The daily reality of non-apparent disability
On a random weeknight after work, I stood at a pharmacy counter to buy my antidepressant medication. The fluorescent lighting...
Overlooked
When was the last time you felt truly seen or genuinely acknowledged for the work you do? When I entered...
The heartbreak of a beautiful nation
The Philippines stands at a difficult and defining moment in its history. Across many communities, ordinary citizens are carrying burdens...
Everything is political
At dinner back home, everything is on the table, except for politics. It’s the elephant in the room. We keep...
‘Rigat ti gapuna’
Poverty is the reason. Hanggang saan aabot ang P20 mo? (How much can your P20 buy?) It’s strange to remember...
The price of belonging
The first thing I noticed on my first trip to New York was how people stayed in the middle of...
The art of suffering quietly in the PH
I used to think the most dangerous thing in the Philippines was violence. I thought it was the gunshots echoing...
The public market was my childhood playground
My childhood playground was the public market of Pavia, Iloilo. It had no swings or slides, only bulanteros’ (ambulant vendors’)...
What ‘sisig’ taught me about inflation
There is a carinderia in the Mendiola area that, over time, became something I count on. It sits along a...
To teach is to bleed
I woke up choking on blood. I barely made it out of bed; a thick, watery clump just poured out...
