Young Voices Speak

What matters to the young Filipinos today?
What are their take on the issues that affect not only our country but the whole world as well?
We invite the students, the young urban professionals, the next generation to share with us their thoughts, feelings and opinions.

Take care of your teeth!

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 12) – We can’t deny that once we experience any tooth problem, our whole body is painfully affected. But said effects don’t just stop there, it can also affect our quality of life in the form of our physical, mental and social well-being.  Sadly, tooth problems can affect the way we speak, eat and socialize. These problems occur because sometimes when we already feel something is wrong with our teeth, we often ignore […]

February is National Heart Month

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 12) – Every time the month of February arrives, I know that several of you might be planning ahead of the time to set a date with your partner or plans of better ways to express your love to your family, friends and loved ones. But, more than that, don’t you know that February is also the “National Heart Month”? In the Philippines, based from Proclamation No. 1096, s. 1973, the month of […]

Advancing reform in Philippine elections

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 8) – For the 2016 polls, the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) is letting the public see precinct-level results by posting them on its official website. They are challenged to carefully draw the balance in the never-ending conflict among rights and regulations, liberties and limitations, and opposing demands of the different segments of society to maintain a honest, peaceful, free and realistic elections. Senator Grace Poe advocates for the Freedom of Information Act […]

Every voter is an enumerator

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 8) – The Commission of Elections (COMELEC) is confirmed to give the public a privilege to view the election results via their website. According to COMELEC Chairman Andres Bautista, this will be done for the sake of transparency and accessibility, allowing people to see blow-by-blow counts from 90,000 precincts, every single counting machine – essentially making each and single one of us an enumerator. This was already done in 2010 and 2013, […]

Transparency and good governance

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 8) – The COMELEC (Commission on Elections) proposes that the election returns should be posted in their official website. This is to show the transparency of the election that can be monitored by public. Can this prove the transparency of our election? So what if we have access to that, how sure are we that this information is accurate? The Filipino citizens were not born yesterday. Our generation is too smart to […]

TATT Syndrome

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 8) – Have you been so tired lately?  No, not tired but you have no drive towards work, lack of motivation and energy. You feel depressed for no reason. You think you are tired, always tired. According to Dr. Amithava Chaudhury, a general physician, “everyone goes through periods of feeling worn out, lacking in energy and generally run down at some point in life. The feeling may be caused by overwork or […]

25 Countries you can go to without visa

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 8) – Let’s face it! Applying for a travel visa can really be a hassle. This is one of the great factors that discourage people, especially first-time travelers, from exploring the world. But hey, don’t give up! If you already have a passport, it is time to rejoice! Just with your passport, you can experience different cultures and meet new people around the globe. Do you know why? Because there are countries […]

Who is Zika?

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 8) – Who is Zika? It is actually not a person but a virus.  Borne by mosquitoes, Zika causes mild fever, skin rash (exanthema), conjunctivitis (sore eyes) and muscle pain. These symptoms normally last for 2-7 days. Its name derived from the Zika forest in Uganda, where scientists first identified in 1940’s. The virus was associated with birth defects in Brazil. Since the start of 2015, Brazil has recorded 4,000 cases of […]

Election returns posted in COMELEC’s website, beneficial or not?

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 3) – It is true that in every Philippine election, negative issues and concerns have never failed to appear. According to asiafoundation.org, elections in the Philippines have been marred by allegations of widespread cheating and other electoral malpractice. The most famous (or perhaps infamous) method of cheating is called dagdag/bawas (add-subtract), when votes are subtracted from the opposition candidate and added to a favored candidate, and vice versa. Also, concerns over election credibility have […]

COMELEC bans selfies in voting precincts

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 1) – Commission on Election imposes restriction in taking “selfies” in polling precincts. This is to follow the COMELEC Resolution No. 9571, that prohibits the use carbon paper, paraffin paper or other means of making a copy of the contents of the ballot, or otherwise make use of any other scheme to identify his vote, including the use of digital cameras, cellular phones with camera or similar gadget. To clarify, what is […]

Kalayaan, Atin Ito – an act of defiance or the nation’s hope?

QUEZON City, Philippines (February 1) – “We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender”- Winston Churchill This is the fighting spirit of the Filipino youth who courageously volunteered and have not been hindered even if all the odds are against them. […]

Kalayaan, Atin Ito – heroes of the new generation

QUEZON City, Philippines (January 28) – “The youth is the hope of the nation” – Jose Rizal Our national hero once said that the children are our only hope. The youth from “Kalayaan, Atin Ito”  movement is one of the great representations of what Dr. Jose Rizal told us. “If during our voyage we will be encountering the Chinese face to face, we are going to tell them that we are not going to war against […]