Teach the why

 

BY ELEANOR PINUGU

MAY 25, 2026

Growing up, I hated trigonometry because I couldn’t understand what it was for. I got a decent grade in class, but only because I memorized the formulas. It was only much later that I appreciated how trigonometry has practical uses in architecture, aviation, medicine, and many other fields. I couldn’t help but wonder why it wasn’t taught to me this way. Why didn’t my teacher start our year by showing us why trigonometry mattered so we could better appreciate what we’re learning?

This was my own experience of the education relevance gap—the disconnect that happens when a student cannot see the relevance of what is taught in the classroom and its practical application in their day-to-day lives. Multiple studies and reports highlight how the perceived mismatch between what students need and aspire toward and what education systems offer leads to student disengagement, poor attendance, and the eventual risk of dropping out.

A major driver of the education relevance gap is that young people today are exposed to a much larger world than what the classroom or home can offer. Their perspectives and questions are shaped by social media, economic anxiety, climate fears, political instability, new technologies, and an uncertain future of work.

Every Man For Himself

 

May 24, 20263 min readThe BoholTimes

AND of course: every woman for herself. It’s used for saying that everyone needs to look after themselves and not worry about anyone else. Everyone looks out for his or her best interest. Originally this phrase expressed approval. It appeared in Chaucer’s The Knight’s Tale (“Ech man for him-self, ther is non other”), implying that if one did not look out for oneself no one else would.

It’s always been this way in reality and should be for good reason. “Every man for himself” is an individualistic ideal. It teaches self-reliance, self-sufficiency and independence.

Each individual puts his or her own interests foremost. For example, In this company no one helps anyone—it’s every man for himself . In Chaucer’s day this dictum was stated approvingly, meaning “if you don’t look out for yourself, no one else will,” but today such selfishness is usually censured.

Yes, each person does what is best for himself or herself. Yes, times are getting tougher. I think you, my dear readers, know what I am talking about. No reason to list everything again. Sometimes, there is no team spirit in this office; it’s definitely every man for himself. Neighbors would tell each other: mind your own business. The tone between us humans is becoming more and more harsher.

Some people live alone because friends and families have abandoned them. Important helpline is Psalm 27:10 for them. “When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take care of me.”

And solitary survivors like Robinson Crusoe, or the hero in the movie Castaway, fascinate. But the loner is someone who purposely holds himself aloof, like the Unabomber, Mathematician Ted Kaczynski. People doggedly moving ever farther away from one another constitute hell in C.S. Lewis’ book, The Great Divorce.

Fact is  –  Proverbs 18:1 says:  A man who isolates himself seeks his own desires; he rages against all wise judgment.

Living in community and helping one another is foundational for all who wish to follow Christ. We know from Acts 2 that the early church took this seriously, seeing many examples of believers helping one another, including materially, so that there would be no one in need within their group.

Much has been written about the benefits of strong relationships. I wrote about it at this corner several years ago. People are healthier, live longer, and are generally happier if they have strong friendships beneficial for helping and encouraging each other. And let me repeat it – especially during these tough times.

Jim Mathis, a writer, photographer and small business owner in Overland Park, Kansas, got it to the point last year, when the pandemic started: “Personally, one big change that took place when I decided to follow Christ was shifting from a self-centered existence to community-centered living. My life changed dramatically for the better when I stopped looking out only for myself and started finding ways to help others with a sense of community. Life went from an individual sport like a race to a team sport, working toward our mutual benefit”.

I feel I’m not good enough

 

Feeling like you are not good enough is an incredibly heavy burden, but it is also a nearly universal human struggle. It usually stems from self-doubt and conditioned thought patterns rather than actual truth. You are inherently worthy of love, belonging, and respect just as you are.

Often in life we come across such relationships and people, who are never happy with you. There may be times when you have given your all but you still realize that you’ll never be good enough for some people.

Feeling like we’re “not good enough” is negative self-talk that is underpinned by feelings of inadequacy. At its core, feeling not good enough boils down to a struggle with self-esteem and feelings of unworthiness. Fortunately, there are ways to overcome these negative feelings and develop a healthier mindset.

