Here’s a caveat. No, I do not discourage speaking English. Due to obvious reasons. It is the language that I speak myself. There is, however, a debatable argument to the effect that Spanish was never widely spoken by Filipinos before. During a visit to my late friend’s small office at Arellano University (Legarda), Pio Andrade […]
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The usual stories about the origin of town names are made-up myths. I remember at the beginning. Many sites discuss the origin of the name of Malolos to have originated from the word “Malo”. This story goes that the Spaniards had referred to Malolos as being a land of heathens. Thus, the word Malo, which […]
For those who love to tell everyone, they have Spanish/mestizo lolos and lolas, to explain their fair complexions and features, but ignore and disregard their hispanic-filipino/hispano-filipino heritage.
It seems that Phil Gordon of the White House press is making a lot of noise with this tweet. “Bilat” is an informal shorthand for “Bilateral,” and this is what Gordon used to refer to the meeting between VP Harris and President Bongbong Marcos. We Filipinos love finding naughty meanings in everything 😂 The American […]
A friend sent me a link to her daughter’s graduation. I am sure it was a great moment for her and her parents. During the event, I could not help but notice that most students had Hollywood (American-English) first names and Spanish surnames. I knew that this was common back home, but I’m surprised that […]
As I saw a clip of “Maria Clara at Ibarra” on my social media feed, I can vouch for some pretty good acting. But, I always find these Spanish-Philippines period films and dramas frustrating for its continuous portrayal the Spanish period as being completely like the dark ages. I am not implying that all Filipino […]
As the USS Ronald Reagan recently docked in Manila, I am surprised no one batted an eye. Unlike past visits that have been met with strong opposition by anti-US elements and level-headed nationalist officials, this visit has been met with almost complete silence. Under the constitution, nuclear arms cannot be placed within the countries’ borders. […]
Last month, we visited Malolos and ran some errands in town. On our way back to Manila, I decided to take my mother and son to Malolos Church (officially, Basílica Menor y Catedral de la Inmaculada Concepción de Malolos). If there are people around me in historical places, I usually talk about their history. I […]
It was a short walk from my apartment on F Cabahug St to the Carmelite Monastery in Cebu. Since this was my first job outside Manila and away from family, I routinely dropped by the Carmelite chapel. For the most part, just to find peace. Here is where I first noticed Cebuanos, after lighting candles, […]
When we study history, we are not providing answers to definitive scientific problems. The argument is interesting. Do chismis contribute to how we tell history and preserve it? Can you imagine if the chismis was started by a major player in the event? In the face of such a situation, how can we, as historical […]
Tsismis as history? Social media has been dominated by this silly question. Both those interested and uninterested, famous and unknown, have voiced their opinions. It is clear that Tsismis is not history. Further explanation is not necessary. I find it surprising that regarded historians have even taken the time to explain why it’s not. Tsismis […]
At one point in our lives, occasions were incomplete without paella. As a lower middle-class family, my mother made sure this dish was served. It looked so classy and expensive with tahong, shrimps, and sliced eggs all around it. As the years passed, my mother stopped making them. It was replaced by Filipino-style sweet spaghetti, […]
In Quora, the post is titled “Why do the Netherlands and France do the same with Vietnam and Indonesia but not with Filipinos?”. It’s a long read, but it’s interesting. I read it once before and came across it again. I thought I’d share it. As a former colony, I am not familiar with the […]
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