Zhou Mei, the Chinese woman kidnapped by four of her compatriots in Makati City on Dec. 9, returned home on Dec. 15. Her live-in partner, Chen Tanbing, told Makati police in a text message of her return and that Zhou, 28, will not press charges against her abductors. Police will complete documentation based on evidence […]
The earth shook violently. The wind howled, blowing away anything in its path. Rain inundated the land, washing away what had withstood the wind. Calamities wrought by earthquakes and storms continue to hit the Philippines mercilessly. Mindanao residents have not yet recovered from the devastation arising from the series of earthquakes (averaging 6.5 in magnitude) […]
Balut is a popular delicacy among Filipinos. The late food critique, renowned Doreen Fernandez, considers balut as the Philippines’ national street food. But what are the origins of this delicious and nutritious street food in the Philippines? Margaret Magat, who did extensive research on balut for her master’s thesis, wrote: “Balut was introduced to the […]
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 […]
When we planned to have children, my husband, Orvin, wanted just one. I negotiated for two. We come from very different households. I was an only child for almost nine years and looked forward to weekends at Guama’s (maternal grandmother) house because my cousins would be there. There were fights, but I don’t remember any […]
In 1887, Jose Rizal described his fellow ilustrados as “young creole men of Spanish descent, Chinese mestizos and Malayans.” Despite the racial differences, Rizal stressed, “we all call ourselves Filipino.” This reveals something important about being Filipino: it is a decision to be one. To be Filipino is not about belonging to a “Filipino race.” […]
Although the symbolism of the Advent wreath and Advent candles is more clearly seen in Europe and Northern America, they can also be meaningful to us. In northern countries, plants and trees shed their leaves as winter approaches. It is the season of the Advent and Christmas, when nature looks bare and lifeless except for […]
After almost two months in Abu Sayyaf captivity, British Allan Arthur Hyrons and his Filipino wife were rescued on Nov. 25 during a clash between the bandits and soldiers in Parang town, Sulu province. Hyrons and his wife, Wilma, escaped and ran toward the government forces while their captors were under heavy fire during the […]
Sun Yat-sen, after resigning as provisional president of the Republic of China, went to various parts of China in April 1912 in his capacity as national railway supervisor to propagate the importance of building railroads. One day, passing by Jiu Jiang (九江) of Jiangxi province, Sun Yat-sen saw a lot of advertising boards of foreign […]
After the devastation wrought by earthquakes in Mindanao in October and November came the equally destructive typhoon “Tisoy” (Kammuri) that slammed the Bicol and Visayas regions. We were lucky to have left Calbayog, Samar the night before Tisoy made landfall. It was windy and raining intermittently the whole day we were there. Our Calbayog contacts […]