By: THESA ANOBA DAYAGBIL My grandmother died a few days ago in the Philippines. She was 90 years old. Like any grandchild who adores and loves her grandmother deeply, I took the news very badly. More so because I am here in Canada and I wasn’t there to whisper in her ear one last time how much I… Read More »
I was interpreting recently for a client who was making a claim for injuries suffered from a car accident. At the end of the session, the lawyer representing my client commented that some of the words I used sounded Spanish. I explained to her that one out of every three words in Tagalog has roots in Spanish. … Read More »
June 12 is a date significant to Filipinos. It does not matter whether they are in their native land or in another part of this planet, June 12 is a date wherein Filipinos congregate and raise their national flag, June 12 is Philippine Independence Day. In Markham, Ontario, the town council declared a Philippine Independence Week, starting… Read More »
By Rudy M. Viernes THE PHILIPPINE FESTIVALS By Rudy M. Viernes The first day of May in the Philippines ushers in the start of a month of festivals, merrymakings, processions, Santacruzan, Flores de Mayo, flowers and the Virgin Mary. May is a festive month which implies feasting or celebration. In most little towns and villages… Read More »
I find that each day there is something new to learn. We keep some views that we hold for a long time; and then all of a sudden we get shocked when something happen and finds that the view we hold is wrong. For a long time, I had the perception that racism and discrimination are directed… Read More »
A Filipino caregiver who had worked several years in Canada suddenly discovered that she had cancer. Her physician told her that she would have about six months to live. She decided that she would go home to die in the Philippines. “Ayokong mamatay dito. Gusto kong mamatay sa sariling bayan, sa piling ng aking mga kapatid at iba… Read More »
I was passing by a small flower shop inside the Finch Subway when my attention was caught by a row of sampagita plants in pots. The label was jasmine, but I know it was the Philippine sampagita with its small white sweet-scented blossoms. I know many of us grow them indoors during the cold weather and put them… Read More »
Holy Week had just passed and once again, the Philippines was featured on television. Scenes from some areas were shown wherein men, the upper parts of their bodies naked, walked along the dusty roads, flagellating themselves on Good Friday. The “Penitensya” has become a tourist attraction that draws crowds from distant places, some of whom are foreigners to… Read More »
OUR HEROES By Rudy M.Viernes The Philippine government cannot provide employment opportunities to its teeming employable citizens, sad to say. So, many Filipinos go abroad where employment abounds. Thus the template OFW was coined for Overseas Filipino Worker (which used to be OCW for Overseas Contract Worker) and has become commonplace, a phenomenon nevertheless, and its here… Read More »
One morning while out for my coffee break walk downtown, a young man deliberately went out of his way with the intention of bumping me with his shoulder. With the remaining agility of an aging baby boomer left in me, I sidestepped (basic Aikido) and he almost fell to the pavement. Then he looked at me and yelled… Read More »