The American occupation in Balingasag
AGAIN, here is another gem from the book titled, "Historical Glimpses of Old Balingasag" by Garcilaso Vega y Fernandez (1997) about the American occupation in his hometown of Balingasag.
Filipinos in China before 1500
(Excerpts taken from the book of the same title by William Henry Scott with Chinese translation by Go Bon Juan.1989 Chinese Studies Program, De La Salle University, Taft Avenue, Manila)
SULU’S first tribute mission to the Chinese imperial court was in 1417 when three royal...
Feastings
YEARS ago, the late National Artist Alejandro Roces came out with a coffee table book about the fiesta culture of the Philippines.
The four Bs and the need to reinvent
THIS concept of beauty pageants came from the West. It started in ancient times in Europe when it was the custom of the people to choose symbolic kings and queens for their May day festivities and other community celebrations. Beautiful young women were chosen to symbolize the virtues and ideals...
Getting to know our hero: Jose P. Rizal
FOR the 150th birth anniversary of our national hero, Jose P. Rizal, I am sharing several very interesting, fascinating and little known facts about him that are excerpts from the papers of two historians, Ambeth R. Ocampo and Dr. Harry Sichrovsky. These were read respectively on the Annual...
Solving the mystery of the second monument in Divisoria
AS THE 111th anniversary of the Battle of Agusan Hill draws near, I am once again going to write about that historic battle on a different perspective. This time, it will not be in the battlefield but on a monument in Divisoria whose identity has been subject to many speculations. The most...
Roa: Our Daygon, 1900s-1930s
"DAYIGON" in Bisayan means "to praise" and it is during the Christmas season that Christmas songs or carols, locally known as dayigon (pronounced as day-gon), are sung.
The Monuments of Divisoria
PUBLIC monuments are usually impressive, stately, at times colossal and grand structures that are made of stone, bronze, marble and iron. Monuments are usually erected to commemorate an important historical event or to honor men and women with extraordinary contributions to society. It gives us...
Fascinating Balanghai
IN 1969, Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdal with an international crew that included scientists went through a voyage in a boat named Ra, after the sun god of Egypt.
