Viber beeps a message: “Can you take a call?” I reply: “Who is this, please?” A few minutes later, Viber beeps again: “Hello, Mr. Farmer. Can I call?” I realize who it is. Ext. Seashore. Early morning. The scene opens with a man preparing to cast a fishing net into the sea. Another man is...
Category: Lifestyle
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Smelling good (without going into debt to buy French perfume)
I used to have a keen sense of smell. It’s probably a vestigial faculty from my ancestors who, as hunter-gatherers in the wild of Panay, needed all their five senses heightened. But my nose has been dulled by age, Metro Manila’s pollution, and my own careless olfactory experiments. Once, I almost killed myself by being...
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Renewing faith and devotion to Our Lady of the Candles
ILOILO CITY—Years into her marriage, Maria Fe Villanueva Esquillo had been without a child. But her frustration and seeming endless waiting were eased somehow by her constant prayers and supplications to Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria (Our Lady of the Candles) at the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral. “I asked for at least one child. Instead, the Lady...
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Finding our way to happiness amid life’s difficulties
In my study of philosophy, I have learned from a few thinkers and philosophers who wrestled with finding meaning—and, thus, happiness—in the hardness of life, whence struggles and challenges are “sine qua non” (literally, “cannot be without”). The German existentialist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, in positing that humans suffer for a reason, argued that we can...
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There’s a Slow Food revolution in Boracay
Boracay, once a small island community of fishers and farmers, has become the “crown jewel of Philippine tourism.” But amid the global acclaim for its stunning natural beauty and vibrant nightlife, questions arise on what truly sets it apart, particularly in terms of its food culture. While there is an array of international cuisines to...
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NGCP told to ‘practice discipline’ to protect consumers
(Second of two parts) In its preliminary review, the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) disallowed the expenses of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) amounting to P3.7 billion, which it said were “improperly documented or not recoverable for customers.” The biggest items disallowed were for public relations, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and advertising expenses. NGCP’s...
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Power transmission monopoly NGCP questions rate review amid calls for refund
(First of two parts) The Supreme Court petition filed by National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) to halt a long-delayed review of its rates could keep power costs high and delay potential refunds to consumers. NGCP is a private monopoly that operates the country’s power transmission lines, or the grid linking power generators to...
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Do you know the way to San Rafael?
Getting to Barangay Lico in San Rafael, Bulacan, was half the fun. My batchmates at St. Paul College (now a university) of Quezon City, high school class of 1973, decided to meet at the home of Baby, our classmate until the fifth grade, then travel to the Central Luzon province in a convoy. The car...
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Easy like Sunday afternoon
The woman has apparently just risen from her wheelchair and her companions seem to be urging her to take a few steps forward. But ever so gently: You feel love pervading the tight little scene as you walk past it on this Sunday afternoon at the UP Oval late In January, when the sun’s rays...
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Each of us is unique, good, true and beautiful
Way back in my seminary philosophical study in ontology (a branch of metaphysics that deals with the study of “being, existence, and reality”), there’s this Latin maxim, “Ens est unum, bonum, verum, et pulchrum.” Every being is one, good, true and beautiful. More often than not, we wish to be like others or even better than our...