The founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1363-1644), Zhu Yuan Zhang (朱元璋), followed the tradition of previous dynasties to set up the deng wen drum (登聞鼓) at the capital. The drum was for common people, government officials and employees to beat when they needed to bring to the imperial court’s attention grievances that had not […]
China has intensified its crackdown against online gambling in the past months. Reported extensively only in Chinese media, China conducted several big raids and arrests of gambling operators with ties to the Philippines. Apparently, after illegal online gambling operators in the Philippines were arrested, the reports say, the Chinese government was able to gather data and […]
A president is elected to office with a mandate. He is handed stewardship of the nation’s welfare. People place in him their collective trust that he will do right by them. Yet, the specter of dictatorial rule hovers over the country ever more so. This makes even more poignant the memories of Sept. 21, 1972, […]
The Chinatown in Manila is said to be the first Chinatown in the world. But it’s apparently not the present Chinatown that is synonymous to the famous Ongpin Street. The street, formerly Calle Sacristia, only got its name in 1915 in honor of Roman Ongpin, the famous Chinese-Filipino financier of the Philippine revolution. To be […]
Liu Ting Shi (劉庭式) passed the imperial examination jinshi (進士) during the reign of Song Ren Zong (宋仁宗, 1022-1063) and joined the state bureaucracy. Before all this, he had agreed to marry a lady of his hometown. Unlike most other couples at the time, though, they did not get formally engaged. However, when Liu obtained his […]
Aug. 21, 2018. We have just marked the 35th year since Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. was assassinated. It is heartwarming to see Filipinos remember the event and how it changed the country. However, it also saddens me to watch the people-on-the-street interviews on television in which they were asked what they remember or know about […]
In Manila Chinatown, two streets are named after 16th century Spanish priests: Salazar Street after Domingo de Salazar and Benavides Street after Miguel de Benavides. Benavides Street is perpendicular to Salazar Street, which in turn is perpendicular to Ongpin Street. The two streets were named after Salazar and Benavides who were pioneers in the Christianization […]
I tried to reread my Tom Clancy collection while trying to get through a dismal week. The rains and floods had not yet subsided as I was writing this, and I was battling a viral infection I couldn’t seem to shake off. There was a piece of good news, however. A Nueva Ecija court decided […]
Sometime in August 1517, Ming Emperor Wu Zong (武宗) wanted to go out of Ju Yong Guan (居庸關), a strategic pass of the Great Wall, to inspect Xuan Fu (宣府). Upon learning of this, Zhang Qin (張欽), the minister in charge of the gates of the passes, wrote the emperor a letter to plead with […]
The past few weeks have been eventful, with the usual ups and downs in our national life. President Rodrigo Duterte’s third State of the Nation Address on July 23 was overshadowed by the “coup” at the House of Representatives. Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez was ousted as Speaker and replaced by Rep. Gloria M. Arroyo. The maneuver […]