular among people who have trouble summoning sleep. When first launched, it was meant as a cure for jet-lag.  Today, it is also being advertised as an antidote to old age. Melatonin is produced naturally by our pineal gland during … Read more

Why should anyone believe Chito Roque, the man who has come out to name the key players in the underworld of jueteng? His credibility is in tatters.  His overall appearance is that of someone who has not cared to look after himself in a long time.  There is no trace of the bearing of the … Read more

There is a 2-year-old baby  in our house.  No, she is not the child of any of our children.  She is the daughter of one of the maids.  She got pregnant and her boyfriend would not marry her.  We told her maybe it was just as well since they were both too young, but that … Read more

Watching the ongoing jueteng investigation in Congress, a friend asked: what do you think is the game plan?  Like most everybody else, he was thoroughly skeptical about the public motives that inform the investigation, and was searching for a hidden agenda that would account for this sudden militancy in law enforcement.  He could not believe … Read more

An examination of the route that led to former Korean President Roh Taewoo’s public disgrace suggests that the initial investigations did not immediately target him.  Rather they zeroed in on his close associates and members of his Cabinet, who were later convicted.   The trail of illegal transactions in which these associates were involved  led to … Read more