Last Sunday, Sen. Edgardo Angara was the commencement speaker at the University of the Philippines Diliman. His challenge to the graduates was to build a middle class, which he said was a potent force for the social transformation of the country. Senator Angara did express concerns that the middle class was too small, maybe even “vanishing.”
Let me start off on a light note: The sunflowers have bloomed at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, and we’re ready for the next few days’ individual college recognition rites and general commencement exercises. This is a pitch to attend graduation ceremonies, whether at UP or not. Think of Kevin Villanueva, the info [...]
I’m sharing some of the reflections I gave in a keynote speech last week at the Philippine Nephrology Society’s annual convention, where I spoke of the challenges that nephrologists face from a medical anthropologist’s perspective.
Last Wednesday, I had to give a talk at the annual convention of the Philippine Pediatrics Society. My talk was part of a session called “Dr. Perla Santos Ocampo Memorial Lectures,” which included a tribute to her. “PSO,” as Dr. Santos-Ocampo was called by people who worked with her, died last year leaving many legacies [...]
The results of the recent Social Weather Stations survey on Roman Catholic (I’ll use “Catholic” from here on, for convenience) belief and practice in the Philippines have caused a stir, particularly the figure of 9 percent of respondents agreeing with the statement “Sometimes I think I might leave the Church” and another showing regular (meaning weekly) Mass attendance dropping from 66 percent in 1991 to 43 percent in 2013. (See sws.org.ph for the full report.)
The man next to me at the drugstore counter was very explicit with his instructions, sounding almost like a chef instructing his assistants: Cut the Enalapril tablet into four, and each Furosemide has to be divided into six paper packets.
For students and parents, the release of grades and report cards can be a major cause of anxiety and dread. There may be an added dimension of confusion this year, with a new grading system in public schools for grades 1 to 7 where the ratings are “A,” “AP,” “D” and “B.” I’ll explain those [...]
Brusco is a bulldog, or more precisely, a French bulldog, the type that invites cuddling, which he thoroughly enjoys and reciprocates by slobbering all over you. As bulldogs go, he snorts a lot so he sometimes ends up looking like he’s making tsismis, gossiping in your ear about all that’s been going on in the last few days with his humans. To entertain the kids at home, I’d occasionally interrupt Brusco and go, “And then?” or “Really?” and it’d look like he was picking up, continuing with his story.
Every year during Holy Week, I am asked why we have extreme forms of self-inflicted pain among Filipinos, the most dramatic of which are the flagellants and the ones who get themselves crucified. These practices are generically called penitensiya, meaning it’s presumed they are done to atone, to do penance, for sins. But more than [...]
Last Wednesday in my column responding to the suicide of the UP Manila student, I wrote that the government should seriously consider an educational loan system, one which will allow repayment after the student has graduated. When I was writing that I did have memories of some kind of “study now, pay later” program from [...]
It’s that time of the year again, with students rushing term papers or, even more daunting, theses and dissertations. This means putting in time looking for reliable information.
I recently warned a class of students that I was not going to be in the best condition to lecture because I had just had a root canal. I survived the lecture but after the class, a student came up to me and timidly asked what a root canal was.
