I’m excited to visit once again my home country and this early lots of things going on in my mind such as what things to do, places to visit, and. friends to see. At my age now 74, going to be 75 on February 14, some concerns face me honestly, like the difficulty of going around because my… Read More »
For most people, Christmas is a season of joy, peace and giving. I don’t know why the Christmas spirit is so strong that throughout this holiday season, people are becoming more generous and kind; they will move heaven and earth just to be with their families. Never mind if the plane fares are exorbitant, Filipinos will be hell-bent… Read More »
“I’ve reached the end of this great history/And all land will fill with talk of me:/I shall not die, these seeds I’ve sown will save/My name and reputation from the grave,/And men of sense and wisdom will proclaim,/When I have gone, my praises and my fame.”—Abu’l-Qâsem Ferdowsi Tusi, Shahnameh. My name is Manuel Ortega. I am a foreign… Read More »
By Rey Moreno Filipinos believe strongly in miracles. I remember when I was a boy a rumour was circulating of an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the window of a bungalow-style home in the north side of the town proper. One night some of our neighbours decided to check out if it was true. I tagged… Read More »
In the early 60s, that short-stretch street called Loreto in Sampaloc, where I grew up, was primarily peopled by ordinary people whose daily life was continually struggling to survive. That short street had a small “Talipapa,” a makeshift market, and beside it was a basketball and tennis court, a public toilet along the road, and a handful of… Read More »
When almost everyone celebrates Christmas, writing on why I’m not celebrating it is not an easy task, it’s just like going against the tide. It seems like dousing some cold water to a joyful event that the whole world over is looking forward to. For most people, Christmas is a season of joy, peace, and giving. The Christmas… Read More »
Lahat tayo ay may pagkakamali Sana ay huwag nang maulit pang muli Kabutihan palagi ang ating isukli Pagpapatawad walang pinipilit Kung tayo ay may nagawang kasalanan Marapat lamang ating pagsisihan Dahil hindi tayo magkakaroon ng katiwasayan Kung ang nasa puso ay galit at pagkasuklam Mga samaan nang loob ay kalimutan Pagpapatawad ang kailangan Pairalin ang pagmamahalan Sa kapwa… Read More »
“Oh yes, suddenly I realized what a good thing death can be, how just and fair, like a disinfectant, or a vacuum cleaner. — Olga Tokarczuk, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead. One of the great fears of our existential being is the fear of death. So much so that we don’t want to know… Read More »
All Souls Day is here and for people who lost their loved ones, it will surely be a day for remembering. For me, my late husband Ruben Cusipag, had been gone for over eight years, but his memories remain as fresh, as if it happened just yesterday. The Founder of Balita Newspaper, a journalist by heart, a social… Read More »
This day is officially the end of summer. The sky is clear with a few clouds, and below our balcony, the trees in the trails are changing their colours, signalling the start of autumn. The sad part is that these plants on the balcony are beginning to wither—the plant’s stems are getting thinner, their former green colours are… Read More »