Jose Rizal, our national hero, lived in the 19th century. A man for all seasons, he traveled far and wide, and while in Europe, wrote his greatest novels which exposed the ills of Philippine society and Spanish colonialism. The novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo live in the annals of Philippine history for all […]
The Department of Education first proposed the no-homework policy in 2011. I wrote about it then, and I’m writing about it again now. This time though, I’m seeing this bill from Senator Grace Poe as a symptom of how our country’s officials view teachers and education. In an ideal world, teachers are autonomous. They are […]
In this issue, allow me to reprint a lengthy excerpt from a speech delivered by known Chinese community leader Alfonso Zarata Sy Cip in Cebu in 1916. The speech, which opposed the extension of America’s Chinese Exclusion Act in the Philippines, is rare for a leading light of the Chinese community at the time, beside […]
People seldom pay attention to demography, even less appreciate its importance and social implication. From a newly acquired rare book, Our Island Empire by Charles Morris (1899), we came to know that in 1855, “among 525 Chinamen in the fortress of Manila (apparently, Intramuros—Ed), there were only two women and the 5,055 Chinamen in Binondo […]
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 […]
Historically, China has always been an important job destination for Filipinos. During the 1920s to the 1940s, Filipino jazz musicians were in demand in cities like Shanghai and Hong Kong. But in 1949, job opportunities for Filipinos dried up in China, leaving pockets of opportunity in Hong Kong and Macau. But the job situation could […]
Li Jing Rang (李景讓) was appointed by Tang Dynasty Emperor Wu Zhong (唐武宗) as supervisor of western Zhejiang (浙江) in September 846. But his fame was due in great part to his mother, Madame Zheng 鄭氏 (in ancient China, the wife is mentioned and recorded by her surname only), a person of good strong character. […]
There are “shadows forcing Lolas into silence.” Lola, the statue representing Filipino comfort women and other victims of sexual violence by Japanese invasion and occupation troops during World War II, has gone missing. The Lola Filipino Comfort Woman statue was to have been unveiled at its new home, in the garden sanctuary inside the Redemptorist […]
The recent ruckus over the aborted release from prison of former mayor Antonio Sanchez of Calauan, Laguna, flushed out a lot of hitherto buried issues. The public outrage over the order to release Sanchez, a rape and murder convict, brought forth the issue of nontransparency and secrecy in implementing Republic Act No. 10592 or the […]
A few months ago, we talked about spices that heal. Now let’s move on to discuss healing vegetables. Ampalaya. Research has shown that ampalaya leaves are effective diabetes cures. Wash the leaves well and chop into small pieces. Take about six spoonfuls of the chopped leaves and boil in two glasses of water for 15 […]