What does “giving” mean? I asked myself. The mental image of two hands comes to mind, with one hand reaching out to another. The difference between the two is that the first hand can be seen full while the second is empty. Surely, we can quickly relate to the hand that best describes us. I […]
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. Idioms, expressions Hokkien pronunciation […]
Since 1988, Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran has been giving medicine to indigent patients of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) through the Alay Medisina project. Through the tears, the project has witnessed the participation of many volunteers. Currently, Alay Medisina is run by three regular volunteers. It provides medicine to patients every second to fourth Tuesdays […]
We ended 2019 with a few perennial concerns with the girls, and yet thankful for a relatively good year. We greet the new year with cautious optimism: cautious because things do not seem to be looking good for this country. Optimism because I’m finally putting my head in gear and applying to do my doctorate. […]
In 1492, during the Ming Dynasty, Wang Ji (王繼) became the deputy minister of war in Nanjing. At the time, the Ministry of War did not have its own building but only occupied a borrowed private house as temporary headquarters. After Wang Ji assumed office, he used his own salary to purchase a private house […]
A whirlwind of events, disasters, political controversies, drug war issues, deaths of prominent personalities, and earth-shattering news swept the country. 2019 SEA Games. The country successfully hosted the 30th Southeast Asian Games despite last-minute issues and glitches at the start of its preparations. The Philippines also won the most medals – 140 golds, 117 silvers […]
It is an inauspicious start for the Year of the Rat. Taal volcano, the world’s smallest but one of the Philippines’ most active, has been spewing forth its fury since Jan. 12, and as of Tulay deadline, there is no end in sight. More than 100,000 evacuees are crowded in evacuation centers. The sight of […]
The Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) rescued two Chinese nationals in an operation in southern Metro Manila. It took a video as evidence, a naked Chinese man with a sleeping mask, apparently used to blindfold him, pulled up to his forehead, standing on bare feet while handcuffed to a bunk bed. The man, who […]
Last September, my friend Lorelei B. Aquino and I traveled by plane and bus from Manila to Calbayog City, Samar. We handed over teachers’ kits to 250 public school teachers working in upland and coastland areas. Team Pilipinas, a nongovernment organization, provided the goods; we were a bridge between their donors and our recipients. Our […]
Few in Manila think of public school teachers in Calbayog, Samar. Few in Manila think of Calbayog, Samar. Period. Yet, these teachers face daunting challenges, as they teach children in remote local communities. Some of them travel as much as 11 hours across rivers, mountains and rice fields to get to their students. They only […]