This feeling is really sad and hurting which makes you doubt yourself. This is when you feel the world will never be satisfied with you, and there could be days when you feel like a failure.

But life is not about perfection, it’s about accepting people we love as they are. When the expectation of one person is too high it’s not possible to be every good enough for them no matter what you do. Never let this feeling make you depressed and feeling low.

Among daily changes within the world of work, there’s never been a better time for employees to cultivate skills to help them better manage workplace challenges. This is where the idea of the ‘growth mindset’ comes roaring in – the belief that workers are capable of actively improving their abilities, rather than being innately able or unable to complete certain tasks.

Yet, this ‘can do’ mindset can be more difficult to harness than it seems. Doing so means getting comfortable with embracing hurdles, learning from criticism and persisting when things get difficult.

Even if we believe that such tenacity is worth developing, in practice, doubts and fears can dominate. “We’re wired to believe our emotions,” says Elaine Elliott-Moskwa, psychologist and author of The Growth Mindset Workbook, based in Princeton, New Jersey, US. “When a person says ‘I feel I’m not good enough’, that feeling is very powerful, even though that is a belief about their abilities.”

At the heart of the growth mindset is learning to overcome such feelings of inability or inadequacy in the face of obstacles, and instead recognise an opportunity to learn. And there can be profound benefits to cultivating this approach. Employees with a growth mindset can tap into useful skills to manage stress, build supportive relationships with colleagues, cope with failure and develop attributes to help further their careers.

Approaching a challenge with a growth mindset over a fixed mindset is a choice anyone can take
Stanford professor and psychologist Carol Dweck narrowed this concept down to two approaches that can determine results: ‘fixed mindset’ and ‘growth mindset’. “Fixed mindset is the idea that your abilities are high or low, and there’s not too much you can do to change it,” says Elliott-Moskwa, “whereas the growth mindset is the view that your abilities are malleable or changeable.”

While some people may naturally lean more one way than the other, people don’t outright have either a fixed or growth mindset to all problems, full stop – instead, approaching a challenge with a growth mindset over a fixed mindset is a choice anyone can take.

For many people, though, moments of difficulty often spur fixed mindsets. For example, says Elliott-Moskwa, when people take in criticism from a boss, or struggle with a new task, they might feel a sense of inadequacy. In these situations, a fixed-mindset response might be “I’m not good enough”, or “I can’t do it”, she says.

By contrast, a growth mindset approach takes a different tack on the same situation. People with growth mindsets don’t interpret such moments as personal failings, but instead recognise a need to improve. Crucially, people working with a growth mindset believe they are capable of such improvement, and are able to break down challenges into achievable steps.

This means getting out of the comfort zone and accepting a certain level of risk, uncertainty and the potential for failure that comes with trying something new. “It feels a little bit uncomfortable, and also a little bit exciting,” says Isabella Venour, a London-based mindset coach, who helps professionals understand the role their beliefs, values and patterns of thinking play in the workplace. “You’ve got a bit of risk that it might go wrong, but you’ve also got the potential to learn something and to grow as an individual.”

Why is the growth mindset important in the workplace right now? A can-do approach is always a plus in the workplace – it demonstrates that workers are adaptable and willing to evolve within their jobs and organisations. But fostering a growth mindset plays an important role in helping workers navigate turbulence as well as improve resilience as they feel more confident and capable of handling difficulties.

How can you improve your growth mindset? The first step towards encouraging a growth mindset is personal awareness: the ability to identify fixed-mindset thinking when it occurs, which often manifests as feelings of discomfort or inadequacy in the face of a challenge.

First, Elliott-Moskwa advises recognising and accepting such feelings – instead of beating yourself up about them. “Then, mindfully make another choice to take an action step in keeping with what you would be doing if you had a growth mindset – the belief that you could increase your abilities,” she says.

To help clients approach obstacles with a growth mindset, Venour often breaks down challenges that feel overwhelming into smaller pieces. For example, if a worker feels unable to give a presentation in front of colleagues, “how much of that is emotional and how much of that is factual?”, she asks. “Can they talk? Yes. Have they spoken in front of more than one person before? Yes. Have they done presentation slides before? Yes. So, if there are elements that they can do, [what] is the bit that they’re not comfortable with?”

