Photo Credit – google.com What is Wallace’s Line? The Wallace Line runs up the Lombok Strait between Indonesian Islands Bali and Lombok. It continues north through the Makassar Strait that separates Borneo(Kalimantan) and Celebes (Sulawesi), turns east into the Pacific and then back north again to encompass the Philippines. The so-called Wallace’s line refers to … More Plant and Animal Beginnings in the Philippines
Magellan established friendly relations with the treacherous King of Cebu, Humabon, who professed Christianity in order to win the help of Magellan. The great navigator was induced to undertake an expedition to conquer the neighboring island of Mactan for the Catholic faith and the King of Cebu. At the muddy island called … More The Spaniards Discovered the Philippines – Part 2
Archeological evidence suggests that the Negritos, a broad term for indigenous people of dark complexions, reached the Philippines over 30,000 years ago by a land bridge from the Asian mainland following the migration of animals. Excavation at Palawan’s Tabon cave yielded a human skull carbon-dated to 22,000 B.C. About 10,000 years ago, the ice … More The Philippines and Its People
My son texted me one night before coming home and asked if we had fries. I said I only had sweet potato fries in the freezer and he told me to cook it. I did. I thought he would make hamburger for dinner. He came home with this ketchup looking bottle and said he went … More Banana Ketchup and Maria Orosa, a Taal scientist who invented it
What do you know about the Philippines? Here is a glimpse of my old country, its geography and its natural beauty. Photo Credit – leytesamardailynews.com The Philippines is a tropical paradise in Southeast Asia with spectacular beaches fringed with gently swaying palm trees on fine white, pink and in some areas almost black sand. Some … More The Philippines – A Tropical Paradise
The Philippines was once a part of mainland Asia. The first sign of man in the Philippines dates back to at least 35,000 years ago. Since prehistoric times, the islands have been populated by peoples of the Malay race. Most of them lived simply in scattered villages at river mouths. Their houses were made of … More Philippines’ Early History – Human Migration
During the glacial or ice age periods, the sea level was lowered because the ice sheets were formed upon the surface of the land. The huge ice sheets contained a considerable portion of the earth’s water. Much land was formed providing land bridges between continents for human and animal migrations permitting extensive … More The Ice Age – Part 2
Holy Week in the Philippines is celebrated with religious fervor. Here is an excerpt from “The Iron Butterfly”. During Cuaresma (Holy Week), from Domingo de Ramos (Palm Sunday) to Pasko ng Pagkabuhay (Easter Sunday), Catholic rites in the Philippines were infused with special fervor. It was a time for street pageantry and spiritual … More Holy Week in the Philippines
About two million years ago, the land was already formed. One large land area reached out into the Pacific Ocean from the Asian continent. Only the South China, Sulu and Celebes basins remained as seas. But events were taking shape in the earth’s polar region, causing three successive ice ages which lowered sea levels … More The Ice Age – Part 1
Today, March 18, 2018 marks the 75th wedding anniversary of my parent and if Dad did not pass away in May 2007, I’m sure there would be a party. Filipinos love parties. They will find any excuse to have a party. What made their marriage endure for so long? Love, patience, total commitment and … More March 18 – My parents’ wedding anniversary
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