Raphael

  Celebrating Vigan’s fiesta amidst the CoVid-19 pandemic shows just how important culture is to us. Understandably because of the ongoing pandemic the festival is not as festive as the previous years. It is commendable that we were still able to celebrate this year.                   Culture and tradition are what defines our people, it is what makes us different from other races. These two things are very integral for the next generations, it is what they will remember us by. Traditional celebrations are some of the core angles of any culture. Whether it may be a wedding or a national recognition, our celebrations are woven firmly into our general social identity. When we move abroad, a part of the excitement of living in a new culture is exploring and joining within the celebration of the local holidays and traditions of our adopted country. A few of these encounters will give memories that will...

  When the clock hit midnight on Jan. 1, 2020, a new decade began. As New Yorkers prepared for the famed ball to drop-in Times Square and folks across the U.S. were going about their day Tuesday, other cities worldwide were already ringing in the New Year. In Australia, revelers celebrated the moment with fireworks by the Sydney Opera House and above Melbourne’s skyline. Many in Seoul saw paper lanterns. Singapore’s luxurious Marina Bay celebrated with fireworks. In Hong Kong, pro-democracy protests continued.   January 1,2021 is a special day for the people as this day is the beginning of the new year. You would expect that this year would have the same amount of celebration as 2020’s new year but this time it is different. Because of the ongoing pandemic, most of the world had a silent new year. As the world said goodbye to 2020, communities held countdowns and celebrations but saw fewer jubilant crowds in traditional gathering spots. I hope that the coronavirus pandemic...

  The Earth is 4.51 billion years old, and we have been around for six million years. For millennia’s our species has relied on the environment for Food, water, and clothing. But for the past 200 hundred years, we have taken our environment for granted. A population boom in the 1960s depleted more resources form our environment. A worldwide famine occurred in the 1970s and 1980s due to overpopulation.                   Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero, and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful c...

                               Having nationwide simultaneous earthquake drills is a good idea. This will help others to know what to do when an earthquake hits and it checks on how prepared we are for earthquakes. We are long overdue for a massive earthquake, so we should start preparing for it. It isn’t a question of will it happen but when?                   A lot of people do not take earthquake drills seriously and most of the time they do not even follow the proper steps. When an earthquake strikes, we should Duck, Cover and Hold and when the shaking stops, move to an open space. People will get injured when an earthquake happens, it is the job of first responders to move quickly and ensure the safety of the civilians. Many people must work together to prevent casualties from happeni...

                                                                    Nothing beats going to school The style of education during the pandemic is something new to me. Although I have heard of it before, I never really tried it and I was impressed by it. I believe that the quality of education during the pandemic has gone down. But it can still be the same as before if we try harder.                   Because studying has gone online, students do not have to work as hard as before. The tasks given to them weekly become more predictable and limited. But without face to face I doubt that the students will learn anything this school year. Going to school is the best public policy tool available to raise skills. Wh...

                                                              Crossroads                 The Philippines is at a point where one mistake might lead to the loss of our opportunity to thrive. Global superpowers developed after the end of World War II and they are still here but difference is that they have increased and choosing which one to side with is difficult but siding with the wrong one might lead to a devastating outcome for us.   Resilient is defined as “able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions”. In order for us to become a resilient country we need to start from the basics, solidify our foundation. For a third world country like us to succeed, we need help from these superpowers. We need...

                                     Rodrigo Roa Duterte is the 16 th president of the Philippines and I think he is the best president we had since President Marcos. A president willing to eradicate corruption and drugs. We, the citizens of the country should help him instead of bashing him and criticizing him for every bit of mistake.                   Here comes a guy who wants to change our country, make it better, and safer for us. We should stand behind him and help him accomplish his vision for our country. Drugs have long been a problem in our country, our president is trying to eradicate it but we are trying to stop him. People will not learn if the death penalty is not implemented. Nobody is afraid to cause crime in our country because of the faulty law system and penalties that people...