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What a Year 2020 for the Filipinos!

 2020 - Oh what a year! We pronounce it "Twenty-Twenty". On a side note, the ophthalmologist will always want us to have the 20-20 vision. This year was supposedly the 2020 Olympics to be held in Japan. The outlook for 2020 by the economists, by the Feng-sui experts, and by majority of Filipino people is that this is going to be a great big year. A Woman Vendor getting back on her feet after the devastation brought about by a typhoon in the Philippines. Here, she's selling corns that were left to her by Typhoon Ulysses. Including me, I was hoping that this year is going to be prosperous. Until these things happened: Taal Volcano Eruption Thousands of families lost their homes. We were shocked, saddened by the impact of ashfalls not only to the nearby towns in Taal Volcano but also in provinces as far as those in Central Luzon. Death tolls were recorded in the following days, both humans and animals. Restrictions to enter danger zones were imposed, giving residents more pa

A Strong Message: Filipinos Will Win the Fight Against COVID-19

We will survive this battle against COVID-19. If we follow government directives, we will. If we impose disciplines among ourselves, we will. If we think about the welfare of everyone, we will. In times like this, winning is about cooperation. Filipinos will fight. Filipinos will rise. Filipinos will win. Humanity will survive this serious battle. A lady guard in a grocery store told me: “Sir, nakapamili na rin kayo sa wakas”.  (Sir, you’ve finally bought what you need.) And I responded: “Oo nga Mam, nakaraos din sa mahabang pila at paghihintay”.  (Oh yes Mam, I finished it despite the long queue and waiting time.) The situation outside is obviously not the usual. Buying your groceries, fish or meat, and even medicine takes a longer time than usual. You will have to queue, spend some time outside under the heat of the sun, and be extra-careful when handling food items, when entering doors, and when speaking with people. Social distancing is observed and wearing of face masks

The Grays and Golds of the Taal Volcano Eruption

The grays of ashes brought us down but the golds in our hearts will lift us again. For me, this is one of the clearest message this natural phenomenon has delivered to the Filipinos. About two weeks before the surprising January 12 Taal Volcano eruption in Batangas, Philippines, my wife and I were driving our motorcycle along Tagaytay-Nasugbu road, then the Diokno Highway traversing the towns of Laurel, Agoncillo and Laurel, the Palico-Balayan-Batangas road passing by the towns of Taal and Santa Teresita, and the National Highway connecting Alitagtag, Cuenca and Lipa City. All of these areas were devastated by the unprecedented explosion of ashes from the popular Taal volcano-island. The eruption just happens, without any sign or warning from the volcano itself that it would be that catastrophic. Taal Volcano eruption in the afternoon of January 12, 2020. (Credit to owner of the photo - a college classmate) The Instagram-mable Eruption of Taal Volcano Calamity strikes

BAYANIHAN – Filipinos’ Last and Only Hope in Beating the Odds of Times

Illegal drugs, criminality, corruption in the government – these are the evil things killing the Filipino people for many decades. The government and its armed forces alone are not enough to cure the bleeding wound of our generation. The hope of a better Philippines will come from us – the people. As a Filipino, what really went wrong with us? Why are we living in this society full of hatred, bias, inequality, and divisiveness? The Spirit of Filipino Bayanihan in the Philippines This blog is meant to uncover the truth behind a distinct Filipino culture that got hidden in the dark for decades - BAYANIHAN. I had been blogging for about a decade and I have shared a lot of the stories telling why Filipinos are divided in terms of political and religious beliefs, ignorant in the many aspects of the society, denied of our rights and privileges over many things, and betrayed by a few elites running the political and economic systems of the land. It could be only two things: we were