W hen I visited Taal for the very first time last year, I was smitten. So smitten that I have gone back three more times! The town’s unique blend of culture, history and friendly people irresistibly draws me back. I would promote Taal at every opportunity I get to friends, family and acquaintances, hoping they […]
Lisbon’s historical ties with Macau pays off with influx of Chinese tourists to the European country. LISBON, Portugal – The Belem Tower stands guard along the north bank of the Tagus River, part of an elaborate 16th-century fortification plan to protect the city. At four floors high, it would have been impressive when it was […]
For many years I lived in North America, where tropical produce are priced at a premium, if they are sold at all in the neighborhood supermarket. Imagine my delight when we moved to the desert state of Arizona, and found singkamas in a grocery store. Its crisp white flesh, sweet and juicy, was a welcome change […]
The Presidential Electoral Tribunal on April 2 started the recount of ballots in connection with the electoral protest filed by defeated vice presidential candidate and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Vice President Leni Robredo beat Marcos by just 263,473 votes. The PET Revisor’s Guide says the revision will verify the physical count of the […]
Hokkien, on the tongues of Tsinoys, has grown and evolved, taking on a life of its own. Sometimes words simply fail us. With some creativity, Tsinoys have strung together words to form colorful phrases that simply hit the bull’s eye. Here are some expressions unique to Hokkien as favored by Tsinoys. 現吃現走氣 hian tsia hian […]
Now available for pre-order price of P250 only. Chinese in the Philippines: Problems & Perspectives, vol. 5 Edited by Teresita Ang See Published by Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran Inc. and Kaisa Heritage Foundation Table of Contents FOREWORD by Dr. Wang Gungwu Chapter 1: Integration, Indigenization, Hybridization and Localization of the Ethnic Chinese Minority in the […]
The news that Department of Justice prosecutors dismissed the case against self-confessed illegal drug distributor Kerwin Espinosa and illegal drug kingpin Peter Lim alias “Jaguar” is distressing. But is it surprising? We already have a portent that the Duterte administration’s war on drugs is a sham when the investigation on the facilitated release of P6.4-billion […]
Little was written in ancient Chinese books about the Philippines and Philippine-Chinese ties during the Song (960-1279)and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties. Most often quoted were the following: Zhu Fan Zhi (諸蕃誌 Record of Foreigners) and Dao Yi Zhi Lue (島夷志略 Record of Foreign Islands), both describing places in the Philippines; Wen Xian Tong Kao (文獻通考 Review […]
Opium was never totally banned in China even after China’s national hero Lin Ze Xu (林則徐) burned and destroyed in 1839 all the opium to be shipped to Britain at Hu Men (虎門), Canton (Guangzhou). The first Opium War (1840-1842) that followed led to the signing of the Nanking Treaty between China and Britain. But […]
Hokkien, on the tongues of Tsinoys, has grown and evolved, taking on a life of its own. Sometimes words simply fail us. With some creativity, Tsinoys have strung together words to form colorful phrases that simply hit the bull’s eye. Here are some expressions unique to Hokkien as favored by Tsinoys. 靠山吃山， 靠海吃海 k’o suan […]