Gabriel Gene Regojos was only five years old when he picked up his first musical instrument, the violin. His grandmother had enrolled him in a music class, little knowing that he would discover his purpose in life there. But as a young boy, Regojos considered music as simply a hobby. He and his cousins being...
Author: Marilyn Cahatol
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Women politicians claim their space in male-dominated public governance
Councilor Joanne Valdez of Candon City, Ilocos Sur, is not spared the challenges that beset many female officials in local government units in the Philippines, where politics is strongly marked by machismo. “During my first term, I was subjected to catcalling during a photoshoot, and I heard my male colleagues placing bets on me. I...
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There’s a treasure trove where indigenous music, culture and history meet
James Dan Gazmin looks back at the days when he and his two friends formed a chapter of Paggawisan Tako Am-in at the University of the Philippines Diliman (Pagta-UPD) in October 2024. They passionately wanted to present the beauty and history of Cordilleran culture and traditions through music shows in the urban centers but they...
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What to expect on Edsa
On Feb. 25, 1986, Filipinos’ collective pursuit of democracy won over a dictatorship. Today, 39 years later, they commemorate the Edsa People Power Revolution that forced Ferdinand Marcos Sr. and his family to flee abroad. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has declared Feb. 25 as a “special working holiday” under Proclamation No. 727. But some school...
Bago City Payag Sang Kapag-on Village —PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF CIVIL DEFENSE WESTERN VISAYAS
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Kanlaon evacuees will now shelter in ‘bahay kubo’
Bago City in Negros Occidental is completing a new project: a village of 50 huts—or bahay kubo—to serve as temporary shelters for families displaced by the eruptive behavior of Kanlaon Volcano. Ryan Valero, the operations and warning head of the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said that compared to a tent, the regular shelter...
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‘First Day Rage’ stirs UP campuses
Learning comes with militancy at the University of the Philippines (UP) right from the start of academic classes at UP Diliman and other campuses. In what was dubbed “First Day Rage,” students, faculty members, workers, community residents and other sectors assembled on Jan. 21, the first day of classes for the second semester of academic...
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Wet welcome for 2025
The weather bureau is expecting rain in certain portions of the country as Filipinos welcome 2025 today, New Year’s Eve. How will this affect the traditional use of firecrackers? Rain is associated with luck, according to Chinese tradition, and it is believed that a wet New Year’s Day will bring yearlong prosperity, growth, and...
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The collectors (aka ‘anik-anik’ lovers)
Jerika Ordonio, 26, is a child again as she recalls visiting Manila Ocean Park for the first time. The decade-old ticket to the theme park remains a keepsake, testament to how her two aunts worked hard to give her what she calls a fulfilling childhood. “I was raised by my two aunts, both unmarried,” she...