Being a reporter in the 80s, one of the best beats given to me by my editors was covering the first-ever “ Kapihan sa Manila, an early morning coffee media forum held at the Manila Hotel. The setting up of this Kapihan was timely because of the growing opposition to the Marcos regime; there was a need for… Read More »
“The reward of a good life is the living of it.”—Stuart Turton, The Last Murder at the End of the World. If I only knew life would be extremely trying, like a runner jumping over several hurdles, yet not guaranteed of victory, I would have refused to get out from my mother’s womb, though it would result in… Read More »
The e-book version has recently been released on Amazon, and its pocketbook counterpart will follow soon. The printed edition is available on a print-on-demand basis. Iskolar ng Bayan is a record of the struggles, hardships, and enduring hope of the First Batch—commonly known as the Pioneer Class of ’67—of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), the Philippines’ first… Read More »
The Life of a Little Boy Growing Up in the ’50s. By: Edwin de Leon In this season of gift-giving, as usual, I gave books to some select friends. In keeping with my practice not to give anything too controversial ( nothing like a Harpur (religion ) or anything to do with Lying King Trump), it would be more… Read More »
Part I In one of my commentaries, I signed my name as a “Recovering Catholic.” One of the online comments read: ” welcome back, people do realize the advantages of being on the inside,” to which I replied: “you obviously are not familiar with the phrase. A “Recovering Catholic” is similar to a recovering alcoholic. It is based on the… Read More »
The games that we played The Life of a Little Boy Growing Up in the ’50s. THE SEQUEL (part II ) In the 50s, even a slight relocation changes the dynamics of culture and tradition within the same population. Since most marriages were with people from the same town, many would confine their moves close to relatives and workplaces’… Read More »
By Edwin de Leon During my parochial high school years, practically everyone was on the same socio-economic level. This helped us to be less sensitive with our lot. The staff was distant and generally aloof; rapport in an all-boys school with mostly women teachers is not the ethos promoted in Catholic schools. The priests of the day were nothing… Read More »
The Life of a Little Boy growing up in the ’50s In my entire boyhood, I never had the opportunity to travel to other parts of the Philippines. As can be expected, each region has unique practices and traditions. It is common in our town to identify people with an “alias,” especially if the first names are the same. … Read More »
Ramon Farolan, a columnist with the Phil Daily Inquirer, in his March 22, 2021 column ” Not the Best of Times for Asian Americans,” asserted that in 2020 there was an upsurge by 150% of Asian directed racism, mainly in L.A. and New York. From verbal harassment to physical assault, in 2021, more than 500 incidents have already… Read More »
Evolution is a term that does not endear to a significant number of peoples. It is controversial because people of faith see it as an affront to their beliefs as it postulates that humans are just another member of the animal kingdom. In contrast, they see us as God’s unique creation with a body and “soul.” On the other… Read More »