Raw, vivid and emotionally haunting—that was how I felt when I first saw Pat Valera and William Manzano’s Mula sa Buwan two years ago. This majestic Filipino Zarsuela was an adaptation of Edmund’s Rostand’s timeless piece, Cyrano de Bergerac but instead of 17th century France as its setting, the play brought us to Manila during the 1940s…
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Gabe Bondoc: The Homecoming of a YouTube Sensation
One. Two. Seven. Nine. It took a while before I (as well as hundreds of other fans) got to hear that intro live in Manila straight from the man himself—Gabe Bondoc. It was long overdue, but damn was it worth the wait. We Match Unlike many of his over 300,000 subscribers, I didn’t find Gabe…
Mula sa Buwan: When a French Classic Becomes a Filipino Zarzuela
There are modern clichés, cheesy movies and hugot plays — and then there is Mula sa Buwan, a theatrical play that gets your hopes up then leaves you devastated as you experience a forgotten story worth remembering. Mula sa Buwan is the adaptation of Edmund Rostand’s timeless French piece, Cyrano de Bergerac. Instead of 17th century France as its…
Sa Wakas: A Realistic Finale
A boy meets a girl. They go through a series of dilemmas and may even be separated for period of time, but they would still eventually end up together. This has been the typical formula for cliché love stories — no matter if the film is foreign or Filipino. But this is not the kind…
For the Unemployed
Just when there were about 2.6 million jobless Filipinos according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, I chose to leave from my company. I had been working for a well-known production outfit with big clients. Some people said it was a wasted opportunity. But it was not a hasty and easy decision. I thought about it for months,…
News Hugot 1: Extra Judicial Feelings
After our series Oral Origins wherein we researched the roots of the popular curse words in the Philippines, we welcome you to News Hugot, a new segment that will provide a creative outlet for people to forget the news for a while and to focus on their feelings. Our opening salvo is the series of…
The Ghosts of Siquijor
Siquijor has the distinction of being the mystical island of the Philippines, a name the province may have earned through numerous tales of supernatural superstitions that originated here. I don’t know if it helped that Siquijor rhymes with horror. But this province has always been at the forefront of conversations when it comes to sorcerers,…
My Father’s Promise
My father worked abroad for years in order to earn more for the family. Back then, he already had a loving wife and two boys. But he still wished and prayed fervently for a daughter. He had this promise that he would permanently return home if God would answer his prayers. And then I was…
The Culture of Blaming the Victim: The Nirbhaya Gang Rape Case
The BBC Four documentary India’s Daughter prompted outrage because of the statement of Mukesh Singh, one of the six perpetrators of the notorious December 2012 Delhi gang rape in India. He said the victim Jyoti Singh (Nirbhaya) was to blame for her sexual assault and murder. Jyoti was returning from an evening at the cinema…
Have to Go
I have now left a place I considered my second home for almost five years. A few weeks ago, I received a phone call informing me that I have been fired. I was no longer required to report for work the next day for the morning newscast, News to Go. A few days later, my contract with the afternoon newscast GMA…
Indochina: Four Tales of Heartbreak
Love has a quota. That’s according to Ricky Lee in his masterpiece “Para kay B.” Only one in every five people who fall in love will have a happy ending. The others might love someone who will not love them back. Or love without learning. Or love hopelessly. And some might not love at all….
Living with AIDS
It happened August last year. Despite his difficulty in breathing, he had to go out of the house alone to go to the local medical clinic. After numerous tests, he received a diagnosis of pneumonia with prescriptions that would last him a week. He took them secretly and religiously but had chills and nights filled with pain and silent…
