It took just three years, and it was sweet. This time, no one will be in any position to ask the Filipino tennis sensation Alexandra “Alex” Eala whether she’d ever win a Grand Slam singles title. Last Sept. 4, the 17-year-old lefty claimed her first junior Grand Slam singles title at the 2022 US Open,...
Author: Charles E. Buban (Charles E. Buban)
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Fear and trembling in Abra
Like any other tragedy, the earthquake struck when no one expected it.“It was a sunny morning,” Carla Manganteng, 29, told CoverStory by phone from Lagangilang, Abra. “I was in my neighbor’s house when suddenly the ground shook so violently. We immediately called everyone, told them to run outside, to a nearby open area.” Lagangilang is...
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Filipinas, new queen of AsEan football, raises the bar higher
Since it broke into the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup last February—which resulted in its inclusion in one of the sport’s biggest stages, the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023—the Philippine women’s national football team has been raising the bar ever higher. Only last May, the Filipinas, as the team is now...
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No contact apprehension: Can cameras end the traffic mess?
Have you ever opened your mail and found a notice of violation (NOV) jolting you with a fine of P2,000, or even P4,000? Your immediate reaction might well be “What the [expletive]!”—and understandably so. But then you’ll realize that the attached digital image of a vehicle shown, supposedly, running a red light or making an...
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Monkeypox spread? No cause for alarm—yet
As if Covid-19 were not enough to worry about, now comes monkeypox. For pandemic-fatigued Filipinos, it comes across as another point of concern, especially because it causes flu-like symptoms as well as horrendous-looking rashes that can spread across the body and form large blisters filled with white pus-like fluid. It does looks biblical, like something...
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Lessons to learn from the heartbreak in Hanoi
We wouldn’t have minded the Philippines’ fourth-place finish in the medal tally of the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Hanoi, Vietnam. Even a fifth place would have been acceptable, as the Philippines was in that rank two days before the last set of matches were played on May 22. What was heart-breaking was the...
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No longer the host, but a 3rd-place SEAG finish for PH is still sweet
Host country advantage: This explains why Vietnam, the host of this year’s 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) is well ahead of its rivals in the medal standing. At this writing, Vietnam has bagged 99 gold, 65 silver and 64 bronze medals, or a total of 228. Thailand is at No. 2 with 43 gold, 44...
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They should have built more rails—or the transport crisis continues
Having lived on the fringes of Metro Manila—for a long time in North Caloocan and in recent years in Las Piñas City—I have experienced all sorts of misfortunes and difficulties while commuting to Manila and Makati where I studied and worked. In fact, I must have ticked all the boxes representing the difficulties that commuters...
