BAGUIO CITY—This is no tempest in a teapot, this hue and cry over the destruction of the Ibagiw mural of visual and performance artist Angelo Aurelio without notice to him and upon the instructions of a tourism official in charge of the yearly arts and culture festival. (“Ibagiw” is an Ibaloi term to mean “someone...
Category: Culture
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Ahtisa Manalo is welcomed home while controversy hounds the Miss Universe pageant
Miss Universe Philippines Ahtisa Manalo, who placed third runner-up in the Miss Universe 2025 pageant in Thailand, meets and greets her admirers in a two-part homecoming parade today, Dec. 2, in Manila and Pasay City. The parade takes place a week after Manalo returned to the Philippines to a rousing past-midnight welcome by her admirers...
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Candidates with Philippine roots are competing in Miss International 2025
TOKYO—The Filipinos’ domination of global pageantry is so undeniable that other countries have been fielding candidates with roots in the Philippines. In the ongoing 2025 Miss International pageant in Japan, Binibining Pilipinas Myrna Esguerra is joined by Bella Dela Cruz of Australia and Allyson Ee of Malaysia, who both incidentally competed in the 2025 Miss...
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Palestine is a contender in Miss Universe 2025
Editor’s Note: Two judges in the annual competition have pulled out of the 8-member jury, with one claiming that an “impromptu” panel had already selected 30 finalists from among the 136 participating countries, and the other citing “unforeseen personal reasons.” For the first time ever, the Miss Universe pageant has welcomed a delegate from Palestine,...
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A portrait of the Filipino as the eternal optimist
A lesser-known aspect of the Filipino diaspora is the phenomenon of older, relatively-successful, mid- or late-career countrymen and -women choosing to pull up roots and make a go of it in a foreign land, despite the uncertainty and hardship this might entail—all for the prospect of a better life for their families. You’ve probably heard...
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Unusual drama at the Miss Universe pageant, now on its 74th edition
Walkouts, callouts, and police presence took over the Miss Universe pageant in just its first week, with global fans bracing themselves for more drama before a new queen gets crowned. The tension-filled 74th edition of the international competition has drawn spectators from around the world, including those who do not regularly follow pageants, because of...
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‘Alon’ is a call for public awareness of plastic pollution and marine protection
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF), in partnership with the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), has brought the acclaimed exhibit titled “Alon” to the Ramon Magsaysay Center in Malate, Manila. Focused on the issue of plastic waste in the oceans, and with surfers as a central theme, “Alon” is the RMAF’s first...
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Myrna Esguerra is fighting for another Miss International crown for the Philippines
There is no doubt that the Philippines is an international pageant powerhouse, with crown upon crown collected from global competitions by both women and men for all these years. Among the competitions where the country has picked up multiple wins, the Miss International pageant tops the list with a total of six victories spanning six...
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From blade to bark, Gustavo Montero makes art from nature
LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—Gustavo Montero is an Ibaloi artist and artisan who is contributing to the preservation and increased awareness of indigenous arts beyond his native province of Benguet. It all started in 2009, when Montero first became interested in Kali, the Filipino martial art that involves hand and body movements and the use of bladed weapons. He...
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An abundant harvest of books that includes a special edition of Renato Constantino’s ‘A Past Revisited’
The current harvest of books is particularly abundant, and includes a special hardbound edition of Renato Constantino’s “A Past Revisited” as well as Atom Araullo’s “A View from the Ground,” Benjamin Pimentel’s “UG: The Life and Struggle of Edgar Jopson,” and Roderick Toledo’s “The Ruminant Ant & Other Essays.” “A Past Revisited” was first published...