EDITOR’S NOTE: The historian and peacemaker Rudy Buhay Rodil, now 80, has much to say about what he called, in the Conversation on the Integration of Mindanao History into the Philippine Educational System held at Ateneo de Davao University on Aug. 8, 2018, “my personal story in the advocacy of the history of Mindanao-Sulu.” His...
Category: Featured Stories
Obiena heads back to training with sights set on 6-meter mark
Ernest John “EJ” Obiena was on easy street on home grounds. In the three weeks that he was in the Philippines for much-needed R&R, the world’s No. 3 pole vaulter was peppered with profit-making deals that made him ambassador of top consumer brands. Of course, there were also the mandatory courtesy calls to various sports...
Dolphin discovery hints at unexplored biodiversity-rich marine habitat
A rare Irrawaddy dolphin found dead in the waters of Calabanga, Camarines Sur, has suggested to scientists a rich marine biodiversity corridor yet to be discovered and explored in the eastern side of the Philippines. Named “Calab” by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) and the Philippine Marine Mammals Stranding Network (PMMSN), the...
Alex Eala notches a first for the motherland
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,...
Macquarie to invest $1.2B in Asia’s largest floating solar plant in Laguna Lake
Singapore-based Macquarie Capital has committed to invest at least $1.2 billion in the Philippines to build a 1,300- megawatt (MW) floating solar plant on Laguna Lake, touted to be the biggest of its kind in Asia. The investment firm signed a letter of intent during the state visit of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. in...
The exactness of Agnes
The rehearsal hall turns tense and the dancers stand still as Agnes Locsin critiques their execution of the steps. She slowly rises, touching her abdomen as she points to the exact spot where—and how—they must lift in order to deliver the right intensity and angle that the step requires. It’s clear that she has mastered...
Landslides in Leyte: Pain, grief stifle hope to rebuild lives
BAYBAY CITY, LEYTE—Almost every passing day, Rolando Tagnipez lights a candle before an image of his son on a made-to-order tarp installed in his house. The ritual reminds him of his loved one whose whereabouts he has surrendered to nature’s will. “They have not found the body of my son, together with those of his...
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...
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...
Staying high on K-drama
These days it’s either you watch K-drama or you don’t. The latter is an unpopular stance but some are unfazed, like Harriet Limbo who just isn’t keen on watching. This sentiment runs counter to that of K-drama fans. Fistri Abdul Rahim is, like me, a relative newcomer to K-drama, tuning in only in August 2020...