Some time ago, I was fortunate to interview two outstanding doctors in our program, Dr. Venancio Gloria, past president of the Philippine College of Physicians, and Dr. Ramon Estrada, past president of the Philippine Society of Colon and Rectal Surgery. We discussed stomach problems and answered dozens of phone-in questions. Here are some of the […]
Brittany’s strong identity with its regional language, Breton, along with its traditions have made the region a top tourist destination for Europeans and, increasingly, for Asians. Besides recreational boating and swimming at sea, one of the tourist attractions is the many summer pilgrimages. More significantly, economic opportunities have been increasingly aimed at Asia, and […]
“Buwan at Baril sa Eb Major” by Chris Millado was bravely staged in 1985 (the year before the EDSA People Power Revolution) by the Philippine Educational Theater Association at the Rajah Sulayman Theater, Fort Santiago in Intramuros, then under the direction of Apo Chua. This year, SUGID Productions Inc. chose this play as its maiden […]
Tourism is a trillion-dollar – and still growing – global industry. United Nations World Tourism Organization records show that in 2015 alone, there was a 4.4 percent increase in international tourist arrivals, reaching 1.18 billion travelers. Because of this global boom in travel, tourism has emerged as the fifth most important industry in the Philippines. […]
From research culled from various websites and other sources, we find that Philippine tourism has, indeed, been on an uptrend over the past years. The Philippines climbed 20 notches to 74th place in the 2015 World Economic Forum Tourism Competitiveness report. This rise in ranking reflects the country’s growing ability to attract and look after […]
Hokkien, on the tongues of Tsinoys, has grown and evolved, taking on a life of its own. Sometimes words simply fail us. With some creativity, Tsinoys have strung together words to form colorful phrases that simply hit the bull’s eye. Here are some expressions unique to Hokkien as favored by Tsinoys. 查某仔 tsa bo ah […]
Mexico City’s Chinatown, Barrio Chino, has the distinction of being the world’s smallest Chinatown: it occupies only two blocks on Dolores Street that teems with thriving Chinese restaurants and shops. Close by is a small park with the traditional arch and stone lions. Jan. 26 to 28 saw in this tiny Chinatown a huge throng […]
讀萬卷書不如行萬里路 is a Chinese proverb that means traveling 10,000 miles is better than reading 10,000 scrolls. I’ve perhaps read thousands of pages about China, so I was extremely delighted when I finally got to do the journey of 10,000 miles last summer. I started at Beijing, China’s capital. At the heart of the city is […]
Eugenio Menegon’s book, Ancestors, Virgins and Friars: Christianity as a local religion in late Imperial China (Harvard University Asia Center, 2009), is a history of a 400-year-old community in Fu’an county (福安市) in Fujian province, China. What makes the book really interesting and significant are historical materials and information about the Chinese in the Philippines […]
Things always happen for a reason. In the wake of the devastation wrought by the 6.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Surigao on Feb. 10, seismologists reminded the public that Metro Manila is in for the “Big One” soon. The West Valley Fault caused a major earthquake way back 1658 or 357 years ago. Since that particular […]