Vigan is one of the places in the Philippines that appeared in early Chinese maps and records. Vigan’s name appearS there as bi-an (美岸 beautiful shore), bit-an (密岸 dense or many shores), bit yan (密燕 dense or many swallows), bit ngan (密雁 dense or many geese). The choice of Chinese names explains well how the […]
Municipal and provincial authorities vigorously promote Vigan, the major tourist hub in the province of Ilocos Sur. After all, its capital City of Vigan was included in the UNESCO Heritage list on Dec. 2, 1999. Vigan’s main tourist target is the people from Luzon. Air transportation to reach Vigan either from further north or from […]
Hong Kong has long been a favorite travel destination for many Filipinos. In 2016 alone, 791,171 Filipino tourists visited Hong Kong for shopping bargains, gourmet treats and Disneyland. The city is also a popular destination for overseas Filipino workers. They comprise Hong Kong’s largest migrant worker community with a population of 184,081. So it makes sense […]
W e have long forgiven Japan for the tragedy it caused us – our country and our people – during World War II. But it does not mean we should just forget the atrocities and crimes visited upon us during the Japanese Occupation. This was my position in the letter I sent to the Department […]
I first heard about comfort women in a conference on Asian Relations in Korea. They had invited a comfort woman to talk about her experience during the Japanese Occupation. I felt the tension as the translator attempted to censor the woman’s anti-Japanese sentiments because there were Japanese delegates present but we were all moved by […]
The controversy raised by the Comfort Woman Statue at Roxas Blvd., Manila sparked an even more explosive reaction by supporters of comfort women. These included women’s organizations like Lila Filipina and Gabriela, descendants of Filipino and Chinese-Filipino war veterans, Chinese and Tsinoy organizations. “Why do we question the presence of a statue that pays tribute […]
Since 1992, Korean comfort women groups and their supporters had been staging protests at the Japanese Embassy every Wednesday, earning the Guinness Book of World Records title for the longest sustained protest on a single issue. In 2016, Korea, and in 2017, San Francisco, put up statues of comfort women, both of which sparked controversies, […]
Of all the many parish ministries I held at the Sacred Heart Parish in Cebu, the one closest to my heart is the college student assistance program, or “Scholarship Program” for the impoverished youth. Over the past 10 years, the program has enabled about 50 young people, children of farmers, fishermen, janitors and security guards, […]
Ed’s Note: The booklet is too lengthy to reproduce in full. We deleted some parts that overlapped with the main story. One old photograph, two persons’ names. In the photograph are a boy and four girls. The boy’s name is Eng Kim San (黃金山); the four girls are his younger sisters whose names we did […]
The UBER driver was about to arrive when, suddenly, signs of rain hovered as fierce winds whipped tan ancient acacia tree under which I took shelter. The wind scattered hundreds of leaves – a wonderful sight as the confetti flew towards the deserted street that stretched in front of me towards the paifang (牌坊 memorial […]