1 February 2016
Quezon City – It’s Saturday and Emar is hurrying to join a basketball game with his friends from high school. Now 33 years old, he still actively plays every weekend with people who share his passion for the sport. “… Read more
17 January 2016
Quezon City – Leftover chicken sandwich from my father’s afternoon snack was what he would usually bring my sister and me after he came home from a day’s work. It was the kind of pasalubong he knows would make his littl… Read more
3 January 2016
Quezon City – The color purple is often associated with royalty, grandeur or prosperity. In culinary circles, purple is the latest food fad. A plate filled with purple carrots or potatoes seem to be the latest additi… Read more
23 December 2015
Quezon City – Literally, "Merry Christmas" in Tagalog! Have you ever celebrated the most festive time of the year in the Philippines? If yes, then you know that it is difficult to be sad when e… Read more
14 December 2015
Quezon City – The Philippines ranked 9th in the 2014 Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum, still the only country in the Asia Pacific region to be included in the 10 most gender-equal nations. Th… Read more
16 November 2015
Quezon City – Although football (known as soccer in the United States) is hugely popular worldwide, the Philippines has preferred basketball since the start of the 20th century. After the last FIFA Wo… Read more
2 November 2015
Quezon City – Famous for its durable and affordable shoes, the City of Marikina was home to some 200,000 shoemakers and 7,000 factories during the shoe industry’s heyday in the 1970s. Today, it fl… Read more
8 October 2015
Quezon City – Ruben, an engineer, was already a manager in a Japanese firm in Cavite when he opted to work abroad. He now lives away from home, at least for awhile, in pursuit of higher wages to improve his family&rs… Read more
16 March 2015
Quezon City – The Philippines is composed of 7,107 islands, around 2,000 of which are inhabited. It is not surprising, therefore, that more than 170 languages are spoken in the country and that more than half of the popul… Read more
11 January 2015
Quezon City – Nightlife in the Philippines is quite diverse and options abound: clubs, cafés, bars, cultural shows, karaoke joints, and casinos. A night owl in Metro Manila need not search hard for chic, swan… Read more
07 December 2014
Quezon City – With its sweet, unique flavor, it’s not surprising that mango ranks high among the world’s favorite fruits, and is the Philippines’ national fruit. In fact, an international stud… Read more
11 November 2014
Quezon City – Lucban is a typical quiet town at the foot of Mount Banahaw in the province of Quezon, where farming is the main source of livelihood for many locals. Every 15th of May, the town's houses come alive, as … Read more
4 October 2014
Quezon City – Oslob: an idyllic countryside, perfect for those who want a quick getaway from the urban hustle and bustle; a small town, rich in history, that recently became world-famous for its whale sharks, which can … Read more
29 August 2014
Quezon City – The sheer, rugged Cordilleras* flaunt one of the most breathtaking views in the island of Luzon: lush green trees, a winding river, peaks enveloped in clouds, and vigorous vegetation everywhere. The upl… Read more
9 May 2014
Quezon City – While the Philippine tourism industry scrambled to lure millions of visitors — and succeeded to a large extent — the past three years also saw a surge in the number of Filipinos traveling abroad. T… Read more
18 March 2014
Quezon City – In the Southern Tagalog region, about 170 kilometers southeast of Manila, stands what many people stoutly believe is a sacred mountain. Every year, pilgrims, tourists, and the sick flock to Mount Banahaw … Read more
21 January 2014
Quezon City – You hear singing almost anytime, anywhere. That’s nothing out of the ordinary when you’re in the Philippines.
