For the ‘City of Our Affections’
A few weeks ago, a certain fury was unleashed by Filipinos. The gates have been opened and out came a flurry of statements in defense of Manila. Dan Brown’s latest…
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Summer remnants
The heat still hovers around the metro. It makes itself known to everyone with its imposing presence. Some may find it a bit irritating as it becomes a source of…
Taking space
Humanity has been held in awe by the possibilities of space since we started looking up to the skies. The space race, led by the United States and the former…
A year for rice
Rice has long been a part of our gastronomic history. The early communities of Filipinos revered it. Elaborate rituals were practiced for a bountiful harvest, and the gods were honored…
Making it count
COME the May 13 elections, we should be in the process of recovering from the assaults that were inflicted upon our senses. These assaults include the jingles that haunt our…
The King’s Landing in Tayabas, Quezon
To dream of Quezon is to have a dream of coconut trees, their outlines swaying as they get bathed by the sunshine. There is something liquid and moist in that…
In praise of halo-halo
The summer heat sears across the metro and the archipelago, reports of the current day being recorded as the hottest of the year gets topped off by an even hotter…
A day for Poetry
Our modern lives have made a demand for the instantaneous. We surround ourselves with things that make our lives easier. There is a desire to be connected, to have access…
Balagtas is with us
Last April 2 was the 225th birth anniversary of Francisco “Balagtas” Baltazar. Activities were drawn up to drum up interest and pay tribute to the life of the great poet….
One for the Century of Angeles City
Angeles City moves with the frantic pace of a bustling metropolis. You can sense it with the whizzing jeepneys and cars, people crossing the streets, and the establishments ecstatic with…
Keeping it safe
Fire was an essential discovery that eventually helped man in taking control of his surroundings. If we trace the origins of fire, we might as well say that the first…
The youth as heroes of our heritage
The sense of sight, most of the time, reigns supreme in the order of the senses. It affirms the existence of the outside world. It confirms presence and assures that…
Building the house of memories
The EDSA People Power Revolution recently celebrated its 27th year last February 25. It has entered its rockstar age. But beyond the rockstar mythos, EDSA is tightrope-walking on a precarious…
Battle for the Bay
Manila, the city’s capital, explodes with the dynamism of a mega-city. She is home to our heritage and our past. Jeepneys, tricycles, and trains run through her street-veins. With the…
The heart of it
IT is that month again. A time when urges surge to an all-time high as they course through bodies that become conduits to a myriad of strokes and brandishes. Music,…
Travelogues: Boracay
The sunlight glistens as it touches the water and the eyes. You can feel that you are heading to a territory where the sun holds its dominion. It is a…
The past as present
After a smooth ride along the SCTEX and navigating the tortuous terrain of Bataan, an excitement builds up as you are welcomed by the security detail in guardia de civil…
Protecting the home court
IN the spate of news filled with violence and other unwanted events, a little bit of the good comes to us. The Philippines was recently awarded by FIBA, the official…
Boni’s 150
As we welcome the birth sesquicentennial of Andres Bonifacio, we will honor a man whose place in our shrine of heroes can come close to that of Jose Rizal (who…
Northern holidays
As the holidays progress, the cities seem to be more and more crowded and nauseating to those who are not used to this much mass of humanity. It can be…
Just the start
As of this writing, the world didn’t come to an end as doomsday predictors had it on December 21. There were no catastrophic solar flares or population-eating earthquakes. We were…
It’s that time again
It is coming again, a feeling familiar to us all. Walking around the metro, the lights and sounds are in full blast. There is a chill that mixes with the…
And so it goes
The country is in a state of shock. Thousands are still reeling from a typhoon that ravaged the provinces of Visayas and Mindanao claiming a great number of lives while…
Home at last
Thousands of Filipinos will venture out into the Rizal Memorial Stadium this Saturday. The crowds will come in full regalia, their faces painted blue with all the adornments. Personalities will…
The Hawaiian Punch’s kick is still there
With the days leading up to Pacquiao-Marquez IV ( and hopefully this will resoundingly end) the boxing world saw another classy fight courtesy of Filipino-American and World Boxing Organization flyweight…
Meeting the Higantes
IT is a clear day in Angono. The streets are filled with bystanders—residents and non-residents alike—who are eagerly waiting for the presence of something big. Looking above, the view of…
Hooked on reading
WE are slowly moving away from the page at this day and age. The book, as we know it, is undergoing a digital transfer. The smell of paper and the…
Our native soil
Memories were spread across the archipelago in a time before we were made to submit before a colonial power. These memories make up our native history—one filled with gods, our…
Travelogues: Sagada Part II
There is a presence, grand and mystic, that lurks in caves. History harkens the images of men seeking shelter in caves as they made the first paintings of the beasts…
A United Heritage
October marks a month’s worth of observing Filipino-American history in the United States. With a population of a million and growing, this is an appropriate action in understanding our deep…
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