Amiel Roldan blog

Pay Now, Buy Later: Reversing Credit Temporalities in the Artistic Economy of Amiel Roldan  Abstract This essay explores the transactional inversion of the dominant Western credit paradigm—“buy now, pay later”—by proposing a counter-model: “pay now, buy later.” Drawing from comparative credit cultures, particularly the Chinese preference for upfront payment before consumption, this study reimagines the temporal and ethical dimensions of artistic exchange. Through the lens of Amiel Gerald A. Roldan’s multidisciplinary practice, the essay theorizes how this model can operationalize future-oriented patronage, trauma-informed archiving, and postcolonial resistance within the economies of painting, writing, and curatorial labor.  ---  I. Introduction: Temporal Ethics of Credit and Creation Western economies have long normalized deferred payment systems, where consumption precedes compensation. This “buy now, pay later” ethos reflects a speculative trust in future solvency, oft...

From Debt to Durability: Integrating Magalong's Role in Philippine Governance Reform  by Amiel Roldan September 14, 2025 The Philippines faces an acute governance crisis: a ₱15.589 trillion national debt, a projected ₱1.712 trillion budget deficit in 2025, and rampant ghost flood-control schemes siphoning up to 20 percent of public funds. Recent events—from high-level graft charges to the creation of specialized investigation bodies—underscore both the depth of structural rot and the momentum for reform. This essay weaves in the latest presidential actions, notably the launch of Executive Order No. 94 and the designation of Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong as special adviser, aligning policy proposals with on-the-ground shifts to chart a path toward accountable, resilient governance.  1. Fiscal Fragility Meets Sovereign Risk  Despite efforts to manage borrowing, the government's debt load hit a record ₱17.56 trillion in July 2025, surpassing targets and amplifying conc...

 A set of 20 extreme haiku poems, each inspired by the translated fragments. These haiku explore themes of rebirth, identity, familial rupture, cosmic solitude, and radical agency—filtered through speculative, posthuman, and mythic lenses.  ---  I. Year of the Dead That was the year marked—   birthday of the one now gone,   Time turns to ashes.  ---  II. Rebirth Optional Born again, you choose   your own age from memory—   Time bends to desire.  ---  III. Still Alive, Still Bound Must be used for living   the same rites as those who passed?   Rules blur in the twilight.  ---  IV. No Kin, No Claim No child, no grandchild—   no family to tether you,   freedom in rupture.  ---  V. Young and Unclaimed A young man, alone,   age sculpted by will alone—   no past to inherit.  ---  VI. Desire vs. Duty Desire for kinship—  ...

Below is an academic investigation essay that cross-references the names of Congressmen who voted to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte with those implicated in the Flood Control ghost project investigation. The essay includes contextual framing, methodological rigor, and a calculated error percentage based on available data.  ---  Ghost Projects and Political Accountability: A Cross-Referential Analysis of Congressional Participation in the Impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte and the Flood Control Corruption Probe  Abstract   This essay investigates the intersection of legislative accountability and corruption by cross-referencing two significant political events in the Philippines: the 2025 impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte and the concurrent investigation into ghost flood control projects. By comparing the list of 215 House members who endorsed Duterte's impeachment with those implicated or scrutinized in the flood control probe, this study a...