The Filipino penchant for singing is legendary. Whether in a restaurant, on t… Read more
10 December 2013
Quezon City – Whenever you ask a Filipino what the most popular sports in the country are, basketball and boxing are almost always the top two choices. That is to be expected, as both sports have produced many world cha… Read more
29 October 2013
Manila – A Chinoy or Tsinoy is a Philippine national of Chinese descent, who is born or raised in the Philippines. The word is derived from Chinese (or Tsino, the Filipino pidgin for the Spanish term for Chinese) … Read more
18 September 2013
Quezon City – Koya… Ati… are a couple of dead giveaways that the speaker is Bisaya (Visayan). Those from "down south," be it the Visayas or Mindanao group of islands, who are living in Metr… Read more
27 October 2012
Quezon City – Datu Alfonso Velasco San Juan is one of the many tribal chiefs who are striving to preserve the culture and traditions of the Sama tribe in the Island Garden City of Samal. The tribal leaders are pushing to p… Read more
2 October 2012
Manila – Rain, rain go away… It’s that soppy time of year again! When the raindrops start their pitter-patter on your roof then crescendo into a waterfall roar, home becomes the location of choice. You dig in an… Read more
12 September 2012
Manila – An elderly lady in Caramoran, Catanduanes, wearing a multicolored sun dress, squats next to her grandson and offers him a glass of water. She speaks to him in her native language of Bicolano; in Buug, Zamboa… Read more
15 July 2012
Quezon City – Bring out the sunblock, bikini, and flip-flops and get ready to plunge into the clear waters around the 7,107 islands. Summer in the Philippines starts around March, as temperatures proceed to climb, hitti… Read more
30 June 2012
Quezon City – What is ethnicity? What does it mean to be ethnic? A formal definition states that being ethnic means belonging to a certain group or community that shares a common culture, language, or dialect; traditions… Read more
21 May 2012
Madrid – The pressures, to which the Spanish community in the Philippines was subjected to, throughout history a notable peculiarity as compared to other Spanish migrant groups. On one hand, during the modern age, the Philippi… Read more
13 February 2012
Quezon City – The Kayapa Ikalahan population was widely scattered in northeastern Pangasinan, western Nueva Vizcaya, and western Ifugao on the main island of Luzon. Included in the generic term Igorot, mea… Read more
9 January 2012
Manila – Languages around the world are dying at an alarming rate. It is unclear to linguists and historians how many languages have vanished in the past centuries, but some estimate that more than 10,000 languages once exist… Read more
12 December 2011
Zamboanga City – The vigorous original Zamboangueño Chavacanos, also referred to as simply Chavacanos, are composed of families that are native to the old Zamboanga. Their language is called Zamboangue&… Read more
7 November 2011
Manila – The first time I tasted Tuba was when I was in third grade. My family did not let me sip that orange to reddish liquid so I could take part in the Waray drinking culture; rather, they made me sip it so that I would be appalled … Read more
10 October 2011
Guangzhou – Chinese had been living in the archipelago that was to become the Philippines long before the islands were overrun by Spanish colonizers. However, the specific era of the Chinese migration to the Philipp… Read more
12 September 2011
Quezon City – Consisting of both the non-Christian and non-Islamic, the Mandaya are found throughout Davao Oriental and Davao del Norte, Mindanao. Their name denotes the “first people upstream” an… Read more
11 July 2011
Quezon City – The Ifugao call themselves as i-pugao or "inhabitants of the known earth"; other variations of the name are Ifugaw, Ipugao, and Yfugao. They live primarily in the province of Ifugao in Central Cordille… Read more
6 May 2011
Quezon City – The Bagóbo are a proud people with proto Malayan features and with a strong social structure enabled them, as a group, to integrate with the main body politic while retaining much of their indigenous customs, … Read more
7 February 2011
Quezon City – Esteemed as “the strong people of the Cordilleras”, Kalingans, simultaneously, profoundly cherish family and kinship. A Kalinga household consists of a nuclear family and sometimes, an aged g… Read more
13 December 2010
Manila – In addition to having one of the longest Christmas celebrations in the world, The Philippines has a unique way of celebrating this holiday. It may seem odd to a foreigner, but when the first "ber" m… Read more
4 October 2010
Seoul – The term “Korean-Filipino” refers to a person (1) who is half-Korean and half-Filipino, and lives in the Philippines or (2) who was born in the Philippines to Korean parents. Since the Philippines allow… Read more
20 September 2010
Batangas – I was born and raised in Batangas, and had no idea I had been using a lot of words that other Tagalog speakers were not familiar with. In my numerous conversations with friends and colleagues, I would usually leave … Read more
5 July 2010
Quezon City – In the heart of Davao Gulf in southeastern Mindanao lies the Island Garden City of Samal (IGACOS), homeland of Sama indigenous group. Popularly known as simply Samal Island, IGACOS can be reached by ferry boat from D… Read more
21 June 2010
Manila – Zambales, a picture of tranquil, unspoiled black-sand beaches, is close enough to Metro Manila for weekend jaunts, yet idyllic enough to be a respite from urban drudgery. A stroll along the shore, feeling the fine sand … Read more
10 May 2010
Baguio City – Most people find the ethnolinguistic group Hiligaynon to be malambing (affectionate). Popularly known as Ilonggo, Hiligaynon is said to have originated from the term Yligueynes or people of the coast, consideri… Read more
19 April 2010
Quezon City – The American occupation was a period of diverse and dynamic religious experience in the Philippines. While the politicians saw the occupation as a way to expand democratic principles, leaders of various denomi… Read more
Young children playing football in the park in Iloilo
