BPI Foundation, Inc. is celebrating three decades of leadership as the corporate social responsibility arm of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) with the launch of a coffeetable book that promises to be one of the most important publications on Philippine art history.

The book, Herencia: A Legacy of Art and Progress, contains in-depth reviews of nearly 1,000 important works of art accumulated by BPI in the course of years of mergers and acquisitions – from People’s Bank, Comtrust, Ayala Investment Development Corporation, Citytrust Banking Corporation, Far East Bank and Trust Company, Development Bank of Singapore, to Prudential Bank.

Artworks by Filipino visual artists and sculptors were included in the acquisitions and integrated with BPI’s existing collection. BPI Foundation has also been acquiring pieces to help strengthen the collection’s art historical value. Over the past two years, the Foundation has acquired a Cesar Legaspi painting, originally owned by the National Artist’s family. It also bought 20 drawings and memorabilia of the National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco from a 1960s collector’s estate.

Enriching the value of the milestone book are the valuable insights on Philippine art history by renowned art historians and writers which include former Governor of the Central Bank Jaime C, Laya, distinguished UP professors Alice Guillermo and Ma. Victoria Herrera, Cid Reyes, and Ramon N. Villegas, who conceived and edited the book.

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THE vision of an 18-year-old girl will spell a big difference to the lives of physically challenged individuals in Cebu with her gift of 550 special wheelchairs this month.

Michelle Dalrympe, the youngest of three children of a couple from California, finds a common denominator with the pre-qualified recipients of these wheelchairs. (more)

By Dyan Cuevas

SO THE stressful academic days have ended only to be replaced by the dog days of summer. A tidbit written somewhere states that the phrase “dog days” comes from the fact that Sirius, the Dog Star, was at its brightest during summer in ancient Rome. If that were the case, people would be rioting the streets right now to have their encyclopedia edited as they know this phrase is actually derived from the fact that everybody pants like a dog during this arid season.

The joy and agony of nothing

Sure, nothing beats two months of doing nothing, but even doing nothing requires at least a maximum temperature of, say, 10 degrees. The truth is, summer is great, definitely, but the heat that comes with it is just too much to handle. What does a young person in search of the meaning of life do to cope with the rigors and tribulations that the summer heat brings? The answer is a lot.

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By Darwin John Moises and Michelle Mendez-Palmares
Singlestalk

Michelle: Have you been on a blind date? I have. It happened a long, long time ago. But I can still remember it because it was my first and only blind date. I will spare you the details of a forgettable experience that I still can’t forget because it was one of the most uncomfortable moments in my adult life. Anyway, for the uninitiated, a blind date is a date where two people who have never previously met or seen each other meet for the first time. With the Internet, blind dates are not uncommon as people who have “met” in chat rooms or forums or IMs decide to take it to another level by seeing each other personally.

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By Evelyn R. Luab
Light Sunday

My naughty grandson easily says “sori, sori” (sorry) if his small, tin car lands on Kates’s head or his big fire truck hits my toes. However, we always tell him it’s not enough to say “sorry!” Make amends!

Peter denied Jesus Christ no less than three times and he made several blunders in his early life, but after the crucifixion, Peter became the strong one. He preached the word of God far and wide, and showed his strength in his faith. He more than made up. He died a martyr.

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