This was originally published in Vox Populi PH’s year-end collaborative zine, Colors of Christmas, on December 25, 2021 There is no Christmas in our household. We didn’t really feel the need to celebrate it other than the usual holiday where we stuff ourselves and sleep. I guess I enjoyed it…

He started to crochet again a few months ago. He was unapologetic about it, not only for it being a traditionally “feminine” hobby, but because he would most likely leave this project to gather dust after a few weeks or so, like he always does. Crocheting, however, at least came…

The mere fact that, every single day, we are fighting disinformation, is the only proof we need that the anarchy is alive and well. (This essay was originally published in MARKA zine on April 9, 2022) The rise of the computing age is both a boon and a curse. On…

The Pampanga leg of the Leni-Kiko series of political rallies became the most successful (so far) out of all the cities that participated. All in all, 220,000 supporters of the Robredo and Pangilinan presidential and vice-presidential tandem converged in the parking lot of Robinsons Starmills in San Fernando, Pampanga. It was a surprising victory, so to speak, for Robredo, who lost to her rival Ferdinand Marcos Jr. by a wide margin in the…

In the world of fantasy games, an expansive imagination is necessary. However, world-building is not easy, so for the most part, creatives take inspiration from real life to write their stories. The Final Fantasy series is no exception. This JRPG pioneer started with your typical good vs. evil, “save-the-world” stories…

January 3rd. On a night when I was supposed to enjoy myself with friends, one wrong turn on an electric tricycle, I would find myself in pain and debt for the next few months. omplete fracture of the left humerus. I read on the diagnostic file while wheeled into the…

The first time I saw her, I didn’t see her at all. She always showed up at school dressed like the world is out to get her secret. She always wore those overalls that covered her legs and arms, a hoodie that hid her head. You can’t even see her…

In 2005, a young girl from Pennsylvania signed a record deal with a fledgling record company in Nashville. Everyone knew she would be big: she had the right look, the good country girl image, and of course the natural songwriting talent to take her to the top. Looking back, however…

The sky offered no comfort, no compass to point me to my destination. I grew up in a small town in Samar bereft of technology; then, our days started before sunrise and ended at six in the afternoon, just barely after the sunset. Aside from the light of the moon…