06/08/2026
Editorial | ๐๐น๐๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐๐๐น๐ ๐๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ด๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ
"๐ฐ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ
- Derek Bok
The hottest controversy dominating the internet is the Pax Silica, a U.S. led initiative that focuses on securing the supply of silicon and semiconductor pipelines to power artificial intelligence. Yet in the quiet mess of the Philippine government, one leader stood out the most, not in intelligence but in absurdity.
In the recent interview with Vice President Sara Duterte in The Hague, Netherlands, on July 28, 2026, the interviewer asked a very simple, open-minded question. And as the second-highest official in the country, Filipinos expected a measured and strategic response.
"๐๐ฐ๐น ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ค?โ she stuttered
"๐๐ฐ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ข๐ฏ๐บ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ข๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ต ๐๐ข๐น ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ข?โ
She replied, "๐๐ฐ๐ณ๐ณ๐บ, ๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ค๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต!โ
Instead, we received a performance worthy of comparison to a high school student who was chanting not to be called for a recitation.
How enviable it must be to hold a high position and care so little. To possess a power without a burden to keep.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ?
This is very disturbing and alarming. Because this is not merely a social gap between the rich and the poor. This is an art of being unbothered cluelessness. It is choosing to stay uninformed because it simply does not care to know.
๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ + ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ต๐ = ๐จ๐ป๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ค๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป
๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ด๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ด๐น๐ถ๐ด๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ!
The comedy that we are watching right now is, ironically, a bit tragic. The same Vice President who can't give her stand is the same Vice President who declared her 2028 presidential candidacy. It's a bit touching when she publicly delivers her frustration over the performance of her UniTeam partner, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr..
"๐ ๐ค๐ข๐ฏ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ฌ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฆ๐ข๐ค๐ฉ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐จ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ๐จ๐ช๐ท๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด. ๐๐ฏ๐ด๐ต๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ, ๐ ๐ฐ๐ง๐ง๐ฆ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ญ๐ช๐ง๐ฆ, ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐จ๐ต๐ฉ, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐บ ๐ง๐ถ๐ต๐ถ๐ณ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ฆ๐ณ๐ท๐ช๐ค๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฏ๐ข๐ต๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ.โ
A very heartwarming speech from someone who is willing to offer her future when she just refuses to offer us a high schooler understanding of the issue.
๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ?
How can one offer herself to lead the future of the nation when she refuses to be involved in today's issues. When she chooses to remain silent rather than to give her stand. That would only mean one thing: she does not give a screw. And we must reject this culture of political apathy.
To make it darkly comical, Senator Robin came into the spotlight interpreting (defending) his ally: "๐๐ข๐ฃ๐ช ๐ฏ๐ช๐บ๐ข โ๐๐ถ๐ค* ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ขโ, ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฏ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ '๐๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐๐ข๐น ๐๐ช๐ญ๐ช๐ค๐ข'. ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ณ๐ข๐ฉ!โ
Funny how two ignorant individuals protect each other in times of controversy. A merciless display of blind leading the blind. A perfect combination.
But this show is not even a circus โ it is our state operating in survival mode. Nothing is more terrible than to see ignorance in actionโ to hear broken promises repeatedly, and to understand their point when, in fact, it is pointless.
When a nation is ruled by merciless leaders, it is when the world turns upside down. Chaotic. Lawful. Distorted. Unjust. The middle class pays the taxes, the vulnerable and destitute, and those on the throne remain comfortably, blissfully uninformed.
May the issue of Pax Silica serve as an eye-opener rather than a reason for silence. It calls on us to be aware and be involved in the issues that affect usโ not only in this issue, but in every issue in our nation. We must reject the civilization that defends incompetence, and wear the badge of ignorance like it was an honor.
"๐๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐ธ๐๐ป๐ด ๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ ๐ธ๐ฎ ๐ฝ๐ฎ ๐ด๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐, ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐ธ๐ถ๐?โ
