History from Bilibid prison

Ambeth R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet 06/02/2023

It is ironic that C.M. Recto Avenue in downtown Manila has gained notoriety for made-to-order fake documents. After all, Claro (clear) Recto (straight) was a Filipino senator who left us with a legacy of integrity and staunch…

Fortune tellers

Ambeth R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet 01/04/2023

Shortly before midnight on Dec. 31, 2022, as I reached for a dozen grapes on the dining table to start the countdown to the new year, someone commented “pa-uso ka na naman.” I didn’t comment on the…

The death of Andres Bonifacio

Ambeth R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet 11/24/2021

Every year on Nov. 30 wreaths are offered at Andres Bonifacio monuments nationwide. Media often covers the official rites of the inspiring song in bronze by National Artist Guillermo Tolentino in Caloocan, or the tacky komiks re-presentation…

Why June 12, not July 4?

Ambeth R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet 07/07/2021

A people without history,” T. S. Eliot wrote in Four Quartets, “is not redeemed from time, for history is a pattern of timeless moments.” Redemption seems far off from where I write, for every year, in June…

The many names for war

Ambeth R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet 06/16/2021

June 19, 2021 is Jose Rizal’s 160th birthday, another excuse to accept or argue his continuing relevance. Instead of debating about who should be our National Hero or expanding our horizon to think plural as in National…

Edilberto Evangelista: 1897 would-be president?

Ambeth R. Ocampo - @inquirerdotnet 06/09/2021

While history records the tragic deaths of Ninoy Aquino (1983) and Antonio Luna (1899), it seems that we as a people are far from closure. While their assassins have been identified, the person(s) who actually ordered the…

Bonifacio and other heroes

Randy David - @inquirerdotnet 11/29/2020

Growing up in the small town of Betis in Pampanga, a village of proud artisans and carpenters, I came to know of the nation’s heroes early in my childhood. Dr. Jose Rizal’s name was not just the…

PTV sorry for hero photo boo-boo

Julie M. Aurelio - Philippine Daily Inquirer 06/13/2020

Right hero, wrong photo. The state-run People’s Television Network (PTV) drew flak on social media on Friday for using a picture of first Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo in a segment on Andres Bonifacio, leader of the Katipunan…

Who is a hero?

12/06/2016

Who is a hero? The notion and the question are as old as oral history. Greek mythology is rife with heroic gods and goddesses. The word “hero” is in fact derived from the Greek word “heros,” which…

Cebuanos launch revolt against Spanish rule

Michelle Joy L. Padayhag 06/12/2015

Cebuanos played a crucial role in the country’s quest for independence during the Spanish period as evidenced by the historic 1989 Battle of Tres de Abril. Lawyer Harve Abella, a local history enthusiast, recounted to Cebu Daily…

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