UNFOLDING LIKE A BLOWBALL

by Roger B. Rueda, PhD Last Tuesday (February 11) was a day of profound loss, not just for the culinary world but for the soul of our nation. We have not merely lost a chef—we have lost a trailblazer, a woman who kneaded, simmered, and plated the very essence of Filipino gastronomy. Chef Margarita Forés has taken her final bow, but her legacy, like the scent of adobo wafting through a childhood kitchen, will remain etched in our national memory—rich, enduring, and impossible to ignore. For those who merely eat for sustenance, let me educate you. Chef Margarita was not just about food; she was about heritage. She was about crafting a Filipino identity so potent that even foreigners had to sit up, take notice, and ask for seconds. She put Philippine cuisine on the global map, not with the meekness of a desperate applicant, but with the boldness of a nation demanding its rightful place at the world's banquet. Some people think cooking is just about stirring a pot. Wrong. Chef Ma...

 by Roger B. Rueda, PhD Rice is not just a grain in the Philippines—it is an emotion. It is at the heart of our daily survival and, naturally, at the center of our political incompetence. The Department of Agriculture (DA) says that the “happy balance” for rice prices is ₱42 per kilo. This is their way of saying, “Be grateful, peasant. It could be worse.” Meanwhile, farmer groups argue that this price does not ensure affordability for consumers nor fairness for those who toil in the fields. But of course, fairness is never the strong suit of our political decision-makers. For context, the farmgate price of palay—the raw, unprocessed form of rice—has fallen dramatically. Some farmers are forced to sell their produce for as low as ₱14 per kilo, making it almost impossible for them to recover production costs, let alone make a decent living. Meanwhile, the government tells us that our rice prices are cheaper than Thailand’s and China’s, as if that should make us feel any better wh...

  by Roger B. Rueda, PhD It takes a special kind of arrogance to believe that a wall can stop the tide of history. But alas, the former poster child of hubris, Donald Trump, is once again prattling on about his great American fortress—one that is less about security and more about insecurity. Enter Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, a woman whose intellect is as sharp as her wit, and whose recent address to Trump could easily double as a masterclass in geopolitical reality checks. Sheinbaum, in her unflinching delivery, reminds the “America First” crowd of one fundamental truth: the world does not revolve around the United States. In fact, the rest of the world—those 7 billion “consumers” (a term the free-market-loving Americans should understand)—can and will move on without them. The illusion of American indispensability, she argues, is just that: an illusion. Let’s break it down. The Free Market Cuts Both Ways Americans love their capitalism—until it turns against th...

by Roger B. Rueda, PhD By now, you have probably heard that Canada and the Philippines are on the verge of signing a military pact allowing troops to be stationed on each other’s soil. Now, before we all throw a fiesta or light up the outrage machine, let’s pause and ask: Is this a move of strategic genius, or are we just playing the same old game of letting foreign troops waltz in and out of our country like they own the place? Let’s examine this with the clarity of mind and sharpness of logic that God—when He was not busy creating the universe—bestowed upon us Filipinos. A Necessary Alliance? The good ambassador of Canada, David Hartman, says this agreement will deepen cooperation and strengthen military training. In plain English, they want in on the action. And who can blame them? The South China Sea—oh wait, I mean the West Philippine Sea—is the current geopolitical arena where big players flex their muscles. The United States is already here. Japan is in. France and New Zea...