Halfway into his reign, Ming Emperor Wan Li (萬曆 1573-1620) deployed a lot of eunuchs across the country to serve as mine supervisors and tax collectors. Invoking revenue generation, the eunuchs wantonly extorted large sums of money from the people. This further oppressed the masses, especially those living in dire poverty and had no livelihood. […]
On March 12, with bated breath, people waited for an expected announcement of a lockdown for Metro Manila. It came shortly after dinnertime, leaving more questions and anxieties than assurances. Since Jan. 30, when news of the first confirmed COVID-19 patient in the Philippines broke, Filipinos have been waiting for President Duterte to take matters […]
China’s reformists and revolutionists had paid great attention and importance to the Philippine war for independence. This is attested by the fact that a book written by renowned propagandist Mariano Ponce is probably the first book by a Filipino translated into Chinese and published in China – not once, but twice. The first edition came […]
The COVID-19 scare seems to be dying down. We pray that the virus is on its way to permanent hibernation, and South Korea will overcome the contagion spread by church people. Taal Volcano has quieted down. Evacuees have returned home, except for those who live on Volcano Island. The question now is whether the government […]
It has been a hectic two weeks as Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran continues relief operations for victims of Taal Volcano’s eruption and unexpectedly found itself helping in the fight against the spread of COVID-19, the name for the virus previously referred to as 2019-nCoV. Amidst difficulties and challenges, it is heartwarming that Kaisa continues to […]
During the reign of Ming Emperor Long Qing (1567-1573), a mayor of Guang Nan (廣南) in Yunnan province, Liu Rong (劉容), was known for staying away from women. His friends, who suspected his behavior toward women was merely a pretense, thought of a way to test him. They arranged for the presence of a young […]
The book Himlayan, Pantiyon, Kampo Santo, Sementeryo: Exploring Philippine Cemeteries, edited by Grace Barretto-Tesoro (University of the Philippines Press, 2017), includes a chapter on the “History of the Manila Chinese Cemetery” written by Donna Mae N. Arriola and Eleanor Marie S. Lim. Arriola and Lim’s comprehensive research is part of the “Exploring Philippine Cemeteries: Alive […]
The past six months have not been auspicious for the Philippines. In 2019, Mindanao, especially Regions XI and XII, suffered earthquakes one after another (July 19, Oct. 16, 29, 31 and Dec. 15). Many have not yet recovered from the devastation. This disaster was closely followed by two typhoons: Typhoon Tisoy on Dec. 2 and […]
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 […]
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 […]