If necessity is the mother of invention, then poverty would be its father. The lack of resources forces people to find creative solutions to certain problems, to make do with whatever is available and to try to…
On midafternoon of June 12, Philippine Independence Day, my wood relief (carving) sculpture entitled “Leon Kilat ug ang Kagubot sa Sugbo sa 1898” (“Leon Kilat and the Revolution in Cebu in 1898”) was finally unveiled at Palm…
Tomorrow, June 12, will be the 119th anniversary of Philippine Independence. This year’s celebration is important as it comes at the time when our nation’s freedom is facing two kinds of threats: the rise of local ISIS,…
Stopping over at a terminal just before our bus made the ascent to the Islamic city of Marawi, we did something haram or forbidden: steal a few bites of pork adobo from our lunch box while most…
On May 6, 2017, the Philippine art community lost a father. Manuel Rodriguez Sr., considered to be the Father of Contemporary Printmaking in the Philippines, died in his home in Florida at the age of 105. He…
For years, since I lost my faith after reading about the Big Bang and Charles Darwin, I decided to be an atheist. Yes, it was a decision, an attempt of becoming. Contrary to my declarations, deep inside…
The appointment and eventual rejection of Gina Lopez as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) by the Commission on Appointments (CA) highlights the frustrating status of efforts to protect our environment from being…
Few weeks ago, we got so close to starting a nuclear war when US President Donald Trump sent what he called a “powerful armada” that includes an aircraft carrier to the Korean Peninsula. This was just days…
My hometown Surigao City gave President Rodrigo Duterte an overwhelming vote during the last elections. When I came here to vote last year, I noticed how supporters of the Liberal Party seemed to tend to hide any…
As CNN broke the news of Tomahawk cruise missiles raining down on an air base in Syria last Friday as part of Donald Trump’s punitive actions for Bashar al-Assad’s recent chemical attack on civilians there, it…
That news about Erwin Macua, the security guard of Saint Theresa’s College who recently graduated Cum Laude in General Education from that very school where he works reminds me of a friend who has a similar story.…
In the native Filipino folklore, driftwood often comes alive, metamorphosing into a mermaid or some other mythical creature. In my hometown in Surigao, the floating piece of log that is believed to possesses such spirit, is called…
