“When I make a film, it's like a mosaic glass window. It's not planned, it's not distilled like those Hollywood scripts are.”

In Part 2 of his conversation with Howie Severino, National Artist for Film Kidlat Tahimik reflects on his extraordinary transformation from Wharton-educated economist to pioneer of independent Philippine cinema.

Following a decision to leave his office life in Paris, Kidlat’s unconventional path led him to work as a jeepney-driving vendor at the 1972 Munich Olympics, live in an artist commune, and get discovered by famed German director Werner Herzog. This chance encounter sparked the creation of his masterpiece, Mababangong Bangungot (Perfumed Nightmare).

Throughout his iconoclastic career, Kidlat has proudly worn the traditional bahag (loincloth), even at formal ceremonies. In this episode, he shares the philosophy behind this act, presenting an oral retrospective of an artist who continues to rewrite the rules of filmmaking.

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When acclaimed filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik recently returned his National Artist medallion, it was a rare and striking act of protest. He was lamenting the Commission on Higher Education's (CHED) proposed policy to cut college general education requirements from 36 units to 18–21, which critics fear could weaken the humanities, history, ethics, and arts. CHED said the plan aims to streamline these fields rather than remove them and that the proposal remains under review.

In a recent conversation, journalist Howie Severino sat down with the artist in his home garden to discuss this unprecedented move. Their discussion turned to Tahimik's own eclectic education.

Long before his pivot to art and his self-described identity as a "culture warrior," his path was remarkably diverse:

The Accidental Leader: How he "accidentally" became the UP Student Council Chairperson while majoring in speech and drama.

The Corporate Ivy: How he went on to earn an MBA from Wharton, one of the world’s leading business schools.

The Global Economist: How he cut his teeth working as an economist in Paris, where he also engaged with its vibrant arts scene.

Looking back, the filmmaker explains how this unconventional journey provided him with both a practical understanding of the globalized world and the critical, creative tools needed to challenge it.

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For more information on CHED’s proposal: CHED delays reduction of college GE units

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"The truth-telling makes the impeachment process worth it.”

UP Law School Associate Dean Paolo Tamase explains to Howie Severino the various ways an impeachment trial is different from a regular courtroom trial.

He warns against "over-judicialization," or getting bogged down in legal procedures, when an impeachment trial is more of a political process meant to ferret out the truth in service of accountability.

Their conversation revisits previous impeachment cases, including the infamous "second envelope" vote that triggered EDSA 2 during the Joseph Estrada trial and the historic conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Now that a Vice President is on trial, Atty. Tamase raises intriguing questions, such as in the event of her resignation in the middle of the proceedings, should the trial continue?

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