Narrowing down an overwhelming challenge to a specific point of difficulty helps workers focus, and reduces the element of learning required to an achievable level.

Often, the learning itself requires asking for help. One of the key concepts of growth mindset is seeing others as inspiration rather than competition, an approach that can help foster collaborative teams. “If workers view others as resources and not as competitors, they’re open to sharing other people’s skills and abilities and learning from fellow employees,” says Elliott-Moskwa.

Over time, recognising fixed mindset and practicing a growth mindset can become easier, and the prospect of taking on challenges less daunting. “Growth mindset is an empowering attitude,” says Venour. “You can really develop and grow over time as a person.”

Sometimes you might feel like you’re not good enough or unique enough, but everyone is! Everyone has different personalities.

Do you think our geography somehow reflects our nature and culture as Filipinos?

 

Riza Plania

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Lives in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (2021–present)

Geography means,it is a study of places and the relationship between people and their environment.

And these are some of the pictures of the culture and nature of Filipinos👇

   

The beaches that are shared in the photos are just a few of the popular tourist destinations in the country and it is located in different places mentioned in the photo.

The pictures that I’ve shared with you are just a few of the Filipino culture and nature that remain a symbol and reflection of geography to its people and their environment.

Why understanding your inner emotions is important

Homer Panganiban shares how to control your feelings

By Dr. Kaycee Reyes

At A Glance

• Chronic, unprocessed stress shortens telomeres, the caps on our chromosomes that mark cellular age.     I have been thinking lately about a session I attended led by Homer Panganiban, founder of Lifesmith Inc. and its Emotional Literacy Program. Homer is a creative agency founder who, somewhere along the way, decided the most useful thing he could teach people was how to read what is actually happening underneath.

He defines emotional literacy simply: noticing what you’re feeling, understanding why it’s showing up, listening to what it needs. Not fixing. Not suppressing.

“When you don’t listen to your emotions,” he says, “they get louder. And they show up bigger, worse, uglier.”

His central practice is so small it almost sounds like nothing. Instead of “I am afraid,” try, “I am noticing fear.” Instead of “I am angry,” try “I am noticing anger.” Uy, ito’y nararamdaman ko. Pansinin lang (Hey, this is what I’m feeling. Take notice). That one word, noticing, is the entire shift. You are still present. You are still feeling. But you are no longer being swept away by it. What creates problems, Homer reminds us, isn’t the emotion itself. It is what we do automatically in reaction to it.

He calls the space this creates the gap. Between the signal and the response, there is always a small, almost invisible pause. Hunger is a signal. Eating is the response. But in between, there is a question we usually skip, do I eat now? Am I fasting? What does my body actually need? The same applies to every emotion. Fear is a signal. Anger is a signal. Guilt is a signal. Emotional literacy isn’t about removing the signal. It’s about finding the gap and choosing.

Homer Panganiban, Lifesmith Inc. founder (Photo: LinkedIn)

What I love about Homer’s framework is that he refuses to call any emotion bad. He maps 12 of them across seven stages, each with its own job. Fear is a protector, its invitation is to pause and assess. Anger is a boundary keeper, its invitation is clarity about what was crossed. Disgust is a values guardian, its invitation is honesty about what you will not compromise on. Sadness is the honorer, and here Homer says something that has stayed with me: you cannot grieve what didn’t matter. Sadness, in that sense, is also a measure of love.

Shame and guilt, he warns, are often confused but very different. Guilt says I did something wrong and points toward repair. Shame says something harder: I am wrong. Not what I did. Who I am. Knowing which one you are in changes everything about how you respond. Envy, the most uncomfortable of them all, becomes a compass, that quiet sting when someone has what you want, pointing not to them, but to something you haven’t yet given yourself permission to want.

