One hot afternoon, a father, his boy and a girl aged 5 and 3, respectively, and a dog were on the sidewalk; he was patiently teaching his children how to use their bike and a kick scooter; he was slowly walking along with them, with all eyes on these young tots. Occasionally, they would stop, with the father… Read More »

Quite a significant number of the First Batch of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) students, your elder Kuya and Ate, joined the protest movements in the street rallies and demonstrations in the early ’70s to denounce the country’s corruption and injustices.    This era is known as the  First Quarter’s Storm (FQS) in the 70s when the… Read More »

My journalist friends—Mang Ruben Cusipag, Mang Tony Sikat, Jojo Taduran, Tenny Soriano and Butch Galicia—have retired permanently, resting in their graves. Once in a while, I think about them because I know I’ll have the same eventuality– passing on. Being a senior, I cannot help but think about both life’s uncertainty and its eventuality, that someday, I will… Read More »

In this troubled and anxieties-filled world, we need some little space, a small corner, be it physical or imaginary, to smell the scent of roses, breathe fresh air and be with all ourselves, not minding life’s cares. We need this kind of meditation, some soul searching to re-connect those little dots that bombard our minds, If I want… Read More »

Most people are anxious about the ongoing wars between Russia, Ukraine and Israel against Hamas in the Middle East, fearing that these wars might trigger the use of nuclear bombs in the arsenal of powerful countries. It’s an open secret that the US, Russia, China, and other countries have a vast stockpile of nuclear warheads, hundreds more potent… Read More »

Throwing away household stuff is a norm in our society; those things we slightly used before and some old stuff we’ve kept for years now we want to get rid of are usually found in garbage dumping areas or thrown in the streets.  In North America, people sometimes keep buying goods at whims, and later, they replace them… Read More »

Having a once-in-a-month family get-together is refreshing and joyful, but most of all, it strengthens the family’s love and unity. In this anxiety-filled and busy world, family members struggle to have a simple meal together. Their secular jobs, school demands, never-ending household chores, and busy lifestyles force them to have an individualized kind of living; day in, day… Read More »

When I was a boy, my Nanay would always impress upon my young mind that I had to study hard to escape poverty, or I might become a kubetero. One recent morning, when I was having a coffee chat with Reggie in his home in Chicago, he’s the husband of my sister-in-law, I told him about that kubetero story… Read More »

Working in a newspaper during those early years of martial law in the 70s was not so complicated and fearsome; all the papers had to do was publish “positive stories” about the workings of government and country– and follow Malacañang’s directives. Those martial law years were the heyday for press releases, but some people called them “praise releases.”… Read More »

The people manning the “little office” of the Social Security System (SSS) in Toronto deserve to be commended for their dedication and hard work in serving the growing number of Pinoy seniors and the caregivers in the community. When I was there two months ago, I saw a long line of seniors and caregivers, standing for hours, waiting… Read More »