Filipino American Miss USA R’Bonney Gabriel clinched the 2022 Miss Universe crown, but suspicions are being aired against the organization that made her the new queen of the universe in its 71st year. Critics are saying that the Miss Universe Organization, now owned by transgender businesswoman Anne Jakkapong Jakrajutatip, had a hand in Gabriel’s proclamation as...
Category: Lifestyle
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New Year’s Day air space shutdown a ‘blessing in disguise’?
Sen. Miguel Zubiri was close to bursting into an incredulous laugh when he heard that very sensitive air navigation equipment worth billions of pesos wasn’t being monitored by even inexpensive closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras that he himself has all over his house in Cagayan de Oro City. The Senate president was unpleasantly surprised by one...
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The Year of the Rabbit is ‘a year of recovery’
The Year of the Water Rabbit starts on Jan. 22 and ends on Feb. 9, 2024. And even with the traditional fireworks display, dragon and lion dance, red envelopes and family feasts, the celebration will not be complete without a glimpse of what the lunar new year will bring. According to Hanz Cua, one of...
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Believing, praying and manifesting in 2023
With the coming of the new year, there’s no denying that sundry wishes and high hopes are again sprouting aplenty, ranging from the most trivial to the grandiose, even to the bizarre. The new year—or every new year, for that matter—offers no guarantee of smooth sailing. But it’s our natural inclination to crave what we...
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Press in denial: Recalling the 2005 conclave that elected Pope Benedict XVI
Even before I arrived in Rome in 2005 to cover the funeral of Pope John Paul II, the Eternal City was rife with talk on who would succeed him. If one would make a trope of the Colosseum and revive its fortunes but only in the imagination, it could stand for a betting arena, with a mob...
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Do you see what I see?
For people around the world, Christmas is a season of anticipation, joy, gifts and celebration. For others, it represents a season of loss, loneliness, isolation and sadness. For many others, it’s both. How do you see it? “Do you see what I see?” is a question asked in a popular Christmas carol. It refers to...
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In Bethlehem, where Jesus was born: of unspeakable peace
(Last of two parts) In November 2019, I joined a pilgrimage organized by Sr. Nimfa Eborra, a Bible scholar and a licensed spiritual guide in Israel. With me also as pilgrims were my sister and her husband, my brother, and our niece. It was actually my fifth trip to the Holy Land. My first was...
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In Bethlehem, where Jesus was born: of universal significance
(First of two parts) It was in the morning of Nov. 26, 2016, when I first set foot in Bethlehem. I remember that the Church (also called Basilica) of the Nativity was quite full of pilgrims. I also remember hearing a soft babel of voices speaking in different languages. The Nativity Church is among the...
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Breathing in the great outdoors
Cooped up in our Metro Manila home for three pandemic years, we finally ventured on a getaway trip southward for a much-needed dose of fresh air. Our “rescue” from “Kyusi,” the city, to the province of Quezon was facilitated by my husband Sonny’s Lucena-based sisters (among 13 siblings) spearheaded by Dr. Ceres Romano and Jojie...
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Yin-Yang: finding balance and harmony
Sages and philosophers say that having balance and harmony is one pervading aspiration, if not imperative, in life. And such a path is embodied in one of the world’s most famous symbols: the yin and yang. Yin-yang is a central tenet in Lao Tzu’s Daoism, the philosophy that there is a right way to live...