OPINION

FEU Advocate · October 29, 2026

Free press on a short leash

Censorship does not always arrive with a gag order. For journalists, it is disguised as policies, enforced through bureaucracy, and justified by rules that appear impartial but selectively silence dissent. A press need not be shut down to be oppressed; it only needs to be stripped of its capacity to question, expose, and challenge those who wield power. When journalism is obstructed from pursuing uncomfortable truths, the consequences extend far beyond the newsroom.

FEU Advocate · October 16, 2026

Dancing with the Lesser Evil

There is a peculiar way Philippine politics teaches us to waltz with our principles. It rarely asks us to desert them outright. Instead, it invites us to make exceptions, to tiptoe in complexities, and to understand the rhythm of circumstances. So when Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo welcomed Israeli Ambassador Dana Kursh during a courtesy visit to Naga City Hall last October 5, the ensuing controversy became another exercise in negotiating the boundaries between political pragmatism and moral responsibility.

FEU Advocate · August 17, 2026

It’s Raining in Manila, hindi ka ba nakikinig?

Hindi na bago ang baha kapag isa kang mag-aaral sa Maynila. Taon-taon, kasabay ng bugso ng panahon ang matinding pakikipagsapalaran makapasok lamang sa pamantasan. Ngunit sa kabila ng paulit-ulit na sitwasyong ito, bakit tila ang mga estudyante pa rin ang kailangan matutong makibagay sa panahon at sa isang sistemang hindi marunong makinig?

FEU Advocate · July 27, 2026

Sa kinakalawang na timbangan, may kilo-kilong katiwalian

Sa kauna-unahang pagkakataon sa kasaysayan ng bansa, isang Bise Presidente ang nililitis sa impeachment court. Ngunit hindi lamang si Bise Presidente Sara Duterte ang nasa paglilitis. Kasabay niya, inuusig din ang administrasyon ni Pangulong Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. at ang mga hungkag na talumpating taon-taon ibinabandera. Sa halip na maging sandigan ng katarungan, ang impeachment trial ay nagiging salamin ng mas malalim na karamdaman ng politikang Pilipino: ang paghahari ng dinastiya, ang pamamayani ng partisanong interes, at ang patuloy na pagsubok sa tanong kung ang batas ba ay para sa lahat o para lamang sa may kapangyarihan.

FEU Advocate · July 24, 2026

No iPhone comes for free

Ivana Alawi recently sparked controversy after announcing she would be giving away 100 iPhones. Millions of people flocked to the post, participating in the hopes of becoming one of the lucky winners. At first glance, the giveaway appeared to be nothing more than providing free gadgets grounded in generosity. But the initiative was actually a front for a gambling platform to lure people in. Upon closer look at the intention behind it, the campaign reveals itself as something else entirely: a modern-day Trojan horse.

FEU Advocate · June 27, 2026

Rainbow for Rent

Pride is being stripped of its history and is being sold back to us. What emerged from collective resistance against state violence and social exclusion has, over decades of neoliberal restructuring, been recast as a marketable identity — one that corporations, institutions, and even governments can readily incorporate into their public image.

FEU Advocate · June 09, 2026

Tote-ally Colonial

What makes the recent obsession with the Trader Joe’s tote bag fascinating is not the bag itself. Over the past few months, the reusable mini canvas tote bags from the American grocery chain Trader Joe’s have gone viral online, with Filipinos buying them through ‘pasabuy’ sellers or balikbayanfamily members. Strip away the pastel colors, the TikTok hype, the pasabuyculture, and what remains is, quite literally, a grocery bag.

FEU Advocate · May 10, 2026

Bato, Boto, Pick

Taon-taon, binibigyang-boses ng University Elections ang mga Tamaraw. Ngunit kung tahasang isinasantabi ng Far Eastern University (FEU) Commission on Elections (COMELEC) ang malinaw na pagtutol ng mga estudyante sa mababaw na politika sa pamamagitan ng abstention votes, nagbubunyag ito ng mas malalim na tanong na kung kaninong boses nga ba ang tunay na pinakikinggan.

FEU Advocate · May 08, 2026

Abstention demands political recognition

Inaction can be a political action. Sometimes, abstention simply means an expression of resistance. It signifies that students are cognizant of the consequences of voting — that when we participate in the electoral process, we legitimize a problematic system that is anti-student.

FEU Advocate · May 03, 2026

You seem pretty silent for a student wanting change

Student elections occupy an indispensable place in the formation of students’ civic consciousness. Yet, the gravest peril to democratic life is when students habitually withdraw from their obligations to keep the student government in check and participate in the University’s political processes. If students get used to treating campus elections as trivial, they are being trained — subtly but effectively — to approach something bigger, such as national elections, with the same detachment.