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Puzzling but Not Surprising: Speaking English with Filipinos in the Philippines

“Puzzling but Not Surprising: Speaking English with Filipinos in the Philippines” suggests that one of the readily available ways to stop inequalities in the Philippines is to stop speaking in English. It starts with a brief history of the country’s pre-colonial legacies, how these legacies were circumvented by the colonial powers to help legitimize their positions, and how the system was further maintained to feed the status quo. It then proceeds with the premise that normalizing the use of English not only perpetuates these legacies but also hammers the difference between “us” and “them.” Ultimately, the privileged and the literate are encouraged to become constantly obliged to remain acutely sensitive to not allow English to become the new Spanish.

As seen on Rappler: [OPINION] Puzzling but Not Surprising: Speaking English with Filipinos in the Philippines

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When Living Alone Has Become a Badge of Honor

“When Living Alone Has Become a Badge of Honor” explores the new, fashionable way to mark what it means to be a ‘grownup’ in this day and age. It starts with the author’s personal experience, explores if there, indeed, is anything wrong with living at home as an adult, how different families respond to different realities, and ends with challenging the fact that we might be asking the wrong question whenever we ask, “Why are you still living with your parents?”

As seen on Rappler: [OPINION] When Living Alone Has Become a Badge of Honor

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Celebrating Father’s Day in a Paternalistic World

“Celebrating Father’s Day in a Paternalistic World” starts with my personal experience as a single parent after my husband left our family, the cultural expectations of what it means to be a ‘mother’ and ‘father,’ the costs of keeping the nuclear family, appreciating globalization as a family ally, an opportunity to revisit what it means to be a ‘father’ and ‘mother’ every time we celebrate father’s and mother’s day, and, finally, what we can take away from celebrating father’s day in a paternalistic world.

As seen on Rappler: [OPINION] Celebrating Father’s Day in a Paternalistic World