To commemorate the 78th anniversary of the end of WWII on Aug. 15, 1945, I’m publishing my book, “The Zigzag Road” the same day. Weaving historical events from the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the “Second Pearl Harbor” in the Philippines, “The Zigzag Road” chronicles my father’s journey on foot from Baguio … More Book Launch – “The Zigzag Road”
With the war going on in Ukraine, I thought of the war in the Philippines when I was a baby. War is a terrible thing, and in memory of my parent’s 79th wedding anniversary, I’m reposting this story of how Dad’s decision saved our lives from the massacre. Otherwise, my three brothers and I won’t … More A tribute to my parents on their 79th wedding anniversary if they are here today
Imelda Marcos – Part I In 1978, the administration Kilusang Bagong Lipunan party fielded Imelda as a candidate in the Philippine parliamentary elections of 1978. Because most opposition candidates were either in jail or had limited mobility due to Martial Law, Imelda Marcos easily won a seat as a member of the Interim Batasang Pambansa … More Imelda Marcos- a study in a power grab, corruption and ill-gotten wealth during the Marcos Era – Part II
IF I WERE THE NEXT PRESIDENT (Part 2 of a series) By BEN R. PUNONGBAYAN Founder, Buklod National Political Party As President, I will devote my whole six-year term to provide a much more effective, efficient, decisive and widely focused national leadership with the primary objective of transforming the Filipino nation into a fair, just, equitable … More Containing COVID-19
IF I WERE THE NEXT PRESIDENT… By BEN R. PUNONGBAYAN Founder, Buklod National Political Party (First of a series) As President, I will devote my whole six-year term to transform Philippine governance and Philippine society into an inclusive, fair and shared economy. The centerpiece and overarching program of that transformation will be the substantial reduction, if … More Protection of Philippine Rights on the West Philippine Sea
Photo Credit: Wikimedia.org. The Chinese on the West Philippine Sea is a very hot topic in the Philippines right now. With the election coming in 2022, President Duterte is under pressure to defend his stand on China’s ignoring the 2016 Arbitral victory of the Philippines. In Philippine law, the West Philippine Sea refers only to … More If I were the next President, what would you do with the West Philippine Sea?
Iloilo City, the capital of Iloilo province, is on the southeast coast of Panay, the Ilonggos or Hiligaynons’ homeland. Iloilo City is on the Iloilo River’s wide mouth, which juts out into the Guimaras Strait. The offshore Guimaras Island shelters it. Iloilo is one of the country’s loveliest Spanish colonial settlements. Iloilo City is a … More Iloilo – The Heart of the Philippines
Because of their geographical position between southern China and Melanesia, the Philippines have marked importance for many aspects of Oceanic prehistory. By Southeast Asian standards, they are fairly well-studied archaeologically, and this situation is partly due to a half-century of research carried out by Henry Otley Beyer (1883-1966), an American archaeologist. Beyer showed in … More Batangas’ Ancient History
This weekend marked the 34th anniversary of the People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution which was a series of popular demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from Feb. 22-25, 1986. EDSA or Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, is the giant ring road encircling Metro Manila where majority of the … More February 22-25, 1986, The People Power Revolution
Like England’s foxhunts, and Spain’s bullfights, cockfighting is a blood-sport between two cocks held in a ring called a cockpit. Crowds of people watch the fights, in an enclosed cockpit or an open makeshift one. The pits look like miniature stadiums. Rural game pits usually consist of a wooden structure with a tin roof to … More Cockfighting – An Ancient Sport in the Philippines
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