Then comes ennui, the flatness that arrives when nothing is obviously wrong, but nothing is quite right either. We call it laziness. We fill it with busyness, with scrolling. Homer says it is something else. An intelligence, signaling that something in your life has outgrown its meaning. Curiosity and hope follow, future-oriented and quiet. You don’t need to know where curiosity lands, he says. You just need to follow it one step. And finally, joy and love. Not rewards. Not destinations. Ways of being that become available when the other emotions have been heard.

I will tell you, as a physician trained in preventive medicine, that none of this is soft. Research from UCLA has shown that simply labeling an emotion reduces activity in the amygdale, the brain’s alarm system, and engages the prefrontal cortex, where calmer choices live. Cardiologists have known for years that people who habitually suppress anger carry higher rates of cardiac events. Chronic, unprocessed stress shortens telomeres, the caps on our chromosomes that mark cellular age. The body keeps a quiet ledger of everything we refuse to feel.

This is where the Filipino in me hesitates. We come from a culture that has built its identity around endurance. Tiis (Endure). Laban lang (Keep fighting). Bahala na (Come what may). Resilience is real, and it has carried us through typhoons and dictatorships and a pandemic that tested every family I know. But anyone who works in medicine here will tell you it has a shadow side. Hiya (Shyness) keeps people from naming what hurts. Pakikisama (Getting along with others) makes us swallow what we would rather say. ”’Wag ka umiyak (Don’t cry)” gets passed from lola to anak (grandma to child) until a generation forgets it ever had permission. We are not weak. We are simply under-resourced in the vocabulary of feeling.

A column cannot replace therapy, and emotional literacy will not undo grief or trauma or clinical depression. If you are struggling, please talk to a professional. But Homer’s invitation is small enough that anyone can take it. The next time you feel that tightness in your chest before sleep, or the heaviness that has no name, try his question. What am I feeling right now? Not to fix it. Just to notice it. Place a hand over your heart. Breathe in for four, hold gently for two, exhale slowly for six. That long exhale calms the vagus nerve. Your body has known how to settle itself all along.

We spend so much on what we can see, the serums, the lasers, the supplements. I am, professionally, a fan of all of these. But the most preventive thing I can recommend, the one with no side effects and no waiting list, is this: become fluent in the language your emotions are already speaking.

Awareness, Homer says, is always available. Pause. Breathe. Ask gently. What am I feeling right now? That question, asked with kindness, is where everything begins.

Rabat named PDP-Laban city council president

 

By Ivy Tejano

RABAT and Duterte (FB)

Former Mati City Mayor Michelle Nakpil Rabat was sworn in as city council president of the Partido ng Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, strengthening the party’s presence in Davao Oriental ahead of the 2028 elections.

Rabat took her oath on Friday, May 22, before PDP-Laban President and Davao City Mayor Sebastian Duterte in a ceremony attended by local party leaders and supporters at Matina Enclaves in Davao City.

Following her induction, Rabat officially aligned herself with PDP-Laban and expressed support for the emerging political plans of Vice President Sara Duterte, including a possible presidential bid in 2028.

According to party officials, the event was part of ongoing efforts to consolidate PDP-backed leadership in Mindanao as political preparations for the next national elections begin to take shape.

Photos from the ceremony showed Rabat with Mayor Duterte and other party members performing the party gesture after her formal acceptance, marking her official entry into the group and showing unity with the party.

Analysts said Rabat’s entry into the PDP-Laban leadership could influence politics in Mati City and nearby areas, especially as discussions about the 2028 presidential race have grown among Duterte supporters.

Gel Cayuna, Jackie Acuña join Nxled Chameleons

 

Gel Cayuna, left, and Jackie Acuña. (PVL Images)

By Kristel Satumbaga-Villar

Published May 24, 2026 07:48 pm

At A Glance

The team made the announcement on social media on Saturday, May 23, welcoming the two players from Cignal, which took a leave of absence from the league.

The Nxled Chameleons have acquired Gel Cayuna and Jackie Acuña to bolster their roster for the upcoming Premier Volleyball League season.

The team made the announcement on social media on Saturday, May 23, welcoming the two players from Cignal, which took a leave of absence from the league.

“A decorated setter is about to GEL with the Chameleons. Welcome to #NxledNation, Gel Cayuna,” the post read.

