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History

Unearthing our history

Long before Magellan accidentally landed in Cebu instead of the Moluccas in search of spices in 1521, the Chinese were already trading with the Philippines with their ceramics, silk and beads for our pearls, yellow wax, tortoise shells and hemp fabric. Although we do not have written historical documentation as far back as the Chinese […]

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History

Art Valdez: Dreamer, adventurer, explorer

Not too many know Arturo “Art” Valdez, but they should. He organized the first all-Filipino team that climbed Mount Everest and then sailed around the Philippines and Southeast Asia in a reconstructed ancient balangay. He’s planning to take the same balangays to China on a voyage similar to that undertaken by Sultan Paduka Batara 600 […]

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History

Qing archives yield treasures on Philippine history

A cholera outbreak. A deadly volcanic eruption. Gifts of jade and pearls. Purchase of carabaos. There is much one can learn about events in the Philippines from studying China’s historical archives. That should not surprise anyone. After all, the two countries are neighbors. What happens to one can impact the other. Take travel advisories, for instance. […]

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History

What is Aurora?

The Aurora phenomenon, when seen in the Arctic or Northern Hemisphere, is known as the Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis, and those seen in the Antarctic or Southern Hemisphere are called the Southern Lights or Aurora Australis. Auroras are colorful displays of lights resulting from collisions between the gaseous particles in the Earth’s atmosphere with […]

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History

Chasing the Northern Lights

I have always been fascinated by what lies above us in the heavenly skies. In my teens, I would browse through pictures on different encyclopedia and books featuring our galaxies and the different constellations. Although the heavenly bodies above seem stationary, we know that the earth is constantly moving. All we can see are the […]

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History

Balangay Voyages

Seven years ago, 40 Filipino adventurers led by Art Valdez sailed around the Philippines and Southeast Asia aboard three replicas of our ancient balangay boats. The team left the southern corridor of Tawi-Tawi in September 2009, crossed to Malaysia, traversed through Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, up to the territorial waters of Vietnam. The journey […]

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History

Filipinas we don’t know…

In preparing this issue of Tulay, our research team found this interesting website aptly called FilipiKnow, where the full story of the 13 Filipinas can be accessed on the website. Nazaria Lagos (1851-1945): Lagos served as the first president of Iloilo’s Red Cross in 1897. She and her husband, Segundo, offered their home to become a […]

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History

Strong Filipinas: Heroines of the revolution

Much has been said of women’s roles in family, society and country. Much has been said to promote gender equality, protecting human rights of women, specially those in marginalized sectors of society. Without a doubt, women play a vital role in the nation’s life. They have moved beyond traditional roles of wife and mother to contribute […]

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History

Remarkable mothers of ancient China

Mother’s Day celebration is primarily American since it originated in the United States. But in China, the people have embraced the day as a way to honor mothers since it is very close to the customary values of respecting the elderly and practicing filial piety towards parents. It is was initially celebrated in Hong Kong […]

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History

Greatest lessons from moms

The influence of our parents is so great that whether we admit it or not, we see traces of them in ourselves, if not exact “mini-me’s,” as we grow older. The examples and lessons our parents taught us molded us to what we are today – in our decision makings, business practices and how we […]