“I dream of my brother coming back to life.” “We did nothing, we were sleeping.”

These words, among many, truly broke my heart. There are a lot of times that I get ashamed of what I have; a home, food, clean water, and loved ones who I can always keep in touch with. When I know that there are people in real-time that have just been deprived of these; and it all seems very unfair. And more so these days, every time I go through my social media, I see all these displaced people. I am naive for having thought that we have grown past all of this violence, ethnic cleansing, and colonization in the early 20th century.

People literally die fighting for a dying planet.  Yet, this information is not well known. We cushion this reality by advocating for the environment on smaller scales without ever acknowledging the problem with the system itself. This fact should be enough to wake the sleeping that environmental issues are inherently political. True environmental advocacy requires acknowledging activism as a way of demanding for solutions to real-life environmental dilemmas that affect us on a daily basis. 

The world’s global temperatures are rapidly rising at an alarming rate caused by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, the industrial revolution, and other greenhouse gas emissions that trigger a cascade of temperature change leading us to the point of no return. The Arctic sea ice declined by about 10% in the past 30 years. Today, 95% of the oldest and thickest ice in the Arctic is almost gone, and scientists believe that most of the central and eastern Himalayan glaciers could virtually disappear by 2035.

Visayas State University (VSU) is set to host the prestigious Regional State Colleges and Universities Athletic Association (SCUAA-8) once again, after six (6) years since its 2017. In this regard, all eyes are on the preparations of the university for the event and high expectations are starting to line up for VSU. However, it can be noted that during the recently concluded Salingkusog 2023, catastrophic events flooded the whole competition, leaving Viscans and stakeholders trapped in a web of confusion, disappointment, and queries. As the university bears one of the biggest sporting events of this year, we ask this question: "Is VSU ready to host SCUAA 2023?" 

Each and every student has a right to choose how they wish to serve their country, and violating this right would not only compromise the social contract between the country and the person but also compromise their ability to serve in the first place. Who would, after all, want to help a nation that doesn’t even let them choose between a broom and a gun?

Last August 24, entrepreneur-engineer Slater Young released a video about the launching of the infrastructure model, “The Rise at Monterrazas,” a major-scale development project that features premium condo-like units on the slopes of the mountain of Cebu. According to Young, it took about 300 design revisions before they came up with the Banaue Rice Terraces-inspired design, as this type of project with complexity and detail requires thorough research and vast knowledge in science, architecture, and engineering. However, conflicting perspectives online started to buzz and counter its 'amusing' promises.

While some teachers find their way out, the newly hired ones are yet to face the reality in the teaching field, like how mismatch happens. Even if you study for 4-years as an English major, if the school needs a math teacher, and you need a job to live, you just suck up with the system.

Nakakapanghina, pero wala na tayong magagawa, dahil sa panahon ngayon, nagiging realidad na ito dahil nasa Golden... Golden Prices na nga tayo. Kaya sa tuwing bibili ako ng bigas, hindi mawawaglit sa aking isipan ang isang beses na may nagsabi na ibababa niya ang presyo ng kada kilo ng bigas, at naitatanong ko na lang sa sarili ko, nasaan na ang pangakong bente pesos kada kilo?

The first time I ever witnessed police brutality was around 14 years ago. My family had a habit of watching TV Patrol before eating dinner, and as a kid, I would mindlessly do my homework while the show was on. I didn’t pay much attention to everything, but one specific night, the newscaster disclaimed some very disturbing content. I raised my palms to my face to cover my eyes from the scene, as advised by my parents, but to our surprise, the audio from the news report was far more distressing; it narrated about a man lying naked on the floor with his genitals tied to a rope. The rope was being pulled by a police officer like you would with a string toy. The man screeched and cried in pain as the officer audibly made noises. This was later sensationalized as a “torture” video, shocking millions of Filipinos, and traumatizing me as a little kid.