“JAC ATTACK (AND BLOCK) IS HERE! Welcome to #NxledNation, Jacqueline Acuña!” it added.

Cayuna, a native of Zamboanga del Norte, has won the Best Setter award multiple times in the league, including in the recent All-Filipino Conference. She previously played for the Perlas Spikers in 2021 before joining Cignal in 2022.

Acuña, for her part, is a former league Best Middle Blocker.

The two are expected to join forces with an already loaded lineup that include Brooke Van Sickle, MJ Phillips, and Myla Pablo, among others.

Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow

 

By Klaus Döring

May 25, 2026

Updated May 24, 2026

Do you always count the days until the next legal holiday without being on duty? Or do you start as early as September longing for Christmas? And do you wish the weeks or months would pass quickly until the next possible salary increase?

Many times, we are really in too much of a hurry while feeling uncomfortable when we notice how time flies. We have no time for someone or something, or even for ourselves.

The quote, “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning,” was said by Albert Einstein. Albert Einstein was a German physicist and Nobel Prize winner who is widely regarded as one of the most influential scientists in history.

One reason we are so harried and hurried is that we make yesterday and tomorrow our business, when all that legitimately concerns us is today. If we really have too much to do, there are some items on the agenda that God did not put there. Let us submit the list to Him and ask Him to indicate which items we must delete. There is always time to do the will of God. If we are too busy to do that, we are too busy. I love the thoughts of author Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015).

When I was still a teenager, I longed for the time when I would already be a grown-up. Later, I enjoyed listening to my grandmother’s stories such as “Once Upon a Time” or “When I Was Young” from her “yesterday’s life.”

After a couple of years, especially while observing that time really flies like a rocket to the moon, I always have the same question in my mind: Are the present hours and days less valuable?

Learning from yesterday means correcting the mistakes you made yesterday and doing it again. Living for today means not making those mistakes today. Hoping for tomorrow means that if you learn from the past, your future will be bright.

Is life in the future easier, nicer, more charming and more fulfilling compared to the present? Many of us retreat into the past and forget our present existence. A possible topsy-turvy world of golden youth tries to let us forget that the past also had its share of disappointments, pains, tears, darkness and desperate days. Dreamy and sleepy days, yes, lost days, irretrievable time …

I am glad and happy to be able to live a wonderful life as an expatriate here in the Philippines since 1999, together with my family and some very good friends. It was not easy during the first years. Now, we stand on our own feet because we worked hard and adjusted very well.

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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com, follow me on Facebook or LinkedIn, or visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com.

Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit

 

By Manila Bulletin Newsroom

Published May 24, 2026 12:05 am | Updated May 23, 2026 04:10 pm

REFLECTIONS TODAY

First Reading • Acts 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, [the disciples] were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.”

Responsorial Psalm • Ps 104

“Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.” or “Alleluia.”

Second Reading • 1 Cor 12:3b-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters: No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.

Gospel • Jn 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

Source: “365 Days with the Lord 2026,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.

Which Philippine destinations are most worth visiting for long-term residents?

 

Ronna Lou

 · 

Following

Matchmaking Consultant (2016–present)1y

I guess it depends on your preferences.

For example, if you like the beach vibe, you can visit Siargao, Boracay, or Palawan.

El Nido, Palawan

Photo by Pixabay from Pexels

If you are into fresh mountain air and the smell of pine, Baguio or Banaue are good destinations.

Banaue Rice Terraces

Photo by John Renzo Aledia from Pexels

For a more modern feel, with a skyline that can compete with other beautiful cities around the world, Metro Manila and Cebu City should be on your list.

Downtown Cebu

Photo by Gil Aguirre from Pexels

But if you prefer an open wilderness and experience exotic wildlife with the amenities of a developing city, Bohol or Davao are your best options.

Chocolate Hills, Bohol

Photo by Jondave Libiran from Pexels

The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,000 islands, offers a wide variety of destinations that even locals will want to visit soon. Whether you go to the beach, explore a modern city, or hike up a mountain, you’ll get to experience firsthand the rich culture, history, and heritage that the country is founded on.