Rainbow flags dominated the festive ground under the murky sky that burst in a downpour on June 28. At that moment at the University of the Philippines Diliman, Lov3Laban 2025 became more than a drenched march on campus: It was both declaration and living proof of Pride. The rain transformed the biggest festival of the...
Category: Culture
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Pageant powerhouse Philippines makes its mark in Miss Supranational tilt
The Philippines again asserted its reputation as an international pageant powerhouse when not just one but two Filipino women earned podium placements in the recently-concluded Miss Supranational pageant held in Poland: first runner-up Anna Lakrini and third runner-up Tarah Valencia. Lakrini and Valencia advanced to the final round of the competition held in Nowy Sącz,...
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Solidarity festivals push LGBTQIA+ rights for love, dignity, and freedom
As Pride Month nears its end on June 30, LGBTQIA+ communities and their supporters will hold festivals, marches, solidarity programs and other activities in major cities nationwide. At the heart of the celebrations is the Lov3Laban sa Diliman 2025, the flagship festival of Pride PH, scheduled at the University of the Philippines Diliman on June...
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F.H. Batacan talks about writing crime fiction and her new book of short stories
At the Quezon City Public Library (QCPL) main branch’s conference room on June 19, crime writer F.H. Batacan is telling everyone that she’ll be reading an excerpt from her short story titled “The One Cry.” It’s in her new book, “Accidents Happen,” a collection of her previously published short stories. It features journalist Joanna Bonifacio,...
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Mindanao aces the Philippines’ longest running beauty pageant
After Luzon swept the top spots in the 60th Binibining Pilipinas pageant last year, Mindanao aced the 2025 competition and snagged the two crowns at stake with a runner-up placement to boot. Katrina Anne Johnson from Davao and Annabelle Mae McDonnell from Iligan City were crowned Bb. Pilipinas International and Bb. Pilipinas Globe, respectively, at...
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The Philippines’ first Miss Grand International finds her ‘very specific moment’
The Philippines has added another crown to its growing collection of international beauty accolades: the once-elusive Miss Grand International title that Christine Juliane “CJ” Opiaza received, albeit belatedly. The Filipino “pasarela” (pageant walk) coach was crowned as the official Miss Grand International 2024 queen at the MGI Hall of Bravo BKK in Bangkok, Thailand, on...
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The continuing war under the glass ceiling
Whenever World War II serves as a reference point of a conversation, I imagine such a period through the sonic register of disorder, disruption, and explosion, a city turned into ground zero. From the archives, moving images, cinema, and literature, Manila figures into the frames as a place where the legacies of Spanish and American...
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A national issue: Men can and should do care work, expert says in Oxfam Pilipinas forum
Let’s get the definition straight: Care work is care giving and domestic work—cleaning, cooking, as well as caring for children, the elderly, family members, people with disabilities, and even pets—that’s largely unpaid. And Filipino women have been getting short shrift for the longest time when it comes to care work. Dr. Macario Jusayan, the chief...
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For the Philippines’ Alexie Brooks, Miss Eco International 2025, victory is ‘from the heart’
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...
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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...