Gemma Cruz Araneta | LANDSCAPE Almost a decade ago, residents of the 6th district of the City of Manila were in a jubilant mood because a government hospital that would cater to their needs was about to be finished and inaugurated by then Mayor Alfredo S. Lim and the generous philanthropist/businessman who made the donation, Mr. Lucio Tan, Sr. Each … Read more
A few days ago, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I was frozen with fear, shrouded with inexplicable dread which is strange for a person like me who is usually cheerful and optimistic from the crack of dawn. What is the matter?—I pondered, and suddenly remembered that I had a terrible … Read more
There is a painting with an incisively powerful message depicting Spanish conquistdores and missionaries celebrating Holy Mass in an isolated mountainous area of this archipelago. The label — “Staking territory” — made me gasp; it was almost blasphemous to someone who had studied in a Catholic school where we learned that the Spaniards came not … Read more
The Southeast Asia Research Center and Hub (SEARCH) is the latest academic initiative of De La Salle University (DLSU) with the audacious mission and vision of becoming a cutting-edge research center and networking hub .SEARCH quietly came into existence last September, 2019, when its organizers convened the Democracy Discourse Series followed by the Southeast Asia … Read more
The “Quadricula” or “Hocus II” exhibition has enjoyed unprecedented success in the National Museum of Fine Arts. For those who have not seen it (or rather, experienced it) you have until the ides of March to spend a Saturday morning at the Galleries 27 and 28. HOCUS refers to a series of paintings jointly made … Read more
He said the way our ancestors lived was “more irrational than those of civilized men…” because there were no governors or rulers. “They based valor on betrayal, science in fraud and deceit, and nobility in the disdain of one’s neighbor. Even though education and the teaching of evangelical doctrine proved the error of their ways, … Read more
How odd that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) should convene a conference on “Cultural Diplomacy”! Haven’t they been doing that since the First Republic? I thought cultural diplomacy was and is the core of our relationship with the international community of nations, so why the conference? The guest list was a polemical blend of … Read more
At this writing, Twink Macaraig is no more. The outspoken journalist, television anchor, fearless Filipina has gone to where there are no villains nor tyrants. Her bereaved husband Archt. Paulo Alcazaren announced her demise on Facebook. Although her friends knew that Twink was bravely battling cancer for many years, her death is painful, it has … Read more
Very few Cebuanos remember that the patron saint of their capital, Cebu City, is not the wildly worshipped Santo Niño but the obscure Catholic martyr, San Vidal. As you probably know, in 1521, Ferdinand Magellan gave the queen of Cebu a statue of the Santo Niño because she took a fancy to the image. She … Read more
Who doesn’t know Ebenezer Scrooge? How I loathed that frightfully insentient protagonist of Charles Dickens’ book, A Christmas Carol. He was so miserly, he must have been a loan shark, among other things; he would not even spend to heat up his gloomy office during winter. The cold within him froze his pointed nose, shriveled … Read more