BREAKTHROUGH – Elfren S. Cruz – The Philippine Star There are again attempts to downgrade the significance of this extremely significant event in the history of the Filipino people. I think it is important that we recall the role that the EDSA movement played in our struggle for democracy. The classic definition of People Power is “political pressure… Read More »
ni Edwin Esteba Buhay Sa ibang bansa ikaw ay nagpapakahirap Upang matupad mo iyong mga pangarap Pinipilit mong magsumikap Upang pamilya makaahon sa hirap Hindi naman kalakihan lahat ating kinikita Iyong iba nga sinasabi ay kulang pa Pero kung tayo ay marunong magpahalaga Dapat alam mo kung paano gumasta Kapag tayo ay nagbabalikbayan Sa tingin ng iba tayo… Read More »
Waiting We are eagerly hoping to see our Big Day as the sunset sets in; finding ourselves still waiting till the morning dawn greets us again. Tra la la, la, we joyfully sing to ease the pain of waiting; who knows, our Day is just around the corner. While we are waiting, it’s not an idle thing; we… Read More »
There are many, many unique things about the Philippines. Naming one’s kid is one of them. For instance, would you ever think of naming their baby girl to honor the three major Philippine islands — Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao: Luzviminda. How clever is that?! But many years later, after that initial adventure into a name, Filipino parents have become… Read More »
Under the service of Spain, Ferdinand Magellan, a Portuguese explorer, came upon the Philippines in 1521. I am not using the word ‘discover’ because like in many other countries, the Philippines already had the rudimentary elements of a civilization when the Spanish vessels docked. In 1543, Spanish explorer Ruy Lopez de Villalobos, to honor the reigning king, Philip… Read More »
“The cancer that demands our urgent attention is corruption and poverty.” —Miriam Defensor-Santiago. “Corruption is a cancer, a cancer that eats away at a citizen’s faith in democracy, diminishes the instinct for innovation and creativity.” —Joe Biden. Every country has a history of corruption. Those which are well-governed have managed to curb corruption to its minimal impact. That’s… Read More »
AH! What a glorious sunny-cool day again today! You can’t beat the weather in the Philippines at this time of the year. Despite climate change, there is still an excellent window of the old “dry and cool” Jan-Feb. Month. Occasional rain cannot dampen the generative power of a warm climate to an aging “infrastructure,” anatomy now stiff, crumbly,… Read More »
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 »
At end-2023, World Happiness Reports Finland ranks top for the last six consecutive years. Finland’s high level of social trust could be one of the reason the country has been the happiest country in world. As the World Happiness Report, which does the ranking, notes most Finns expect their wallet to be returned to them if they lose… Read More »