Iris C. Gonzales

Manila

Reporter and Columnist at The Philippine Star

reporter and columnist, @philippineStar EyesWideOpen (T-Th-Sun) Iskolar Ng Bayan/Konrad Adenauer Fellow/UPAA Awardee/USFPA '24/Iceland Writers Alum

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Articles

What’s happening to Alyansa?

5 days ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

That was a welcome pause – Maundy Thursday and Good Friday – from the dizzying political circus, which has become as scorching as the sweltering summer heat. But today, Easter Sunday, marks not just new beginnings but the candidates’ return to the campaign trail. The election season is now on its final leg with only 20 days left until May 12, 2025. Where are we so far? Before the Holy Week break, I was struck by stories surrounding President Marcos’ Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas.
‘Strange Fruit’

1 week ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

There’s no lack of rituals in this nation of 120 million as Filipinos observe Holy Week. I’ve seen quite a few of these yearly traditions as I usually go around Metro Manila and beyond during this time – when even newsrooms shut down. There are the men – young and old – who choose to have themselves nailed to the cross, bloodied and in pain.
Red light, green light

1 week ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

The Trump administration announced yet another surprising trade policy pivot, this time a sweeping tariff exemption on key tech imports. These are the goods that, in this day and age, make the world go round – smartphones, iPhones, laptops, semiconductors, data servers and other electronics. It was another headline-grabbing announcement, which came on the heels of the surprising 90-day reprieve on Trump tariffs.
Revisiting the Masungi Georeserve

1 week ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

MANILA, Philippines — It was a fitting time to revisit the Masungi Georeserve, nestled perfectly in the Sierra Madre mountain range in Baras, Rizal, especially with the recent issues surrounding it. I did it with family and friends on April 9, Araw ng Kagitingan, as a way to show our support for the Masungi Georeserve Foundation led by sisters Ann and Billie Dumaliang.
From Clark to Suzuka

1 week ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

Engines roaring to life. The smell of burning tires wafting through the air. Cars hurtling at dizzying speeds. Fans jumping and thumping in wild surrender. And then – the deafening sound of it all. I had the chance to cover two motorsports events over the past several weeks and both were filled with adrenaline, action and suspended bliss, not to mention a mammoth crowd of enthusiasts and fans alike.
Kidnappings, scams, gambling

2 weeks ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

First, it was a Chinese teenager who was kidnapped and whose finger was chopped off; the family driver was found dead, murdered in cold blood the day after the student went missing; police eventually found the victim on an abandoned road in Parañaque but failed to arrest the kidnappers.
Tough love

2 weeks ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

US President Donald Trump’s tariffs or what he calls “tough love,” which he announced from the Rose Garden, are already creating waves of panic. Stock markets have tumbled and in the US, widespread protests have erupted. Over 50 countries want to start trade talks with the US over Trump’s tariffs, US officials say. It’s quite surprising that we were slapped a 17 percent rate instead of the lower 10 percent tariff, given the Marcos administration’s supposedly friendly ties with the US.
‘A light has gone out in Mindanao’

2 weeks ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

I’ve read her work long before I even met her, in awe of the stories she told from faraway Zamboanga and Tawi-Tawi – tales of love and war, life and death, conflict and peace and, in between, the daily lives of the people of Mindanao. I was even more impressed when I met the courageous woman behind the name many years ago during an event organized by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines in Iligan City, if I remember correctly.
Tatay Digong

3 weeks ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

Someday in the future – if it hasn’t happened yet – psychologists and sociologists may try to dissect and understand the Philippines’ singular Rodrigo Duterte, just as universities have started offering subjects on extremely popular icons and world figures. Here, after all, is a political thespian who took the Philippines by storm, unapologetic about his unorthodox style of leadership, expletive-laden rhetoric and misogynist jokes.
Shameless scammers

3 weeks ago | philstar.com | Iris C. Gonzales

The conviction of Charlie Javice, described by The Guardian as the charismatic founder of a startup company that claimed to be revolutionizing the way college students apply for financial aid, should be a cautionary tale for Philippine startups and scammers in general who try to defraud the public of their hard-earned money.