Ang Dabawenyo

Ten days to go before Christmas. Is it just me, or are there a lot more beggars on the streets this year? I think I’m seeing more Bagobo and Ata beggars trying to scrounge a few bucks from the lowlanders compared to last year. We’ve all heard of alleged syndicates that’re responsible for ‘fielding’ beggars [...]

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On our way back from Cagayan de Oro via Bukidnon, my friends and I came upon this huge sculpture jutting from the side of the road, precariously sitting on the edge of a cliff. By the looks of it, it would be safe to assume that it’s the work of Davao artist, Kublai Millan.

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Metanarrative in Metamorphosis (Conclusion of a three-part series by Phillip Somozo. Click here for Part 1 and Part 2.) Eve’s biting the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden was not original sin but the first disobedience. It is today something for her descendants not to be repentant of, but one worth celebrating. So spoke [...]

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For the very first time in my life, I plan to see one of the cinematic offerings of the Metro Manila Film Festival this year. The movie is a full-length animation called Dayo, and the reason I want to watch it is to give support towards this unique Filipino enterprise. Last 4 October, a group [...]

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(This is a contributed article by Phillip Somozo, the 2nd of a 3-part series. Click here for Part 1.) Davao Surreal Artist features in New York Exhibit celebrating John Milton and Paradise Lost Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo* were the first Filipino visual artists to achieve international recognition by virtue of their winning gold [...]

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(This is a contributed article by Phillip Somozo, the first of a three-part series.) When British Renaissance poet John Milton wrote what is considered as the greatest poem in the English language, he was a frustrated political/religious writer and financially distraught. Worse, he had become blind. He retreated to a silent life and dictated Paradise [...]

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I read in the papers today that a Ninoy Aquino International Airport official (who prefers to be anonymous) is considering feng shui to “fend off ‘evil spirits’ that may be haunting the NAIA Terminal 3.” O.M.G. This high-ranking official was wise to request anonymity from that newspaper. Feng shui is a body of practices invented [...]

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Last weekend, I was in Tagaytay City to attend MediaNation5.2, where there gathered the country’s top journalists and media decision-makers. In the words of the event’s organizer and host, pagbabago@pilipinas, MediaNation is the only forum in the Philippines where mainstream media organizations come together as one. It’s a coincidence that I am actually part of [...]

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The last time I was in Tagaytay was in 2005 when I found myself with the country’s IT industry movers and shakers, and the purpose was to formulate the Philippine Software Industry Roadmap. Now I’m back, and it’s for another conference. This time it’s MediaNation5.2. MediaNation is an annual event wherein journalists come together and [...]

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Just last night, I was reminiscing my college days with a friend of mine, Ryan from London, who’s now taking up medicine back in England. Today, I got an email from another friend about the Top 20 Universities in the Philippines. According to the email (and to numerous other blogs that have carried this piece [...]

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