Alexie Brooks’ victory in the Miss Eco International 2025 pageant was nothing short of groundbreaking. Not only was she the first black woman to represent the Philippines in the global tilt, she was also the first black winner in the contest’s 10-year run. The Ilonggo national athlete has championed authenticity in an industry that many...
Category: Culture
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2 journalists write Covid diary based on years of living in China
Filipino American journalists Rene Pastor and Cristina DC Pastor did not expect the heavy knock on the door of their Beijing apartment one night in 2020. It turned out that it was time for midnight Covid-19 tests. The couple’s newly released book, Living in China 2019 to 2023: A COVID Diary, recaptures the panic in...
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‘Pista nin Teatrong Bikolnon’ brings theater (and alternative election perspectives) to rural folk
“Pista nin Teatrong Bikolnon” again brought together communities and campus-based theater companies from across the Bicol region, celebrating its sixth year of taking plays in their rawest form to the ordinary people. This time, the festival carried the theme “Gimata: Reclaiming People’s Narratives,” which organizers aimed at highlighting the importance of community narratives and promoting...
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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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FEU Dance Company presents concert honoring university’s unseen heroes
The FEU Dance Company (FDC), which recently placed second in World of Dance Philippines 2025, will stage its annual major concert dubbed “FRAMES: Elevating the Unseen” on March 28 and 29. Through Philippine folk dances and an open-style segment choreographed by FDC members and artistic director Michael Barry Que, the company will present a collection...
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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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Alice Reyes opens 2025 with ‘Pagdiriwang: Sayaw Alay Sa Sining’
That dance is life must surely be the motto of ballet dancers. They devote countless hours to perfect a hand gesture, an extended leg, or a hair toss, much like the way the members of Alice Reyes Dance Philippines (ARDP) do. In fact, the ARDP dancers are busy rehearsing—eight hours every day—the choreography of the...
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‘Halángdon’: The art and legacy of National Artist J. Elizalde Navarro
“Halángdon” at the Fine Arts Gallery of the National Museum of the Philippines-Iloilo showcases the profound and multifaceted legacy of National Artist J. Elizalde Navarro. The exhibit demonstrates Navarro’s experimentation in and mastery of sculpture, painting, and a variety of printmaking methods. It embodies a fusion of his modernist sensibilities and evolving style, conveying themes of...
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Stories of Filipino heroines now have a home in Tandang Sora Women’s Museum
The Women’s Month of March is made more significant by the Tandang Sora Women’s Museum in Quezon City. Now formally open to the public, the museum lies on the avenue named after “the mother of the Philippine Revolution”—a means to uphold the value of women and to perpetuate a culture where women hold significant roles...
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Bringing art from the galleries to the streets of Naga City
PILI, Camarines Sur—People typically go to air-conditioned rooms, enclosed building spaces, and narrow hallways to experience art. One artist, Manuel Dondon Medenilla, has made a dramatic distinction. Medenilla is holding an exhibition of his paintings, acrylic on canvas, on a sidewalk of Magsaysay Avenue in Naga City, to literally bring art closer to other people...