First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino DigestSeptember 6-19, 2016, vol. 29, no. 7 What does Francisco Balagtas, the “Prince of Tagalog Poets,” have got to do with Binondo?Balagtas was a significant part of Binondo’s cultural history, according to a book by Fred Sevilla.Most historians refer to Binondo as the economic center of the Philippines during […]
First published in Tulay Fortnightly, Chinese-Filipino Digestvol. 29 | no. 14 | December 20, 2016-January 16, 2017 In 1221, the army of the Northern Jin (金) Dynasty (1115-1234) moved southward to attack Qi Zhou (蘄州) of the Song Dynasty. At the time, the term of Li Cheng Zhi (李誠之) as governor of Qi Zhou prefecture […]
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 […]