“The Angry Christ” is a play by Floy Quintos that follows the creation of Alfonso Ossorio’s iconic painting – from conceptualization up to the reveal of the finished obra maestra. The story opens with a short background of the painting and a brief summary of Ossorio’s childhood before he came to the family sugar mill […]
The historical account of Sulu’s Sultan Paduka Batara who visited China in 1417, the subsequent bond that grew between two ancient kingdoms, is an inspiring tale of enduring friendship that transcends borders and time. For 600 years, China took care of the Sultan’s royal tomb in Dezhou, Shandong province where he died while on his […]
Road accidents are the fourth leading cause of deaths in the Philippines. This translates to around 36,000 preventable deaths every year. Reckless driving, cell phone use and drunk driving all contribute to fatal collisions. Here are major factors affecting road safety and what the government can do about it. I have also included some safety […]
Summers in the 1980s were in part spent in my mother’s home province Pakil, Laguna. The last week of our stay was often Holy Week. Good Friday meant visiting the traditional stations of the cross. Except Pakil had its own tradition with the stations of the cross. Towering over Pakil is Mt. Ping-as. Every year, […]
Filipino and Chinese drug law enforcers have joined hands in anti-narcotics operations that paid off big time: a drug bust that netted 604 kilos of shabu with street value of P3 billion, in Valenzuela City last May 26. The cooperative effort was made possible after President Duterte’s state visit to China on Oct. 16 to […]
The Ties that Bind – the Saga of the Sultan of Sulu in China (Kaisa Para Sa Kaunlaran, 2017, 109 pp.) uses references and resources from China and the Philippines – including valuable photographs – to document the historic visit of the Sultan of Sulu to pay tribute to the imperial court of Ming Emperor […]
Luningning Tan-Gatue, 86, has kept the Philippine flag flying for decades. Flag-making is her family’s business. And the period leading up to Independence Day is extremely busy for her. Granddaughter Addrianne Marie goes over the orders, which could come in the “hundreds of thousands” during the “peak season” from mid-May to June 12. Addrianne’s twin, […]
In February 466 AD, during the Southern Dynasties period (420-589), Liu Zi Xun (劉子勛), the king of Jin An (晉安王), declared a rebellion against the emperor, Song Ming Di (宋明帝). He proclaimed himself emperor at Xun Yang (尋陽) in Jiangxi (江西) province and gained support from many prefectures. With only a few prefectures and counties […]
Crisis in Marawi, martial law in Mindanao, suffering of evacuees, tragedy at Resorts World Manila, fake news from the Department of Justice. These filled the front pages of newspapers and topped the newscasts on the eve of celebrations for the nation’s 119th Independence Day. It was as if the events had conspired to thumb collective […]
Police filed criminal charges against two Chinese nationals for allegedly kidnapping Yan Hou, 28, at a casino in Parañaque City June 2. Chen Shi Quan, 42, and Hu Yong Jian, 38, were charged with kidnapping and serious illegal detention before the Department of Justice. Their Filipino bodyguards – Ric Baldecir, 39, and Noel Rodelas, 31 […]